A story today at eWeek refutes a wild rumor circulating this week that IBM and the OSDL will re-write the Linux kernel to avoid patent infringements. The rumor began when the organizations announced a joint press conference, set for next Tuesday, involving a program codenamed “Project Open Gates.”

The rumor that IBM and the OSDL (Open Source Development Labs) would rewrite Linux began when Maureen O'Gara published a story at LinuxbusinessWeek to that effect. The rumor has since been refuted by a number of sources, including eWeek.

According to eWeek, a source with knowledge of next week's announcement has confirmed that it is “nothing near as exciting” as a re-write of the Linux kernel. Instead, it involves a job development initiative backed by the city of Beaverton, Ore., where the OSDL is headquarted, along with IBM and the state of Oregon.

For more details, read the full story at eWeek.

For background, be sure to read about Open Source Risk Management's insurance against Linux patent suits, and how Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer mis-appropriated some of OSRM's research findings about possible patent infringements. Shortly thereafter, Linus Torvalds, Rasmus Lehrdorf, and other open source leaders remonstrated against software patents.

 
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