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SuSE Denies UnitedLinux Per-Seat License Model

m0RpHeus writes "According to Linux Today, SuSE is denying per seat licensing for United Linux. `We really don't plan any per-seat licensing for UnitedLinux,' said SuSE's US Director of Sales Holger Dyroff. UnitedLinux, it seems is divided on this issue."

3 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. More misunderstandings... by pointwood · · Score: 5, Informative

    UnitedLinux is the base distro. Suse, Caldera, etc. are going to be *basing* their distro on that. They are not going to release a UnitedLinux distro. They will release a distro, "Powered by UnitedLinux. Each company can decide their licensing terms themselves.

    If Caldera wants to put some extra propritary software in their distro and use per seat licensing, then they are free to do that. Suse has just said that they will not be doing that.

    UnitedLinux is IMHO a good thing! They are using and selling free software - they aren't breaking any licenses or anything like that. They are *the good guys* trying to earn a bit of money to stay in business. Is that such a bad thing?

  2. Re:Doom... by thesolo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Four Linux companies that haven't done anything in a long time (Caldera, TurboLinux? Are they kidding??)

    SuSE hasn't done anything in a long time??! Nonsense. On top of being the first distro with KDE3 and Alsa .99 drivers, SuSE 8 also has an extremely customized version of YaST2 which is amazing. (I couldn't care less that it's not free). Also, Caldera & TurboLinux both have a very loyal userbase in their respective locales.

    re ganging up to try to take on RedHat

    If you read the original press release, you'd see that the companies involved in United Linux extended an offer to Redhat (as well as any other distro that is interested) to join the effort. This is not a direct assault on Redhat, it's an effort to get a standard, easily supportable distribution.

    but the fact remains that they're still four dying companies

    SuSE is dying?? Really? You might want to tell that to IBM and the German Government.

    In my opinion, UnitedLinux is an effort to focus on the LSB, to make an easily-supportable version of Linux that works the same regardless of the localized vendor you pick. If they do it right, I think it will definitely be a Good Thing (TM).

  3. Re:Differences between Linux distributions by CynicTheHedgehog · · Score: 5, Informative

    SuSE wrote the (first? only?) USB kernel drivers.

    SuSE contributes heavily to ALSA.

    SuSE wrote many XFree86 servers for some of the less popular cards from S3 and trident.

    SuSE creates integrated E-mail server, collaboration, and database products that are more than just some slapped-together GPL code with an installer.

    You talk about innovative? Free ride my ass. Do a little research.