Microsoft’s decision to sue TomTom — and in the process take on Linux — isn’t likely to affect your use of Linux. As of now, that’s the concensus among experts.
But if Microsoft wants a fight — oh boy, is the open-source community ready for it.
First, it should be noted that Microsoft is claiming its lawsuit, made public this week, isn’t really about Linux or open source. Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing, said that while “three of the infringed patents implicate open-source code…open-source software is not the focal point of this action.”