Open source's patent spat

Linus Torvalds and other open-source luminaries call a European patent proposal "deceptive, dangerous and democratically illegitimate." Also: Eye on the big ticket.

Torvalds trashes EU patent proposal

Linux creator Linus Torvalds voices opposition to a directive that would make software patentable in Europe.
November 23, 2004

Open source's next frontier

Open-source software is starting to expand into the big-ticket infrastructure-software market dominated by Microsoft and others.
November 22, 2004

Smoothing the way for open source

news.commentary The success of platforms like JBoss, Apache and Jonas could boost open-source integration products--if some key conditions are met.
November 22, 2004

Linux sales boost Novell

The software maker posts a net profit for its fourth quarter; it had a loss during the same period last year.
November 19, 2004

Ballmer attacks Linux on patent front

Microsoft's chief says the open-source OS may not really be free, given the intellectual-property risks.
November 18, 2004

High-end Web apps on the cheap?

ActiveGrid lands multimillion-dollar funding for plan to use open-source tools and low-cost servers for Web applications.
November 18, 2004

Sun plans patent protection for open-source Solaris

In a move to counter Linux, the firm will provide legal protection from suits that target external developers of Solaris.
November 18, 2004

Group aims to smooth kinks out of Linux

Four Linux companies start a global effort to homogenize one version of the open-source operating system.
November 17, 2004

Microsoft offers goodies to lure Novell customers

The firm will pay some transition costs for companies that want to move from the NetWare OS onto servers running Windows.
November 16, 2004