Open Source Books

Overly asserts that the end users of open source software are at great risk of being sued, unless those users are indemnified by their vendor. I firmly believe this assertion is entirely without legal foundation. But, don't take my word for it, read the position paper on the subject by Eben Moglen, attorney and professor of law at Columbia University. In my opinion, Overly is nothing but an opportunistic liar. Maybe he wants to sell his $90 127 page paperback book, or maybe he wants to sell his legal services, or maybe he is just another shill for Microsoft. In any case, I don't think Overly can be trusted. Furthermore, there is no reason to pay $90 for 127 page paperback book, when Overly has explained his case dozens of times, all over the web.

I have not read this book, but having read some articles that he has written I feel certain that it will contain only a biased and superficial opinion. I do not know what Michael R. Overly's agenda is, but his ideas stink.

Mr Overly specialises in exploiting the reputational and contractural issues raised by technology. Do not be mislead by the title of this book into thinking it is a balanced overview of the risks with open source. Proprietary software shares many of the same risks (eg the Timeline patent case) and indeminfication loopholes, quite apart from the specific proprietary risks identified with unauditable code and vendor lock-in.