May 15, 2007
Jonathan Schwartz: "innovate, not litigate"
SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010. CEO Jonathan Schwartz responds to MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.'s patentA legal grant of exclusive rights to an invention — central to tech litigation and cross-licensing deals. threats against Linux — offering SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010.'s patentA legal grant of exclusive rights to an invention — central to tech litigation and cross-licensing deals. portfolio to defend open sourceSoftware whose source code is freely available to use, modify, and redistribute. instead of suing.
Quote
“We decided to innovate, not litigate.”
What it was for
Press dubbed MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.'s campaign 'patentA legal grant of exclusive rights to an invention — central to tech litigation and cross-licensing deals. terrorism'; Schwartz framed SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010.'s choice as building better products rather than lawyering rivals. The blog post became a rallying cry during the open-source wars of the 2000s.
People
- Jonathan Schwartz — ceo
Companies
- Sun Microsystems
Why it's here
SunSun Microsystems — maker of Java, Solaris, and SPARC; acquired by Oracle in 2010.'s public line when MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. threatened Linux with unspecified patents.
Why it mattered
It contrasted litigation strategy with open-source ecosystem building.
What it solved
The Linux community needed corporate allies willing to counter patentA legal grant of exclusive rights to an invention — central to tech litigation and cross-licensing deals. FUD.
Media
ImageJonathan SchwartzJames Duncan Davidson/O'Reilly Media, Inc., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Steve Ballmer calls Linux "a cancer"June 1, 2001
- Linus Torvalds announces LinuxAugust 25, 1991