author's ignorance? it's angelic than satanic.. ;o) i'll buy more suse linux since my Boss can't avoid Windows.. that's pure business..no room for hatred.

Novell is also paying an army of programmers to write open source/free software and give back to the community on the community's own conditions. Cut them some slack.

As for the Novell/MS deal, I suspect you're not writing more about it because there isn't much there - it's business as usual, and the interop will benefit users. Even Stallman can't get terribly worked up about the deal.

243 percent raise in sale mean 243% more customer use Linux. And you don't happy with that? Big big jealous.

I am absolutely happy that there is more Linux in the universe. I just wish it weren't on Microsoft's terms.

Since when do people support Novell? Has the world gone topsy-turvy?

Nah, Dave. I think some people are used to prostitution and just live with it. :-)

Seriously, I think people (you and I included) are tired of the story. Novell sold its integrity so that it could eke out another few years of existence. Because it can't build anything that anyone is anxious to buy, this little tryst with Microsoft will keep its Linux business on crutches for a few years, and then Microsoft will lose interest in its concubine and move on.

Why? Because this isn't the way to beat open source/Linux. Microsoft is trying to undermine it from within, but since it couldn't pair up with Red Hat (it tried for a year with Red Hat before it finally went for #2) that's all it's got. In the meantime, Red Hat's Linux business continues to run amok and Ubuntu is exploding from beneath.

Microsoft's Linux will continue to make inroads, but only with bozos that already can't get their teeth off the Microsoft nipple. Mother's milk, indeed.

Forget about mother's milk, Matt. It's more like selling your mom's blood, to use PJ's analogy from June.

And BTW, Novell's report looks positive because of the /coupons/, which soon run out. How come Novell did not bother to mention this? What happens in 4 years when the so-called 'protection' runs out? Have the personal benefits Novell execs received enough to remove guilt of ruining a company /and/ a community?

Adenndum: judging by the speed of the 3 immediate replies (on a Sunday!!), it seems like you're hit by the Novell 'firefighting squad', Dave. Check the IPs.

> Novell is also paying an army of programmers to write open source/free software and give back to the community on the community's own conditions. Cut them some slack

Not really, the openSuSE license specifically forbid downstream developers using it in commercial projects ..

The title of this story is offensive and works on the same baseless and primarily emotive statements by insinuating that anything involving money necessitates some sort of "selling out". This is pretty ridiculous. Novell did not sell out, they made a business deal with very clear conditions and aims.

Please just read http://opensuse.org/FAQ:Novell-MS

> Not really, the openSuSE license specifically forbid downstream developers using it in commercial projects ..

Please, please get a clue before you start making statements like that. Do you know how ridiculous your statement is when you take the slightest look at the contributions that SUSE have made to 'downstream' (which SUSE is an incredibly big part of anyway) open source projects?

The only thing that stops developers using code in commercial projects is something called the GPL. Don't like the licence? Fine. We love it :-)

I'm an openSUSE community member, without any relation with Novell. Just a user who somewhat takes part to the openSUSE community.

Roy, the climate of suspect you constantly feed is really annoying for all serious people, I think.
You constantly judge the Novell its developers and its management, and you write somewhat/sometime good about the openSUSE team, as if they were two different entities, but this just shows how little you know about openSUSE and Novell. Choose an openSUSE team for a part of the distribution, being it KDE, GNOME, YaST, whatever, and you get the corresponding team at Novell, because they are the same. And you would know this, if you took part to the life of openSUSE, but you didn't. You judge, in the hope of getting some visibility, that's all. If you have some IP to show, some name to do, just do it. But don't hide behind the suspect: that's the game you say you're fighting against.

Doug, the whole distribution, with the exception of the non-OSS packages, most of which, if not all, not made by Novell, is released under GPL terms. You're probably referring to what the licence says about trademarks, which has nothing to do with the code and the distribution. It's exactly the same Fedora does: you can't redistribute a Fedora derivative with the Fedora logo and trademarks, that's all. You can ship openSUSE preinstalled on PC's, without any issue.

With kind regards

As long as Novell has partnered with Linux's main competitor, I will not use SuSE. I like Linux too much.

I do not envy you old time SuSE guys, you're in the front line. Be brave and stand up for your opinions inside Novell. I bet a lot of you were very disappointed with your new employer over the Microsoft deal.

Novell finally did what no other linux distributor has done; acknowledge that M$ is not going away and that in the business world its not the techies that make the buy/no buy decisions. Its usually the management and they have over 20 years of M$ marketing to brainwash them that they think that there would be no computers at all if it was not for M$. Until this reality takes root in a linux distribution, it will never be a serious contender to M$.

Selling their soul like more than 80% of desktop users. Who cares that Apple has been around the whole time and Linux has been around in a usable state since the time of XP. Lets assume that all people who would say anything positive about Microsoft, who use Microsoft, who work for Microsoft, or who deal with Microsoft must be soulless. It can only be black or white of course. Good, the minority, and evil, the majority.

I am still waiting to see where either side 'sold out' or 'bought'. What I have observed is MS trying to get a finger hold in the OSS wall while Novell/SUSE signed a paper that keeps their customers clear of any MS blackmail.
Since we all know that MS could never make the turn that Novell is in the midst of (embracing and reinventing its product line with OSS at the heart and soul) MS also realizes that it will not win what it has made into a war without using some of it's enemies tactics. What better way to do that than exchange information/prisoners with the enemy? Even better, from MS view, try to get the population to think you don't want to use and abuse them while you prepare for the next attempt at extermination.
From Novell's side it's a game of 'Get the gorilla to sit down and behave while we heal, regroup, and grow stronger.' With SCO in hospice we will likely see a more aggressive Novell once the line goes flat over Darl's monitor. Unlike MS & IBM, Novell cannot afford a 5 year massive court battle. Now that they will be at least getting their rights clarified and at best getting full right to System V back, they can mount a clean all out campaign without the fear of SCO or MS throwing lawyers into the roadway. BTW - does anyone have a win/loss record of MS - Novell lawsuits? I am pretty sure the score leans massively in Novell's favor.

the whole agreement was about the use of IP...Novell paid under $50 mil for the use of MS IP patents, while MS willpaid Novell $450(?) mil for Novell patents..its obvious who's IP is worth more, and proof M$ is all about marketing cuz their IP isn't worth much. Novell on the other hand is known for doing it right the first time...look at Boarder Manager, Netware 3.12, sure in Netware 4.11 they thought smoke and mirrors would work (AS IS THE CASE WITH AD....ahahhahaha) and they learned their lesson. Their products are solid, secure, stable, and well thought out. M$ on the other hand, ...up until Vista and soon to be Vista FS, used their monopoly power to force you to upgrade because you believe their FUD. 5 weeks prior to the MS/Novell agreement did anyone else see Bill Gates comment about the end on the desktop era? D Winders yers is over. Linux is not the preferred platform...as a Network OS, and Desktop OS. Novell positioned themselves 10 years ago with the purchase of UNIX. M$ .net uses xen... M$ has been using FREE BSD open source solutions in their software since Windows 2000, remember the 2 page Wall Street Journal write up????

the whole agreement was about the use of IP...Novell paid under $50 mil for the use of MS IP patents, while MS willpaid Novell $450(?) mil for Novell patents..its obvious who's IP is worth more, and proof M$ is all about marketing cuz their IP isn't worth much. Novell on the other hand is known for doing it right the first time...look at Boarder Manager, Netware 3.12, sure in Netware 4.11 they thought smoke and mirrors would work (AS IS THE CASE WITH AD....ahahhahaha) and they learned their lesson. Their products are solid, secure, stable, and well thought out. M$ on the other hand, ...up until Vista and soon to be Vista FS, used their monopoly power to force you to upgrade because you believe their FUD. 5 weeks prior to the MS/Novell agreement did anyone else see Bill Gates comment about the end on the desktop era? D Winders yers is over. Linux is n o w the preferred platform...as a Network OS, and Desktop OS. Novell positioned themselves 10 years ago with the purchase of UNIX. M$ .net uses xen... M$ has been using FREE BSD open source solutions in their software since Windows 2000, remember the 2 page Wall Street Journal write up????