Apple's Steve Jobs has accused Microsoft of stealing ideas from Tiger (Apple's next OS) for their own upcoming Longhorn. Microsoft, of course, counter-suggested (or was it pre-counter-suggested) that Apple was doing the copying.

As an astute reader points out, the OS market has traditionally been one where developers silently (but blatantly) copy innovation from other developers, so cutthroat is the competition to be the first-in-market. This finger-pointing is probably going to be used by the FOSS camp as a justification of commercialization stunting innovation and growth.

Of course, I find Mr. Jobs' accusations ("They not only copy us, they do it slowly too!") rather dubious. I would think that a difference in time-to-market of about 1 year implies that Microsoft is at the very least amending/ improving on the features they alledgedly copied. In that case, by building upon earlier features from its competition, Microsoft is innovating in a sense, is it not? Otherwise, in the same vein, Creative should also be flogged for "copying" Apple's iPod (I don't think anyone will want to copy iShuffle).

Where does innovation end and imitation begin?

Considering Apple's dismal fiscal and technological track record during the absence of Jobs, I think Jobs should spend more time worrying that Apple can continue innovating without him. Sorry. Can't help taking that jibe at Apple.

Update:

Is it just me, or is the resemblance uncanny? (Uncanny X-men... got it?) What is it with the fixation on 'X' anyway? Gender discrimination? It's usually males who go for both techno toys and comics. It seems to me the least they could do is to use 'Y' (chromosome Y that is) sometimes. Y-men. OS Y.