Calling Microsoft's bluff

In reference to Tom Henderson's story "A call to action against Microsoft's open source threats", I have to take issue with him regarding the quality of Microsoft's products. They have always been buggy and counterintuitive to use.

With regard to the concept of patents, they were invented by King James to benefit society, not individuals. If there were no software patents, would it result in less-innovative software being written? I think not. Are monopolies, in any guise, good for democratic capitalist society? I think not. Do software patents teach us anything we wouldn't already know or be able to figure out ourselves? I think not. In other words, there is no merit in the concept of software patents.

Consider another aspect of this matter. It is an offense to obtain money by menacing someone. Without substantive proof, Microsoft is demanding money from people using open source. I think it would be a better proposition to mount a class-action suit against Microsoft seeking fines of millions of dollars a day until it withdraws its claims and proves, through a normal process of law, its claims have substance.

Microsoft should be required to prove its case before it causes alarm by demanding payment where none is due. To the reasonable person, it seems Microsoft's tactics aim to discourage investment and stymie the use of open source software by corporations. On the basis of what is known, it would appear Microsoft could be guilty of fraudulent behavior in that it seeks to benefit through deception.

To do this constitutes an offense under common law. If it proves its case, it should make public the source code it claims has been infringed. Once Microsoft has provided the source code, it should be placed on a Web site for worldwide scrutiny to determine if there is prior art [a patent term referring to existing knowledge] or if the code has been copied from someone else. I am certain that anyone skilled in the art would find the code to be of an obvious nature.

Kevin Loughrey

Managing director

A Perfect PC and Non Volatile Technologies

Sydney, Australia

Support for Musthaler

Regarding Linda Musthaler's column on broadband being vital to the United States' economic future, thank you for an excellent exposé of what we lack. It took stamina and guts to open the door for the American people to know how much they are being screwed. I would be willing to do anything I can to help, but as a woman, past 60 and handicapped, who is going to listen to me?