TT patents once more

[Just van Rossum]

(This message would probably be better on the FT patents list, but I'm not
on that one, feeling that being on 3 FT lists is enough for now...)

I read Apple will negotiate with the FT team (or just David?) about the
patents, but the fact they will do that in the first place kindof scares me
:-(.

I was wondering if it would help if we started a public campaign, or wrote
an open letter to Apple, explaining why it is *good* for Apple to have an
alternative TT implementation around. I'm sure we can get some celebreties
to endorse such a statement. I'm thinking about biggies in the open source
world and the type world. Obviously, having a TT implementation is good for
Linux, but it must be possible to come up with compelling reasons why Apple
should not enforce their patents for their *own* good.
Maybe it's even possible to get endorsement from Microsoft, since the TT
patents yields *OpenType* to not be "open" at all. (Hm, I can image Apple
not giving a peep about that.)

Maybe I'm being naive, but I sincerely think that some external pressure
might help. On the other hand, obviously it shouldn't interfere with the
current negotiations.

What do you think?

In any case, if there's anything more that can be said about the current
status without infringing NDA's, I'd be interested to hear it.

And, dear FT developers, if there's anything else the community can do to
help you win your case, let's hear it!

Just