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How Many SUSE Subscriptions Can You Get For $240M?
itwbennett writes "According to an SD Times article, Microsoft is almost through passing out the infamous subscription certificates for SUSE Enterprise Linux that it purchased for $240 million as part of its investment in Novell. According to the article, Microsoft says that 'a total of 475 customers have used an unspecified number of coupons.' Blogger Brian Proffitt calculates that 'if indeed just 475 customers have received these coupons, then Microsoft has essentially subsidized SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) deployments to an average tune of US$505,263.16 per customer.'"
I don't want to hear any more about how Linux is supposedly free!
Does this emphasize the fact that Microsoft has no idea about how to properly evaluate the value of any particular software product?
Microsoft has a special hounds training program. They train them to smell a very subtle scent that exist only when wealth and stupidity is mixed. They call this program "marketing". Open source sellers have moral qualms about it and prefer to solve stupidity which they see as a core problem. Guess who is making money ?
Now the important question : am I trollish, insighful, funny or CowboyNeal ?
The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
Select this link: http://software.opensuse.org/112/en I just saved you anywhere from $0 for 0 servers to $INF for INF servers!
Microsoft Corporation announced today that customers who deploy their server solutions can save over $400,000 when compared to deploying a solution based on SUSE Linux.
MG
I wouldn't be suprised if - included with the dollar figure - they are adding in Windows 2008, SQL 2008 and other back office products they sell. Keep in mind, that Microsoft even has Novell at their launch and TechNet events showing off SLES on a server with Win2008 instances (each of which require a license) running in XEN virtual machines.
The Kai's Semi-Updated Website Thingy
Each company could be count as one customer, but theirs hundreds of users could count in the price of the license.
This struck me as a very interesting figure, because after firing up XCalc, I figured out that if indeed...
Was that before or after jumping into his Ferrari and flashing his iPhone? Why do people need to display their smug superiority from the unwashed masses when any decent calculator would give the same result?
The total number of clients is not what they seem to think - a client might have 1,000 - 5,000 machines, thus taking hundreds or thousands of certs.
If you click the links in the slashdot summary, you'll end up at the original announcement, which told you roughly how many subscriptions the deal was for: 70,000.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116249026689311557-helTbrheLKgbaJ5iO5z40ZFCiOs_20061109.html?mod=blogs
I guess that's not as much fun as wild speculation though.
1. Blog.
2. ???
3. Proffitt!
When you put it that way, Windows 7 ultimate is a bargain!
Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...
GPLv3 tried to take advantage of the coupons to extend MS's patent protection to all users. I wonder how successful that has been.
Novell stock has lost 30%
Microsoft stock has lost 1%
Redhat stock has gained 78%
Good going Novell, yet another stellar business decision. The $240mil had to have been the value of the entire deal, which was mostly beneficial to Microsoft in that they weren't going to be sued by Novell since Novell owns a lot of the UNIX patents. The licenses were being resold by Microsoft at prices substantially less than ($240/77)x1000
I don't understand how people can simultaneously claim that OpenOffice can read and write MS Office files and then turn around and say MS customers are "trapped".
In addition, anybody who designed an application around IE certainly went in to it with their eyes wide open to the fact that it was a Windows-specific solution. There are thousands of non-MS applications that won't run on Linux.
"Nobody said marketing=lying"
Right. Nobody typed the exact equation "marketing=lying". But that's exactly what was implied.
I'll bet that one of those customers is that "slashdot" site I've heard about. I've heard they'll do anything for a freebie. What a bunch of MicroSoft fanboy's!
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
... which is a competitive curve ball against Red Hat. Period. Red Hat's profitable income is heavily concentrated in relatively few major volume accounts, served direct (not by resellers). So, all Microsoft are doing is cross funding Novell to try to take the average unit prices down significantly in those accounts, as part of a strategy to undermine Red Hat's business model in some way. If you follow the reporting line of the folks doing the joint selling, it maps back through MS Legal and Corporate Affairs. That said, it seems to generate more PR than pain to Red Hats business results. To date at least. Fascinating to watch.
> What the heck is wrong with marketing? Doing scientific research into how to make children more effective naggers is plain immoral.
Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
Marketing and the entire concept behind it is one of the WORST things in the history of the entire planet.
Their job is essentially to take money from people with slick talk and lies when facts and reality will not sell a product thru legitimate means.
They rank down there with telemarketing and spammers. The world WOULD be better off without them. Theres not even a question about it. Things would improve greatly across the entire globe if all the marketing people dropped dead instantly and the entire concept became taboo.
And those who can not see that.. well. the world would be better off without you too. Sorry.
Or in the words of george carlin.
This is called "Advertising Lullaby!"
Keeping in mind, of course, that the whole purpose of advertising is to lull you to sleep!
Quality, value, style, service, selection, convenience, economy, savings, performance, experience, hospitality, low-rates, friendly, service, name brands, easy terms, affordable, prices, money-back guarantee, free installation! Free admission, free appraisal, free alterations, free delivery, free estimates, free home trial! ...and free parking! No cash? No problem! No kidding!
No fuss, no muss, no risk, no obligation, no red tape, no down payment, no entry fee, no hidden charges, no purchase necessary, no one will call on you! no payments of interests till september!
Limited-time only, though! So act now! Order today! Send no money! Offer good while supplies last...
Two to a customer, each item sold separately, batteries not included, mileage may vary, all sales are final, allow six weeks for delivery. some items not available, some assembly required, some restrictions may apply!
So come on in! Come on in for a free demonstration and a free consultation with our friendly professional staff! Our experienced and knowledgeable sales representatives will help you make a selection that's just right for you and just right for your budget! And say! Don't forget to pick up your free gift! A classic, deluxe, custom, designer, luxury, prestige, high-quality, premium, select, gourmet, pocket pencil sharpener...Yours for the asking! No purchase necessary!
It's our way of saying "Thank you!" And if you act now, we'll include an extra added free complimentary bonus gift! A classic, deluxe, custom, designer, luxury, prestige, high-quality, premium, select, gourmet, combination key-ring, magnifying glass and garden hose!
In a genuine, imitation leather-style, carrying case with authentic vinyl trim. Yours for the asking! No purchase necessary! It's our way of saying "Thank you!" Actually, it's our way of saying: "Bend over just a little bit further...!" so we can stick this big advertising dick up your ass a little bit deeper! A little fucking deeper! A little bit deeper! You miserable, no-good, fucking consumer asshole! '
Cause you do know, folks! Living in this country, you're bound to know... that every time you are expose to advertising, you realise once again, that America's leading industry, America's most profitable busines is still... ...the manufacture, packaging, distribution, and marketing of bullshit!
High quality! Grade A! Prime cut,pure American bullshit!
And the sad part is, is that most people seem to have been indoctrinated to believe that... ...bullshit only comes from certain places!
So i'd like to say... A big FUCK YOU to all the sales, marketing and other assorted criminal scumbags out there who make a living ripping people off. Actually criminal isnt even the right word... Criminals admit they are ripping people off. Marketing assholes will never admit that.
Bastards.
Isn't that what opensuse really is ? free beta testers. I've been running suse now since their 6.0 version (switched from redhat because they were the only ones that supported my g200 gfx card). I've always noticed that Dell Hardware (which we run) ran the 9.0 version while the 10.0 version of opensuse was available. One day I got smart figuring I would download the fully patched 9.0 version of suse being the cheap bastard that I am. Turns out it didn't exist on any mirrors anywhere.
I like the super anti-Microsoft antagonism to the point of being silly. Isn't it entirely possible and, in fact likely, that some of those 475 or so unique customers were actually corporations and they ordered several, several hundred, or even thousands of seats? I don't see it stated anywhere that only 475 COUPONS were redeemed, just that there were 475 CUSTOMERS. In fact it specifically states that the number of coupons was unspecified. I am not a Microsoft lover, in fact I used to work for them and thankfully quit. I used to criticize them and some of their practices a lot too before, during, and still after I worked there but it was some of the ad hominem, baseless, and deliberately pessimistic interpretations like these that made me second-guess the accuser's credibility. I am back to working on Linux, and not Windows anymore, but I assure you is is not a SUSE distro. :)
I wonder what's going to happen in 2011, when the Novell-Microsoft "agreement not to sue on the valuable Microsoft intellectual property" patent agreement runs out.
To be honest, I haven't the faintest idea what will happen to Novell's customers. If I screw my tin-foil hat on tighter, I'd guess that Microsoft would start to rumble about customers with Mono to have to pay royalties. After all, the agreement's duration was long enough for Mono to have caught on in mission-critical software, surely there's profit to be made there by next year.
To be, or not to be: isn't that quite logical, Slashdot Beta?
I've just started a wiki page to document the Novell-MS deals :
swpat.org is a publicly editable wiki, so if you'd like to contribute to building the case against software patents, dig in!
Please help publicise swpat.org - the software patents wiki
There IS another reason: marketing requires you be lying and defrauding. You're not selling, you're scalping. Because if YOU don't do it then your competitors will, and that makes it not only OK but NECESSARY.
If you're going to work in a job that requires you be a fraud and a liar, get used to it or get out.
Don't come on to slashdot and cry the martyr.
Bill Hicks was more concise.
--
It's a ride.
See subject line above, and know that when they fail to backup their b.s., you've gotten them running (plain and simple). Anecdotal evidences on their part isn't enough either, because they can lie (face it trolls). So their refusal to appear with reliable evidences from reputable sites backed up by valid analysis only shows them as "on the run" and that they screwed up. This is how you do trolls in, every time, no questions asked. When they don't back it up with that type of evidences backed by others, or at least tests you can try yourself? You've got them foredecker. If you've done that, there's little question of who got the better of whom.
Foredecker,
This is a reply to several of your comments, not just this one. It seems that I have something to say that may or may not be useful in your thinking.
As you have seen, people are often very negative about Microsoft. They are also usually not very eloquent or organized in their thinking when they express their negativity.
There is, however, a strong foundation for their negativity. Microsoft top managers have in the past been extremely destructive toward Microsoft customers. For example, Microsoft top managers released Microsoft Vista even though they were told by middle managers that it was not ready.
It's not the coders that give Microsoft a bad reputation. It is the top managers.