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On Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:07:19 +0100 Rob Beard wrote: > On 29/04/10 13:50, Paul Sutton wrote: > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > > Hash: SHA1 > > > > Rob Beard wrote: > >> Hi folks, > >> > >> Just seen this on The Register... > >> > >> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/29/microsoft_htc_linux_patents/ > >> > >> I wonder what Google think about this? > >> > >> Rob > >> > > I think as a Linux user group we need to up our game in termns of > > promoting free software > > > > We need to educate people on the dangers of software patents, > > reports like this will simply put people off using free software as > > they may thing they are going to get sued or similar. > > > > With cuts in the public sector looming this is the last thing the > > software community need, perhaps its a ploy by microsoft to ensure > > that people still choose them despite having to save money. > > > > Paul > > > > I'd say it's more Microsoft want a piece of the pie. I mean, Windows > Mobile isn't doing THAT well compared to iPhone, Android, and > Symbian. They probably wouldn't be able to strike up a deal with > Apple (even if Apple were infringing some of Microsoft's patents), > and I'm not sure about Symbian, maybe they don't see it as much of a > threat. > > Now with this deal, they'd presumably get a cut from every HTC > Android based mobile they sell (HTC already sell Windows Mobile > phones). Think of it as a Microsoft tax on Android mobiles. This > way it doesn't matter so much if Microsoft don't sell as many Windows > phones as they still take a cut of the Android sales. > > [snip] > > Rob One of the things that struck me is this is quite a shrewd move by Microsoft. Nasty, conniving and despicable (in my view), but shrewd none the less. I read a review of the "top 10 Android phones" t'other day... 5 of the top 10 were HTC made - the list contained the Nexus One (made by HTC) and some other HTC-made-but-rebadged phone. Sure HTC aren't the originators of Android and they certainly aren't the only Android-touting phone manufacturer... but they would seem to be the biggest. Again, not necessarily the biggest *company* that touts Android, but... of the other major Android-touting phone manufacturers, most (if not all) of them *also* have phones running their own OS. HTC, as far as I can tell, make/supply/sell phones running 1 of only 2 OSes - Windows Mobile and Android. So *every* phone that HTC sells will put money into Microsoft coffers one way or another. Sony Ericsson sell Android phones too, but Microsoft cannot (yet) guarantee that 100% of all S/E phones sold will put cash in the Microsoft register. It would seem that HTC and HTC alone can (at the moment) fill that nice little gap. Grant. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html