from the feeling-the-heat dept.
An article in the New York Times ("Microsoft Is Set to Be Top Foe of Free Code", by John Markoff, 3 May 2001) describes Microsoftís attempts to counter the growing global open-source software movement.
According to the article, "Microsoft is preparing a broad campaign countering the movement to give away and share software code, arguing that it potentially undermines the intellectual property of countries and companies. At the same time, the company is acknowledging that it is feeling pressure from the freely shared alternatives to its commercial software . . . [The campaign is] an effort by Microsoft to raise questions about the limits of innovation inherent in the open-source approach and to suggest that companies adopting the approach are putting their intellectual property at risk." A particular target of the company, according to quotes from Microsoft executives, will be the General Public License (GPL) distribution model that is favored by many open source advocates.
