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Groklaw Guts the Novell/Microsoft Deal
walterbyrd writes "Pamala Jones, at groklaw, totally rips apart the Novell/Deal patent protection deal. From the article: 'Justin Steinman reveals that to market their SUSE Linux Enterprise Server against Red Hat they ask, "Do you want the Linux that works with Windows? Or the one that doesn't?" It's just appalling. Let me ask you developers who are kernel guys a question: When you contributed code to the kernel, was it your intent that it be used against Red Hat? How about the rest of you developers? Is that all right with you, that your code is being marketed by Novell like that? I also have questions about antitrust issues, with Microsoft being Novell's partner in such deals and sales pitches. Nothing speaks louder about Microsoft's true determination never to be actually interoperable than this conference.'"
Yeah... Let's see you tell upper management that they need to pay to retrain the entire user base so that they can use *your* desktop operating system of choice rather than the desktop OS that both the company and everyone else in their business space has been using successfully for over a decade. Let's see you do that so you can get fired. Sounds like someone is still in school and has never had a real job. Trust me, kid, when you get out into the real world your thinking is going to get much more realistic.
The openSUSE project now releases free SUSE downloads - something SUSE had been against. Novell also bought Ximian which I think has a great reputation ...
I think Novell, Ximian (Xandros) and other similar companies are approaching Linux from a totally wrong angle - in Mono, Moonlight and Evolution... they are APIng Microsoft's Defective By Design APIs; instead of defining a truly Open platform, Open Protocols and Open Implementations of said protocols.... like Zimbra for instance; which probably explains why Yahoo (another friend of MS bought them over.
This Novell approach will result in mediocre quality implementations of poor products; and only hurt Linux in the long run. The value proposition of Linux is NOT that it can do Windows better... it is that there are much better ways to do things which Windows purportedly aims to achieve.
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
Beyond perceived deceptions and the toying of Microsoft, Novell is making money off open source developer's backs, so is RedHat, so a myriad of other companies that deal with any open source offering. I think if the article didn't pinpoint the Microsoft deal, its context could be expanded to cover the point of why people work hard for free and others make money. That doesn't seem ethical either. If open source falls it's not going to be solely because of Microsoft. It's going to be because the companies who make money from open source will gradually drive away the good developers who got nothing from it. Sure the odd developer will be picked up and paid for the effort but overall the synergistic nature of open source cannot support this load.
Hi Linus,
This one is a short letter. My expresso awaits for me. Its reallty this simple bro: take away from Novell the right to use the Linux trademark. Just threaten them to do so, theyll start behaving right away.
This are not just my 2 cents, im pretty shure most here will agree to me that this course of action is legal, tough and will get all vendors to play decently.
NO SIG
The one that doesn't. The one that does will be loaded down with all sorts of bloat to cope with 20 years of shitty programing by 3rd rate "engineers" who's design briefs consist of a calendar with launch dates on it. Being compatable with that dog pile is no way to make a quality product. Which isn't a big deal for Novell, obviously.
TWW
"Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
...then he invented the O/S...then he invented the internet...then he invented windows...now he has invented linux...very interesting indeed.
Hedghog