[Discuss] MS and Novell

[Alan W. Irwin]

On 2006-11-08 09:01-0800 pw wrote:

>
> Hello,
>
> Is Novell selling out to Microsoft to put the screws
> to linux community?

No.  I think this was ineptitude rather than malice on Novell's part. There
were probably some short-term monetary benefits to Novell from this deal,
but I think they lost all Linux credibility (a huge hit for them which they
were too inept to anticipate) when they collaborated with MS to help make
the patent threat (slightly) more credible.  (That threat was already quite
credible, and this deal just emphasized it a bit more.) It's highly likely
as a result of the distate that has rapidly developed in the Linux community
for Novell, that Novell's Linux business will go rapidly down just like what
happened with SCO's Unix business.  But Linux, itself, will not be affected
much.  As Novell/SuSe mindshare goes down, Ubuntu, Oracle, RedHat, and other
distro mindshare will probably go up.

>
> How can Microsoft embrace and extend linux?

They can't, thanks to the GPL.  However, they certainly can hurt Linux 
developers and companies with threats of patent suits (as Ballmer
immediately trumpeted after the SuSe deal).  Of course a real software
patent suit at this time would not serve MS interests in Europe since they
are arguing there that legalizing European software patents would be a good
thing.  The nagging question that keeps popping up over there is good for
whom? I doubt they want to make that answer obvious by a real patent suit as
opposed to vague threats of patent suits.

So for now, look for lots of SCO-like (or should I say Ballmer-like)
assertions that all kinds of MS software patents are being violated by Linux
companies and developers.  However, watch out for a tidal wave of patent
litigation if they ever manage to legalize software patents in Europe.
Nobody but MS can afford such litigation so its the cost of the litigation
itself rather than the merits of that litigation that is the threat here.

Alan
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Alan W. Irwin

Astronomical research affiliation with Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Victoria (astrowww.phys.uvic.ca).

Programming affiliations with the FreeEOS equation-of-state implementation
for stellar interiors (freeeos.sf.net); PLplot scientific plotting software
package (plplot.org); the Yorick front-end to PLplot (yplot.sf.net); the
Loads of Linux Links project (loll.sf.net); and the Linux Brochure Project
(lbproject.sf.net).
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Linux-powered Science
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