Dell Partners with MS/Novell for Linux Servers

untouchableForce writes "Dell has announced that it will join forces with Microsoft and Novell to "make it easier for the Windows operating system and the [...] Linux [operating] system to work together." This is not overly surprising given Dell's good relationship with Microsoft, and since they already sell SUSE Linux on some of their servers, but it is likely to put a stop to the OSS community's celebration of them distributing Ubuntu. The debate over partnership between Microsoft and Novell has been drawn out since the deal was signed and for some this will add additional fuel to the fire but shouldn't the OSS community be reading this as an acceptance of Company's acknowledgment of Linux?"

Comments

This deal also.....

[8127972]

.... Likely limits the chances of Dell being sued because of some sort of IP related issue. These days, it's all about covering your A**.

Bill the Borg

[Anonymous Coward]

from CNet article

Dell will also establish a services and marketing program to migrate existing Linux users who are not Dell Linux customers to Suse Linux, Microsoft said.

Embrace and extend.

Good news

[flyingfsck]

The MS Active Directory system and Exchange is what keeps MS shops locked in. Lately, the Active Directory integration has improved with new wizards from Redhat and Mandriva, but the Exchange front still sucks.

What's really going on here?

[zCyl]

Something still doesn't make sense in this cluster of partnerships.

Microsoft said it would offer corporate customers a chance to license its Windows operating system as part of a package that includes maintenance and support for Novell's Suse Linux platform.

This strikes me as a strange statement. This is like offering a chance to lease a Ford with every Honda maintenance.

I get that Dell might see patent immunity as an advantage, but if Microsoft gives patent immunity to everyone, then this contradicts the proposed strategy of using patents as a weapon. Giving patent immunity to Novell was simply an empty gesture, of course. But if cards fall right Dell could actually become a substantial distributer of preinstalled Linux systems. With too many of these deals, patents can no longer be used against Linux, contradicting a plan Microsoft had stated a desire for for some time.

While patent immunity for Linux installations is a good result, I'm not primed to expect good results from Microsoft after a history of them not acting in such a manner. So I am still left wondering what is going on behind the scenes here.

Re:What's really going on here?

[civilizedINTENSITY]

Life is strange, and these are "interesting times", for sure, but in terms of what is really going on, I suspect there might just be other sharks circling in these waters and creating a little bit of turbulence:

As a result, even though the two companies have spent the last decade battling each other, Novell's chief executive Ronald Hovsepian found it in himself to approach a contact at Microsoft last year, after a boardroom shake-up in June 2006 saw him replace then incumbent, Jack Messman.

Hovsepian's aim of starting a dialogue was aided, however, by some of Microsoft's major financial services customers making it clear that they were going to use Linux whether the vendor liked it or not. The reality is that enterprise customers want the vendors to start playing nicely together in order to deal with the resultant interoperability issues.

Organisations such as Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Wal-Mart and AIG Technologies have since purchased coupons from Microsoft that provide them with a one-year subscription for maintenance and updates to Novell's Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), along with a mix of priority and standard support services.

What really happened:

[DJCacophony]

Microsoft was caught off-guard by Dells move to put Linux on their machines. Microsoft was simply not expecting them to do it. Now that they realize that Dell is serious about it, they offered Dell kickbacks in order to put Microsoft/Novell software on the machines instead of the free-as-in-beer Ubuntu Linux so they can keep control over their customer base.

There's a demand for MS-Helped Linux

[saterdaies]

In the world, there are many companies who like the idea of Linux and love its cost, but do worry about compatibility issues. Those companies get all warm and fuzzy inside when they hear news releases like this because they think "oh, someone is making sure that isn't a problem".

Whether it is a problem or not, IT people at companies often like the path of least resistance (don't we all) and so paying a little money for something they have to worry less about it a good thing to them.

I don't like Novell cozying up to M$ any more than anyone on /., but I understand why they're doing it - they're customers want compatibility guarantees and protection from IP disputes. The only real way to break ourselves of deals like this is with legislation for open-standards and IP-law reform. Those two would mean that companies using Linux would have no fear about using the OS - even if those fears today are simply in their heads.

Oh grow up.

[mosel-saar-ruwer]

GP: Dell has agreed to buy Suse Linux Enterprise Server certificates from Microsoft

P: SUSE has become MS Linux. Thanks a lot, Novell.

That's the way business works in the real world.

You subcontract to a subcontractor who subcontracts to a sub-subcontractor who subcontracts to a sub-sub-subcontractor who subcontracts to... until eventually the circle is completed and someone subcontracts the final assembly to a different division within your very own company.

If you really want your precious little GPLv2'd operating system to come down out of the ivory tower and make a run for it in the real world, then you're going to have to get your hands dirty with this thing called "The Free Market".

The upside being that when it's all said and done, you get to enjoy this thing called "Profit" as a result.

Re:No.

[apokryphos]

Your statements show such an ignorance of Novell's history and works that I barely know where to start. If you'd stop fuming for a second from your irrational Novell and Microsoft hate campaign, you would head around to a few facts:
* Microsoft has explicitly mentioned that its deal with Novell is not exclusive
* Novell has done more for OSS over the years than you can possibly imagine; do a little Googling. They're still the biggest contributors to GNOME and KDE, and pipe incredibly significant development efforts into the Linux Kernel, OpenOffice.org, X.org/Xgl/Compiz, etc etc
* Novell are fully and totally dedicated to the ODF format.
* There is absolutely no way Ubuntu is even remotely ready for the Enterprise. Consumer desktops are nice and everyone is pleased about that deal, but it simply doesn't have the software and innovation as RH and SUSE to survive in many Enterprise environments.

Re:Mod Parent UP

[mhall119]

Would be nice if we could get an actual statement and maybe even an interview with Michael Dell here.

Quite right, between this, and Dell's decision to offer Ubuntu on desktops, it's about time for an slashdot interview with Michael Dell. Any idea how to get this started?

Re:Ideastorm topic added

[Locutus]

did you ever think that the Ubuntu deal was done specifically to get a better price on the Microsoft/Novell deal? I've been asking myself why/how Dell could be doing the Ubuntu deal without threatening it's massive cash flow coming from Microsoft in co-branding and marketing contracts. That cash has been said to make up over 20% of Dell's profits and Dell can't afford to lose 20% of its profits.

So could it be that much like how Dell kept playing AMD against Intel for 4 or 5 years to get great pricing and kickbacks from Intel, Dell is playing Ubuntu against Microsoft/Novell to get a great deal on Suse, service, and support? Make sense given how Dell has played the game in the past.

LoB