[Linux-aus] [Fwd: Microsoft "Shared Source" Seminar details]

Anthony Towns aj at azure.humbug.org.au
Mon Sep 22 13:24:02 UTC 2003


On Mon, Sep 22, 2003 at 02:34:19PM +1000, Con Zymaris wrote:
> [...] In fact,
> some countries that have such signed agreements with Microsoft (China,
> Japan) have recently launched a united project to develop an alternative
> platform to Windows. 

"With the recent claims of IP theft regarding SCO and Linux, and
given that some countries that have signed agreements with Microsoft
(China and Japan) have recently launched a united project to develop an
alternative platform to Windows, are you concerned that the IP you're
divulging through the Shared Source programme might be misappropriated
in such ventures, and how should companies avoid such risks?"

Oh, wait, who were we meant to be heckling again? :)

I'd be interested in knowing what Microsoft's policy on releasing source
code for obsoleted versions of their products (eg, Windows 98) is, and if
there's any practical way that small (or at least mid-sized) businesses
could maintain such platforms themselves (possibly via establishing a
consortium, eg).

(This segues into the Digital Agenda review, which considers such issues
more or less under the topic of reverse engineering, and the possibility
of proprietary vendors putting their source code under escrow with a third
party for release once they disappear or cease supporting the product)

Cheers,
aj

-- 
Anthony Towns <aj at humbug.org.au> <http://azure.humbug.org.au/~aj/>
I don't speak for anyone save myself. GPG signed mail preferred.

Australian DMCA (the Digital Agenda Amendments) Under Review!
	-- http://azure.humbug.org.au/~aj/blog/copyright/digitalagenda
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