News has been circulating about the patent lawsuit between Microsoft and a company called TomTom. Microsoft claims that, by using the Linux kernel, TomTom is infringing upon some of its patents. By settling out of court, it seems to give Microsoft an opportunity to go after other Linux-based vendors.
I, however, believe this move from Microsoft comes too little and too late. We saw what happened with SCO vs. the World. Novell, IBM, et al ate them for lunch. One might think that it still means that Microsoft can bully the smaller companies, but I do not think that is practical for them.
The reality is that Linux started outside of the business world, and it will continue to thrive on its own whether or not Microsoft sues companies that use it or not. Free software is free and continually changing. Suing a company for using Linux is like suing them for using the Internet. It sounds to me as though Microsoft is getting pretty desperate, pathetically desperate.
Amarok 2.0.2 was recently released, and I am happy to say that, unlike the few naysayers, I believe it is a fantastic product that will propel KDE to the next level. I would not go back to Amarok 1.4.
