[TriLUG] Crossover Office runs Office2K very well.

[John Beimler]

quotation from Sinner from the Prairy <sinner at escomposlinux.org> [on 020410 10:36]:

> AFAIK, latest Microsoft anouncements (Samba, DevStudio and others) try to 
> enforce a licensing scheme that forbids to use them in amy way that implies 
> an access to the code.

Different items have different issues.  The samba issue is summarized
here:

http://advogato.org/article/453.html

> Microsoft defines the GNU GPL as an "IPR Impairing License" and
> requires companies not to distribute their implementations of the CIFS
> specification "in any manner that would subject such Company
> Implementation to the terms of an IPR Impairing License." This attack
> is clearly aimed at the successful GPLed CIFS implementation, Samba. 

Rotor ("Shared Source" .NET CLI) and its license isn't as bad.  You
can't use it for commercial work, but you can at least look at it
without tainting yourself. At least thats what Eben Moglen, FSF
General Council avises:

http://subscribe.dotgnu.org/pipermail/developers/2002-March/002647.html

Compiling MFC for any platform except Windows isn't allowed, just like
using Office on anything except Windows (anyone have Office X?  Does it
have the same type of restrictions?)

http://wine.codeweavers.com/docs/winelib-user/mfc-legal-issues.shtml

Visual Studio .NET is much more restritive, it has an "Open Source
clause" which does block not only releasing any code with an "Open
Source" license, but even using code provided with an "Open Source"
license with your code.

http://www.extremetech.com/article/0,3396,apn=6&s=1605&a=15794&app=4&ap=5,00.asp

Anyhow, its a mess, if you are a Windows developer you are pretty much
barred from using any free software in your projects, regardless of the
licensing of the code.  This will be a very interesting, since most use
of free software in commerical Windows products is usually to provide
some cross-platform support, especially for products origianlly
developed on a Unix-like platform.  

Peace.

john