Brian Prentice

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Archives for August, 2009


Microsoft v. i4i – The More I Read The Less I Like

by Brian Prentice  |  August 30, 2009  |  8 Comments

I’ve taken a little time to read Microsoft’s position on their infringement of i4i’s patent relating to a system for manipulating the architecture and content of a document separately. This is the patent case which has resulted in the initial injunction that would stop the sale of Microsoft Word. In my initial post on this [...]

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Is "Open Source Company" An Oxymoron?

by Brian Prentice  |  August 20, 2009  |  15 Comments

Gartner has long since tied the definition of Open Source Software to the underlying license agreement. If software code is covered under a license recognized by OSI it’s open source. Otherwise, it’s not. Simple and straightforward. The focal point for any open source activity has been the project. That’s the center of gravity for community [...]

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Microsoft’s Word Patent Woes May Be Broadly Shared

by Brian Prentice  |  August 12, 2009  |  13 Comments

Few things must be more emotionally paradoxical for the anti-patentistas of the world than to see Microsoft get clobbered on a patent infringement action. Do you rejoice because one of the great advocates, and enforcers, of software patents has gotten a strong dose of their own medicine? Or do you fret at yet another example [...]

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Bing Jingle or Eurovision Song Contest – You Be The Judge

by Brian Prentice  |  August 7, 2009  |  Comments Off

Do you enjoy watching the singers that flop the American Idol auditions more than the ones that make the finals? If so, you might want to spend some time cruising the entries of Microsoft Bing Jingle contest. To give you a sense of how good it gets check out the winner. Someone needs to remind [...]

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Google, Open Source & Patent Reform

by Brian Prentice  |  August 6, 2009  |  10 Comments

Last year, as part of Gartner’s Special Report on Open Source Software, I wrote a report titled Open Source at Google, 2008 (Gartner subscription required). In it I made the statement that: Open source at Google is a key part of Google’s strategy, and Gartner expects it to become one of the most significant contributors [...]

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