Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

OpenSUSE Opens Up to Questions About the Microsoft Deal

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the bad-press-machine dept.

NewsForge is reporting on the recent IRC meeting that the OpenSUSE team held to answer a few questions about the controversial deal between Novell and Microsoft. The most prominent questions are highlighted and the complete IRC log is available from the article while the questions that didn't make the discussion will be posted on the OpenSUSE wiki.

3 of 288 comments (clear)

  1. Novell by loconet · · Score: 3, Informative

    Who else thinks Novell mis-underestimated the magnitude of the uproar due to this deal? This was a very bad move.

    --
    [alk]
  2. What Red Hat and HP offer is not the same by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 4, Informative
    Red Hat and HP are offering to help you if you get sued by a patent holder who is not them. In contrast, Novell has this friend "Big Mike" who was going to beat you up, but Novell made a deal with him so that Big Mike will now promise not to beat you up. Hopefully everybody can see the difference.

    Bruce

    --
    Bruce Perens.
  3. Let's be clear about software patents by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 3, Informative
    QuantumG is correct. There are simply so many software patents, on so many fundamental principles, that no non-trivial software program could exist that was licensed by all patent holders with claims reading on the algorithms used. This is regardless of whether it is proprietary or Free Software.

    Bruce

    Protest the Novell-Microsoft Patent Agreement.

    --
    Bruce Perens.