ARM, Imagination Technologies Take Over MIPS

[phoronix]

Phoronix: ARM, Imagination Technologies Take Over MIPS

MIPS Technologies has announced today that their patent portfolio is being bought out by a company largely backed by ARM while Imagination Technologies will be taking over the MIPS company...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTIyMjc

[przemoli]

Phoronix: ARM, Imagination Technologies Take Over MIPS

MIPS Technologies has announced today that their patent portfolio is being bought out by a company largely backed by ARM while Imagination Technologies will be taking over the MIPS company...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTIyMjc

Arent MIPS involved in Chineese efforts to make "West-free" computers? Like in "No-western-OS-from-USA!".

If IT take over MIPS business they will have to honor that obligations.

[RussianNeuroMancer]

Arent MIPS involved in Chineese efforts to make "West-free" computers? Like in "No-western-OS-from-USA!".

When China last time care about US patents?

[bnolsen]

When China last time care about US patents?

Hmm...sadly China is probably doing the right thing, almost all the patents held are BS anyways.

[Tiger_Coder]

Patent Patent everywhere but not a single drop of free use.

[Figueiredo]

I'm sure this will evoke a shitstorm and several flame/troll acusations, but here it goes:

It is funny that everyone demonizes patents over here but does not realize that it could just as well be used to protect linux and avoid competitor from using technologies developed for it. I'm certain that would strongly help leveling the playing ground with other OSs. If linux devs and the organisations behind them were more patent minded, linux could be in a better position than it is today... just saying...

[elanthis]

I'm sure this will evoke a shitstorm and several flame/troll acusations, but here it goes:

It is funny that everyone demonizes patents over here but does not realize that it could just as well be used to protect linux and avoid competitor from using technologies developed for it. I'm certain that would strongly help leveling the playing ground with other OSs. If linux devs and the organisations behind them were more patent minded, linux could be in a better position than it is today... just saying...

The problem is that that defeats the purpose. There's no intrinsic value in having one OS "win" over another. There is value in the technically superior option winning. There is value in having the most Free option win.

Patents often stop the technically superior option from even materializing, much less winning. And patents are antithetical to Freedom.

They can only hurt.

[Fenrin]

I'm sure this will evoke a shitstorm and several flame/troll acusations, but here it goes:

It is funny that everyone demonizes patents over here but does not realize that it could just as well be used to protect linux and avoid competitor from using technologies developed for it.[...]

Linux kernel and GPL software is already protected by their license, so why should we need software patents? In most European countries software patents are a rarity. The country were software patents are most popular are probably USA and maybe Canada, and otherwise?

A example: the big fight SCO vs Linux aka Novell. Novell didn't defend its UNIX rights via any patents, but via its ownership (Copyright).

[peperoni]

I'm sure this will evoke a shitstorm and several flame/troll acusations, but here it goes:

It is funny that everyone demonizes patents over here but does not realize that it could just as well be used to protect linux and avoid competitor from using technologies developed for it. I'm certain that would strongly help leveling the playing ground with other OSs. If linux devs and the organisations behind them were more patent minded, linux could be in a better position than it is today... just saying...

If the stupid patent system didn't exist Linux wouldn't need to defend against stupid patents.
Regarding to MIPS aquisition I think it's a blow in the jaw to Intel. I think ARM is doing a very good job.

[zeealpal]

Slightly off topic, but the most I know about MIPS was having to write assembler code for my programming class this year :P