Some of you may have seen this piece from Maureen O’Gara that details an alleged effort called “Project Open Gates” backed by IBM, Intel and the OSDL among others to rewrite the Linux kernel as a preemptive move against potential Microsoft patent infringements. I’d never heard of it, and for what it’s worth both IBM and the ODSL are telling us there’s nothing to it.
You never know, of course, but for now I’m taking their word for it given that any kernel rewrite would seem to have fairly massive implications – both technically and legally.