It's confirmed: Codemasters, the games-developing firm responsible for classics such as the Colin McRae Rally series has indeed been bought out, with the buyer being Balderton Capital.

This announcement came immediately after the venture firm had finally snapped up the remaining shares of the company. With this purchase, Balderton Capital now has 100 percent equity of Codemasters.

The details of the actual buyout hasn't been revealed, but Codemasters itself did let a key figure slip. Specifically, the company receiving no less than £50,000,000 in funding from Goldman Sachs (that's about US$ 98,458,131.37 -  a whole lot of funding).

So what does this actually mean for the company? Well, besides having been bought out, Codemasters is now fully funded and raring to make some high-quality titles for this cutting-edge generation of gaming. As we all know, game production costs a lot of dough, and the seven-figure investment from Goldman Sachs takes the money problem out of the equation. As for the buyout affecting Codemasters in general, well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Microsoft is reaching out its hand of global domination once more - the worldwide software company claims that free software like Linux violates their patents.

It's pretty clear that Linux users enjoying their free operating systems at home would be affected, but corporate users like Wal-mart, AIG, and Goldman Sachs will be in quite a pinch. Microsoft responds through CEO Steve Ballmer that it is a matter of principle, that everyone should play by the same rules and what fair is fair.

Furthermore, Microsoft Counsel Brad Smith reveals that these free software infringes at least 235 patents. If they can push this through, the software developers will diminish and Microsoft will continue to spread its influence to those that use open-source programs.

In defense, master legal strategist Eben Moglen of the Free Software Foundation explains that software is a mathematical algorithm and thus, not patentable. Free software have always been running in this premise, they're not afraid of whatever Microsoft comes up with. 

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