Re: [DotGNU]IBM, Microsoft plot Net takeover

[Barry Fitzgerald]

Bill Lance wrote:
> >       1) Fight the patent
> >
> That's not to likely to be productive.
>

Well, that depends on whether or not there is prior art.  If there is,
then their patent is invalid.  Since SOAP is a derivitive of other
transports - I'm willing to bet that there is significant prior art. 
The trick beyond that is getting a legal fund and a lawyer to beat the
patent.  If we absolutely have to implement SOAP, it's an option.

 
> >       2) Not use SOAP
> >
> > Which is done by the community depends on how
> > important SOAP becomes.  I
> > suspect that patent encumbering SOAP will only kill
> > SOAP over time.
> 
> If MapPoint is an example of the  pricing, it's likely
> to be a lot quicker than 'over time'.  What amazes me
> about the Hailstorm fiasco is that MS seemed to invest
> so heavily in the model with what, in hind site, must
> have been NO competent market research into it's real
> demand.

Heh - well, it's Microsoft.  They seem to think that the world is on
their side regardless of what they do.  I think that's why they dodged
through the anti-trust trial so much.  It's not that they were lying. 
They actually seem to think that everything they do has consumer
benefit, even if it's sole purpose is to take cash out of consumer
pockets and put it into the MS bank account.  Some of what's going on
must really be a wake-up call for them.

        -Barry