No matter what PR spin anyone puts on it Microsoft is a destructive parasite in the smartphone marketplace. Extorting money out of android manufacturers after it failed to compete is one of the most disgusting spectacles I've seen in the industry.
When you put emotion into the analysis it seems disgusting. This is business. Purely from a business standpoint do you think MS (or Google) would take it lying down when a competitor undercuts their product with a free product? Don't for a minute think Google made Android open source for philanthropic reasons. It did it purely because it wanted to use the open source as a strategic weapon to get a foothold in the field. I do believe Google strongly believes in their "Do not evil" mantra but this particular one is all business. This is NOT the linux-ms battle again. Linux/GNU was more like a movement without a business/monetary aspirations behind it. Redhat and others sprung around the ecosystem as service providers later on. Android is started/released by a business to make money. So MS is dealing with a different beast here. Google cannot think it would get away by giving their software for free. Nothing is free. It just takes time for things to settle down. The mobile world is still in its infancy.
TL;DR -- Do not put emotions into a business analysis.
It's funny hearing someone defending Microsoft claiming that the mobile world is in its infancy when Microsoft had a huge lead in the mobile world 6-7 years ago and had created a great ecosystem with tons of innovation. Then they inexplicably decided to stop developing their OS after Windows Mobile 6. Probably some moronic executive figured they could extract more rents that way and squandered the massive opportunity. How those executives all the way up to Ballmer haven't been fired is a mystery of Microsoft's dysfunction. Now those same morons, who run one of the great tech companies of our times, have decided that they will compete via the legal system and conniving business deals, instead of using technology. It should be criminal. I have no respect for them or anyone that works for those assholes.
The mobile world is still in its infancy, regardless of how many years ago Microsoft was working on it. No offense, but you come off as far too emotional to take seriously in a discussion. You start with some valid points about management, but then you act like they personally spit on your car.
There's a very valid point you didn't address, which is that Google is relying on its search monopoly profits to pump a free product into a new market in order to destroy existing competitors there. Regardless of how you feel about Google or Android, that is a behavior Microsoft was once criticized for when it made Internet Explorer free in order to destroy Netscape. Just something to think about.
It's important to maintain an objective perspective on all mega-corporations with monopoly power to make sure that your emotions aren't preventing you from recognizing a villain. Is Google a villain? In my opinion, they're on their way based on their behavior of the last couple of years.
Except last time I checked Android isn't bundled with existence as a human. The handsets aren't free the the public unless subsidized by contract, which is the same deal as competitors.
The only "free" part is licensing to OEMS, and they still need to pay for R&D for making physical devices. So that part has no bearing on OS-creators who also happen to manufacture their own devices like Apple and RIM.
Extortion can bring out emotion. Extortion is disgusting, this is the "business" being analyzed here. You can take your emotions out of business if you want, but you shouldn't take out ethics.
Using the word extortion for this exhibits a lot of emotion. Despite how we (almost?) all feel about software patents, right now that is the law and big companies have to play by those rules. I'm glad they have to follow laws even if the laws stink.
It sucks. It props up MS' failed mobile division by riding on the coat tails of Google. But it is how things work right now and the manufacturers are not unhappy enough with the arrangement to ditch Android just yet, so they still feel it's a good enough deal.
(aside: I agree that the philosophical differences between extortion and licensing patents is slim to non-existent but unfortunately that's just how things work right now. That may sound like hyperbole but consider the recent Lodsys lawsuits against indie devs. They honestly may as well be going around threatening to bash in knee caps. They know the small guys can't fight them but they have this crappy law on their side. I'd love for things to change.)
Apple is suing smartphone and tablet manufacturers as well. Why didn't you mention them? Microsoft and Apple didn't invent the patent system. Why blame them for using it? Google is obviously planning on using patents to fight it's competitors too, since they bought all of those IBM patents. Why else would they buy?
Who is Google suing for patent infringement? Name one suit.
Until there's an example where they are using patents offensively, it's unreasonable to claim that they're planning on doing it, especially since they have repeatedly and publicly claimed that doing so is unethical.
Oh, and that's why we blame Apple/Microsoft for using the patent system in this manner. It's unethical.
Apple and Microsoft not suing Google. They are suing Android manufacturers and they are suing them back. If you say those manufacturers are google then google suing them back.
