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Microsoft Extending Linux Patent Deal With SUSE
darthcamaro writes "No big surprise, but Microsoft has now officially extended their patent, interoperability and Linux resale deal with SUSE. This was the deal that Novell had originally signed. Now, with the Attachmate sale, Microsoft is bringing the deal back to SUSE. The deal is being extended until 2016 and Microsoft is set to invest another $100 million into SUSE Linux Enterprise Server certificates. This is on top of the $300-million-plus they've already brought since 2006."
The past Novell-Microsoft interop agreement, the one being renewed now, called for Novell to attend OOXML committee meetings in ISO, to implement OOXML, etc.
How much of that continues now?
I'm more than a little concerned that Microsoft now has its fingers in LibreOffice, at least by proxy. From the Membership Committee members who pick who can and who cannot join the Document Foundation, to the small number of engineers who control write access to the master source code repository, LibreOffice is dominated by Novell/SUSE engineers.
It looks like the intent of the deal, in part at least, is to take business from RedHat: https://expandedsupport.com/
In other words, Microsoft's patent FUD used to steer RedHat customers to SUSE. The dupe, of course, is RedHat, which is a LibreOffice supporter, supporting a SUSE-led project that is propped up by Microsoft in order to steal customers away from RedHat.
Embrace, extend, extinguish. You can pretend that MS never actually used that strategy - but it's historically true. Today, they have to be a bit more sneaky.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
No, you should have been using a Unix-like system that hasn't been corrupted by Microsoft. Your fourth post can be blamed on a fourth-rate operating system.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
This is actually Microsoft's strategy to obtain enough linux licenses to run their "Azure" services on, without losing face...
http://mashable.com/2011/03/21/microsoft-sues-barnes-noble/
There are hundreds of hits for "microsoft sues". I grabbed the first one that looked remotely relevant. I insist that Microsoft's grand strategy hasn't changed - it's just slower moving, and sneaky. They still dream of being the only operating system on earth, or at least having every other operating system paying them royalties.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
The original deal and its extension are the only cases I know where someone has said "You're violating my patents. Here, have $300 million and let that be a lesson for you!"
Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
My OS will always be GNU/Linux and Microsoft can go fuck itself. As long as I live, I'll make sure, no matter what ilegal things I do, that there will be Software Freedom. Microsoft is pure evil -- and yet they're not bad enough to destroy us. I seriously hope *the world* soon tells people not to work at MS.
Have you heard about SoylentNews?
Tablets, Servers and REAL USERS. Most of *us* don't use that shitty Windows OS.
Have you heard about SoylentNews?
so that this patent shit can be settled once and for all.
Read radical news here
Um, is it not a good thing that more companies are offering Linux support, no matter how vile you think those companies are? It lends credibility to Linux as an enterprise and small business solution (and let's be honest - Linux is king of the datacentre but when it comes to in-house servers, they're still primarily Windows. If Microsoft wants to erode their own market share, why are you complaining?)
For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
In "cloud computing" Microsoft's market share is nearly nonexistent. The back end is all Linux, BSD, and Java stacks. Windows hosting is quite rare.
The PC is waning. Macs, smartphones, and tablets are rapidly replacing conventional PCs for many people, and for almost everyone on the go. Few if any people choose Windows Mobile smartphones, and Microsoft rendered the once-exploding PocketPC platform irrelevant by neglect many years ago. It's an Android + iDevice market on the front end/thin client/client side, and other players may as well not exist. So, with the PC market becoming smaller and smaller, and the server market growing larger and larger, and being based mostly on open-source back ends, Microsoft HAS to be dabbling in the UNIX world if not to embrace it, at least to gain insight into how clients are using and rearchitect Windows to provide UNIX's strength - or simply exit the industry and start something else instead. Maybe they can make mops or something?
Microsoft is involved with SUSE for Microsoft's own benefit, not for the OSS "community," not for Linux users, and certainly not for their own customers (since when does Microsoft give a crap about its users? Money is their golden calf!).
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
Go read the publicly available part of the terms then. Or have a lawyer read it for you.
They didn't promise ANY indemnity against anyone who made money off of their work, or shared the source code, unless that source code was included in Novell's Suse. Presumably that now will apply to Attachmate's Suse...but since the promise is essentially worthless (e.g., you aren't indemnified if you submit the work to Suse, and they decide not to use it, or if you don't submit it to them, but put it on sourceforge, etc.) it really doesn't matter who you would need to get to approve your work.
Then there are the parts of the agreement that aren't public. Since the publicly visible parts are so appalling (I'm supposed to be grateful for THAT!!??) I find it hard to imagine what the rest is like. Probably services that Suse must perform for them in return for the agreement. (Which does, let's admit it, pay Suse, or it's owning company, a bit of cash.)
Since I saw an analysis of the agreement, I've refused to have anything to do with Suse.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
If Microsoft wants to erode their own market share, why are you complaining?
Microsoft is NOT replacing Windows servers with SLES servers, they are replacing RedHat and other Linux servers with SLES. So, they are NOT "eroding" their own market share, obviously. How does it benefit Microsoft to replace RH servers with SLES servers that they've donated? RH servers are set up as "Master Browser" servers. The SLES servers that replace RH servers are NOT configured to be Master Browsers and are more easily replaced by Windows servers.
Running with Linux for over 20 years!
Microsoft's voucher program for SLES does not demand that RHEL is installed in the first place. And they are offering services to migrate to SLES. So what? It's not like Red Hat does not offer similar migration options.
Red Hat will still be healthy even if a few customers migrate to SLES.