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Sun Pondering Buying Novell

Posted by CowboyNeal on

Krafty Koder writes "ZDNet are reporting that Sun are considering purchasing Novell and thus gain SUSE Linux. 'With our balance sheet, we're considering all our options,' Sun chief operating officer Jonathan Schwartz said in an interview on Sunday regarding the possibility of acquiring Novell. 'What would owning the operating system on which IBM is dependent be worth? History would suggest we look to Microsoft for comparisons,' he said."

15 of 400 comments (clear)

  1. Oh No.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Good-bye Mono.

  2. "Owning the operating system"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "What would owning the operating system on which IBM is dependent be worth? History would suggest we look to Microsoft for comparisons," he said.

    In other news, Sun still doesn't get it.

    1. Re:"Owning the operating system"? by Shisha · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Indeed I can't believe that they still haven't figured out that since GNU/Linux is GPL based, owning SuSe does not mean that IBM can't start supporting other Linux distributor and give it enterprise level abilities. Heck, even YaST is now GPL, which means that Sun would essentially only get the SuSe brand, nothing else.

    2. Re:"Owning the operating system"? by swb · · Score: 5, Funny


      Can I become a CEO if I take a lot of acid and forget everything I know or do you just have to do a lot of coke?

      I think coke and booze are the CEO drugs. Booze for ineptness and embarassment, coke for energy, irrationality and serotonin deficient tyranny.

      If they took acid, they'd look around the office and go "What does it all mean? How can we come here day to day if it doesn't mean anything?" Meaning and philosophical harmony are the enemies of CEOs.

      Let's hope they don't get into meth.

    3. Re:"Owning the operating system"? by chill · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Except IBM could take all of the SuSE sources and make "IBM Linux" that was nothing more than a rebranded SuSE in a heartbeat. This is how Mandrake started -- as an enhanced Red Hat.

      IBM could get the major vendors like BEA, SAP, Oracle and the like to certify on "IBM Linux" pretty darn quick.

      Sun *still* doesn't get it.

      --
      Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
  3. IBM isn't dependent on Suse by pyros · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Schwartz is retarded. I doubt IBM would let themselves be dependent on Sun in the same way they were dependent on Microsoft in the 80s. If Sun bought Novell to get Suse to have leverage on IBM, IBM could just switch to another distro, or roll their own, or whatever. That's the whole freaking point behind IBM moving from proprietary Unix to Linux on the server.

    1. Re:IBM isn't dependent on Suse by sunilonline · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Or IBM could buy Sun...

  4. Ironic by peterprior · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I find it ironic that IBM invested $50 million in Novell so they could outbid Sun, and now Sun are looking to buy Novell..

    Also, I'm worried about the rate at which tech corporations are swallowing up other companies... We seem to have lost many medium sized companies (suse, ximian, etc) as well as some huge ones (compaq).

  5. The Sun is Setting by downix · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If Sun makes this move, it could be the worst mistake they've ever made. First off, they do not seem to grasp the nature of the Linux desktop, or any desktop for that matter. Second off, they seem to have this idea that IBM *needs* Novell, when in fact it is the other way around. If Sun comes in, and tries to pull a Microsoft-like bullying technique, I have a strong feeling that IBM will be pulling the plug and switching to another distribution, such as Red Hat, Mandrake, or even developing its own distribution. Sun has not woken up to the new marget reality, and their revenue shortfalls show that. Sun, don't make a billion dollar mistake, just say "no" to aquiring Novell.

    --
    Karma Whoring for Fun and Profit.
  6. Missing part - Mono by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Umm.. Why nobody does not talk about Mono. Sun's biggest strenght is Java. And right now it is being under thread by Mono. So they wan't to buy Novell to get rid of Mono. If so, let's hope Mono community is as strong as Mozilla community.

  7. Sun and M$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Wasn't too long ago I heard of some green handshake between two companies.

    (puts on tin foil hat)

    Will SuSE disappear like Corel Linux only to reappear as something new later on, or vanish completely?

    It seems like whenever a certain Linux distro becomes too "well known" something happens to it.

    I smell M$. Flame away, but this smells fishy.

  8. Re:They're in for an unpleasant surprise... by OverwhelmingAmoeba · · Score: 5, Funny

    They have to buy SCO in order to do that!

  9. They won't own Linux but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    IBM has made a consious desision not to have a distro of their own. They depend on commercial distros to provide the platform that runs their hardware and software.

    IBM is deeply in bed with both RedHat and SUSE. As with any multi-vendor deal, IBM plays them off each other to make sure neither demand too much.

    A hostile SUSE wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would cost IBM significant money and (more importantly) time.

    OTOH. Jonathan Schwartz's comment compareing the situation to Microsoft explains a lot about why Sun has pissed away its market position. Their officers are obviously delusional.

  10. Wrong OS by overshoot · · Score: 5, Interesting
    SUNW doesn't mean SuSE -- they know that IBM uses Red Hat as well. SUNW means System V Unix and AIX.

    SUNW just woke up to the fact that their deals with SCOX didn't mean anything because Novell still owns all of the collateral, including the right to tell SCOX to stifle itself.

    If SUNW were to buy Novell, the thinking must go, they could reverse Novell's order telling SCOX to leave IBM alone. Instead, they could harass IBM over AIX, which is a direct competitor to SUNW's server offerings.

    SUNW still doesn't see Linux as a strategic threat. Don't be fooled into thinking that our interests are what drive them.

    --
    Lacking <sarcasm> tags, /. substitutes moderation as "Troll."
  11. Re:I knew things were becoming too good by cuzality · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've really liked where Novell has started taking suse, ximian, and netware, so I'll be pretty sad if sun does buy them...

    Hopefully, the improvements that novell had been making with suse, ximian, and netware will never see the Sun.

    Er... hm.