Vala isikhangiso

"Ngizimisele ukuqala impi ye-thermonuclear ngenxa ye-Android," kusho uSteve Jobs eminyakeni embalwa edlule. Ukungqubuzana kwe-Apple ne-Google, futhi ngokwengeza i-Android, kwase kusanda kuqala futhi akuzange kuthathe isikhathi eside ukuthi kuvele okokuqala ochungechungeni lwamacala. Kona odume kakhulu, inkantolo iyalele abakwaSamsung ukuthi bakhokhele i-Apple imali engaphezu kwesigidigidi. Phakathi naleso sikhathi, u-Tim Cook wenza kwaziwa ukuthi akafuni ukuqhubeka nempi evuthayo, kodwa okwamanje kubonakala kuphambene nalokho. Inkampani yaseCalifornian ihlanganyele neMicrosoft, Sony, BlackBerry et al. futhi nge-Rockstar imangalela i-Google kanye nenani labakhiqizi befoni be-Android.

Konke kwaqala ngokuwa kwenkampani enkulu. Inkampani yezokuxhumana yaseCanada i-Nortel yangena ezikweletini ngo-2009 futhi yaphoqeleka ukuthi ithengise impahla yayo eyigugu kakhulu - amalungelo obunikazi obuchwepheshe angaphezu kuka-6. Okuqukethwe kwabo kufaka phakathi izinto ezintsha ezibalulekile emkhakheni wamanethiwekhi e-000G, ukuxhumana kwe-VoIP, ukwakheka kwe-semiconductor kanye nezinjini zokusesha zewebhu. Ngakho-ke, inqwaba yezinkampani zobuchwepheshe zazama ukuthola iphakethe lamalungelo obunikazi owadayiswa ngu-Nortel.

Nokho, kubonakala sengathi abanye babo baye basithatha kancane lesi simo. Ungachaza kanjani futhi ukuthi i-Google "idlale" ngokwezibalo ngenani lamabhidi izikhathi ezimbalwa endalini? Kusukela ku-$1 (okungaguquki kukaBruno) kuya ku-$902 (i-Meissel-Mertens constant) kuya ku-$160 billion (π). I-Google kancane kancane yafinyelela inani lama-dollar ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-540, nokho, ayenganele ukuthola amalungelo obunikazi.

Badlulwa yingxenye yeshumi yebhiliyoni yinhlangano ebizwa ngeRockstar Consortium. Lona umphakathi wezinkampani ezinkulu ezifana ne-Apple, i-Microsoft, i-Sony, i-BlackBerry noma i-Ericsson, onomgomo owodwa - wokuba i-counterweight ku-block ezungeze ipulatifomu ye-Android. Amalungu omfelandawonye ayekwazi ukubaluleka kwamalungelo obunikazi anikeziwe, ngakho awazange angabaze ukusebenzisa izimali ezinkulu. Ngenxa yalokho, ingaba ngaphezulu kakhulu kunaleyo eshiwo ngo-4,5 billion dollars.

I-Google, ngakolunye uhlangothi, ngandlela-thile yabukeza ukungathi sína kwesimo futhi yanikeza imali encane kakhulu yamalungelo obunikazi, nakuba izimali zingenakuba yinkinga. Ngokushesha, umdondoshiya wokukhangisa wabona iphutha laso elibulalayo futhi waqala ukudideka. Nokho, ukungabaza ngoNortel kwagcina kumlahlekisele imali eningi. U-Larry Page unqume ukuphendula enzuzweni ye-Rockstar ngokuthenga i-Motorola Mobility ngo-$12,5 billion. Bese kuba kubhulogi yenkampani kusho: "Izinkampani ezifana neMicrosoft ne-Apple ziyahlangana ukuze ziqalise ukuhlasela kwamalungelo obunikazi ku-Android." Ukuthengwa kwe-Motorola bekufanele kuvikele i-Google kulokhu kuhlasela "okungalungile".

Kubukeka sengathi umnyakazo onzima, kodwa mhlawumbe bekudingeka (ngaphandle uma bekungatholwa enye indlela engcono). I-Rockstar Consortium ifake icala ngokumelene ne-Asustek, HTC, Huawei, LG Electronics, Pantech, Samsung, ZTE kanye ne-Google nge-Halloween. Izosingathwa yinkantolo Yesifunda Esisempumalanga ye-Texas, osekuyisikhathi eside ivuna abamangali ezindabeni zelungelo lobunikazi.

Ngesikhathi esifanayo, i-Rockstar izosebenzisa isamba samalungelo obunikazi ayisithupha ahlobene nosesho lwe-inthanethi ngokuqondile ngokumelene ne-Google. Ezindala zazo zihlehlela emuva ngo-1997 futhi zichaza "umshini wokukhangisa onikezela ngesikhangiso kumsebenzisi osesha ulwazi oluthile ngaphakathi kwenethiwekhi yedatha." Lena inkinga enkulu ye-Google - okungenani u-95% wemali engenayo ivela ekukhangiseni. Okwesibili, iGoogle yasungulwa ngo-1998.

Abanye abamele abezindaba kanye nomphakathi ochwepheshe babona amalungu e-Rockstar consortium njengezitha ezinolaka zemakethe yamahhala, ezingeke ziphuthelwe yithuba elilodwa lokuhlasela i-Android. "U-Apple neMicrosoft kufanele babe namahloni ngabo, babhalisele ukuhlaselwa okungenamahloni nge-patent troll - enyanyekayo," uyabhala kuTwitter UDavid Heinemeier Hansson (umdali weRuby on Rails). "Ngesikhathi i-Apple neMicrosoft behluleka ukuphumelela emakethe, bazama ukulwa nomncintiswano enkantolo," uyabhala ngokungakhethi VentureBeat. "Eqinisweni ihamba ngezinga lebhizinisi," ifingqa Isihloko se-Ars Technica.

Imibuzo emibili yanele ukuphendula lokhu kugxeka.

Okokuqala, ngabe i-Google yenzeni ngohlu lwamalungelo obunikazi olusanda kutholwa ukube ayizange iyibukele phansi indali ebalulekile? Kunzima ukukholwa ukuthi ubengeke azame ukuyisebenzisa ukucekela phansi izimbangi zakhe. Lokhu yikho kudala ezama ukukwenza vede amacala ngokumelene ne-Apple emhlabeni jikelele. EJalimane, isibonelo, i-Motorola (ngakho-ke i-Google) iphumelele ukuvimbela amakhasimende akwa-Apple ekusebenziseni eminye yemisebenzi yesevisi ye-iCloud izinyanga eziyi-18. Nakuba lokhu kuvinjelwa kungasasebenzi, izingxabano ezingokomthetho ne-Apple ne-Microsoft ziyaqhubeka.

Okwesibili, singasho kanjani ngokukhetha ukuthi amalungelo obunikazi mabi ezandleni zika-Apple? Indlela efanele ukhomba John Gruber, ngeke kushiwo ukuthi i-Google iziphathe ngendlela eyisibonelo njengelinye iqembu embangweni welungelo lobunikazi. NgoSepthemba, kwadingeka ngisho maqondana necala elibhekene neMicrosoft khokha inhlawulo yezigidi ezingu-14,5 zamadola ngokusebenzisa kabi lokho okubizwa ngamalungelo obunikazi e-FRAND. Lobu ubuchwepheshe bubaluleke kakhulu futhi buyadingeka ekuthuthukisweni kwemakethe kangangokuthi izinkampani zobuchwepheshe kufanele zibanike amalayisense ngendlela efanele kwabanye. I-Google inqabile lokhu futhi yafuna imali engelona iqiniso engu-2,25% yokuthengisa (cishe amadola ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-4 ngonyaka) yokunikeza ilayisense amalungelo obunikazi e-Xbox. Ngakho-ke akunakwenzeka ukusebenza ngaphansi kokucatshangwa ukuthi i-Google ayinalo udlame futhi ihlala ilungile.

Abamelene namalungelo obunikazi bobuchwepheshe bangase baphikise ngokuthi imikhuba esetshenziswa namuhla ekulweni nokuncintisana ayilungile futhi kufanele iyekwe. Bangase bafune ukuqeda ukuqulwa kwamacala isikhathi eside. Kodwa kufanele bakwenze lokho ngokunganaki, hhayi ngokukhetha. Izinkampani ezinkulu zizohlala zihamba ngendlela imakethe ezivumela ngayo - kungaba yi-Apple, iMicrosoft noma i-Google. Uma umphakathi uvuma ukuthi ushintsho luyadingeka, kumele lube ngohlelo.

Umthombo: Ars Technica, I-VentureBeatI-Fireball ehluphayo
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