Microsoft tried to light a fire a few days back, saying free software like Linux violate 235 of their patents. Without fear, Linux creator Linus Torvalds stepped up to the challenge and say a few things.

Torvalds threw the allegations back at Microsoft, saying, "It's certainly a lot more likely that Microsoft violates patents than Linux does." With big M not stating specifically which patents the Linux OS violates, there's no reason for Torvalds to back down.

"Don't you think that if Microsoft actually had some really foolproof patent, they'd just tell us and go, 'nyaah, nyaah, nyaah!'" said Torvalds.

If given the same review about violating patents, Torvalds believes that Microsoft would find itself infringing patents from various other companies.

"Basic operating system theory was pretty much done by the end of the 1960s. IBM probably owned thousands of really 'fundamental' patents," says the Linux creator, which would mean Microsoft is as culpable in violating patents as much as Linux.