By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Microsoft: No Plans to Sue Over Linux Patents
If Microsoft knew that Linux was violating one of its patents, it would sue so quickly you wouldn't know what happened. But despite some recent statements, it turns out that Microsoft has no plans to launch any lawsuits over Linux. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. DOG (Distrust/Disdain of Google) Moves In
I commented last night that I thought Google's "Don't be evil" directive ended the day Google launched its IPO. I also noted that the people who used to work for DoubleClick now work for google, which doesn't auger well for Google. I have advised people against using Feedburner in the past, and not this user-tracking and banner advertising company is part of Google. I'd like to like Google, but I see Google's primary customers - advertisers - are beginning to run the show. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Does Pearson'S Purchase of eCollege Give It the Muscle to Compete with Blackboard?
Seb Schmoller links to an article by Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed and notes that "The article hints at further rationalisation and consolidation between educational technology and educational content businesses, and sees eCollege, backed by Pearson as much more serious competition for Blackboard." I don't see Blackboard's share price as an indicator of anything other than a tech bubble, personally, and I think that the major story here is that Pearson is entering a space recently vacated by Thomson. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Google Timeline and Map Search Results Views
I'm back from Winnipeg and my punishment for writing a nice post about Air Canada was a miserable flight on an overcrowded tiny CRJ complete with lost luggage. Though I did get to see the end of Music and Lyrics between Winnipeg and Toronto (I guess Air Canada thinks people in Moncton are tiny and can fit in little tiny spaces while people in Winnipeg are large and need that much more room). Anyhow, this post looking at the use of Google to create timelines and maps raises some interesting educational possibilities - though I'm beginning to think that the lack of things like the lack of an RSS version of these results is indicative of a growing tendency at Google toward proprietary APIs over more standard data feeds. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Why I'M Not Worried About the Microsoft Patent Threats Against Linux
This is a common theme in the reactions. "The experts and evidence all suggest that Microsoft is all bark and no bite in this particular case." Look at it more closely: "[Linux] potentially, not definitely, infringes 283 untested patents, while not infringing a single court-validated patent." And Microsoft won't name the patents, because, as Linus Torvalds writes, "Naming them would make it either clear that Linux isn't infringing at all (which is quite possible, especially if the patents are bad), or would make it possible to avoid infringing by coding around whatever silly thing they claim." He adds, "Don't you think that if Microsoft actually had some really foolproof patent, they'd just tell us and go, 'nyaah, nyaah, nyaah!'". More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. UK Schools to Shun Vista and Office 2007
Dave Warlick reports on a Becta recommendation that schools avoid new Microsoft software."Becta said the cost of a widespread deployment of Vista in schools and colleges was currently estimated at around �160m, while the benefits were unclear." The report was published in January, which is why it is currently difficult to find on the Becta website. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Thomson Leaves Learning Market
If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have said Thomson was making a play for virtual control of this market. Now they're out, dumping Thomson Learning for $7.75 billion. What's changed? Tony Karrer offers some links to some discussions looking at, say, content vendor value. It may be that between the free software and the open content and the learning communities there just wasn't a large enough market to control. Anyhow, I think this is big news, because there is no obvious company poised to step in where Thomson is leaving off. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Microsoft Takes On the Free World
In a move that should surprise nobody, Microsoft has played the patent card in its ongoing battle against open source software. As though this will make Vista an attractive alternative. Leaving aside the audacity of the move if any company has depended on copying others, it is Microsoft) the strategy depends not so much on actually having original intellectual property as it does on the threat of a huge software giant suing the competition. What Microsoft wants to d is create both risk and cost to the use of free software. As a business strategy the tactic may well work even though some heavyweights (such as IBM) are behind free software. But what Microsoft - and its customers - should understand is that the company is very deliberately acting against the public interest in order to improve its market position. Which means that its success will only be as far as its legal reach. More...