Microsoft has been known to be at war with its anti-thesis, the open-source world, since time immemorial. But is it about to go for underhanded tactics such as stop Linux in its tracks with patent lawsuits?

Is Microsoft getting ready to attack Linux and open-source software with its patents? Florian Mueller, spokesperson for the European NoSoftwarePatents.com and a leading anti-patent activist, thinks that may be the case.

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In [an] interview, [Microsoft's CEO Steve] Ballmer said, “Well, I think there are experts who claim Linux violates our intellectual property. I’m not going to comment.”

Why don’t they file a patent for the World Wide Web or even the Internet while they’re at it? I can just see it: “A technology to interconnect individual networks throughout a wide area through packet switching and internet-protocol address numbering.”