"Whatever dastardly plans Microsoft may have in reserve, open
source companies, developers, and proponents say it doesn't really
matter. With open source a powerful business model and force in its
own right, they are more secure than ever that the software giant
poses no real threat to their movement.
"It will take more than Microsoft to stop the momentum that open
source -- in particular Linux, which powers some of the largest
networks in the world, including Google's -- has in the market,
they say.
""Is its future threatened? No. Open source isn't going
anywhere," says Stephen O'Grady, an analyst with RedMonk. Even if
Microsoft were to assert all of the patents the company claims to
hold in Linux and other open source projects -- which it would have
a hard time doing -- it still could not stop developers from using
open source tools and software nor stop companies from adopting
open source business models, he adds. "[Open source] is a style and
an approach and a model that is here to stay," O'Grady says."
