if you can't beat them, buy 'em

[sillKotscha]

collaborative relationship between Novell and Microsoft...

http://www.novell.com/linux/microsoft/

one can say suse linux/novell gets more user-friendly (it is already adequate user-friendly right now) because of this collaboration, thus linux gets more accepted respectively more widely used... but on the other hand all those devs worked on their free time and for no charge on linux are somewhat "slapped in their faces"

if you asked me, I guess as suse is already the most well know linux representative, for suse this collaboration will surely be one step ahead (towards the potential linux user) but for the linux geek in general it might be a wrong step towards a sold out.

we had a (closed) linux thread about "Why Desktop Linux Will Not Take off (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=115946)" - my guess is that with that collaboration we will see exactly what the thread starter is still missing about linux

Edit:

On-Demand Webcast (http://www.microsoft.com/winme/0611/28912/MS_Announcement_MBR.asx)

You can view an on-demand Webcast of the News Conference with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Ron Hovsepian, president and CEO of Novell, held Nov. 2. (53 min. 34 sec.)

[Wilbert]

I wonder what will happen with Novell and SCO. I guess that Novell will back off. Anyway, don't forget to read Groklaw:

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20061107194320461
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20061103201234813
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20061103073628401
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20061102175508403
http://www.redhat.com/promo/believe/ (response redhat)
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/08/0244242&threshold=1 (/.)

As you can read there is much discussion whether they break the GPL with this deal (in particular Section 7).

[Wilbert]

I think people are still trying to understand this deal, but I stumbled upon this blog in relation to the EC ruling (you know, Microsoft needed to hand over documentation to the European Commission ):

As noted n this article (http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/42066.html), Microsoft has negotiated directly with companies in the past to undermine the EC rulings, including Novell.

He noted that Microsoft has undercut support for the EC’s decision by cutting deals with individual vendors. “Microsoft reached a private agreement with Sun [Microsystems], so Sun dropped out of the case,” he said. “And it reached a private agreement with Novell, so Novell dropped out of the case.”

[editor note: the linked/quoted article is from Apr 7, 2005 - the “private agreement” referred to in the quote is not the recent deal of November 2006]

Ask yourself, why would Novell approach MS over interoperability when the EC ruling is forcing them to hand over the info? Why would Novell be publicizing benefits of the deal in areas of Europe where software patents aren’t even valid? Microsoft is paying Novell off to help them with the EC Antitrust case.

Novell now legitimizes Microsofts position that developers, even if they write their own code (samba), still should license and pay royalties to Microsoft for their “IP” (specs, I suppose) to be able to interoperate with Windows. Microsoft does not want to publish that information so that just anyone can interoperate with Windows without paying royalties, Novell helps their argument now.

If true, MS will get off very cheap if they get the case reversed or reduced (compared to what they payed Novell, plus they get royalties!). Brilliant, really.

the other day (http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articleArchive/nov2006/microsoftlinuxgoodquestion.phpJust ), Microsoft indicated that they would prefer to license rather than litigate, perhaps with Novell’s help once again they will be able to license rather than comply with the EC ruling.

source: http://boycottnovell.com/2006/11/24/what-about-the-ec-ruling/

The commission's decision, it recalled, required Microsoft to "disclose and license complete and accurate interface documentation which would allow non-Microsoft work group servers to achieve full interoperability with Windows PCs and servers."

"Microsoft has submitted a revised version of the technical documentation," the commission said in a statement.

Quoted from Slashdot (http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/25/0340259&threshold=1).

Any thoughts?