Read the papers in the last few days?

Novell got into bed with MS to help them leverage their FUD so that people would be intimidated into either avoiding OSS or using only SUSE Linux, which is what *Ballmer recommends*. You did this simply to further your own agenda at the expense of everyone else.

Just stating the obvious here.

Not 100% true, I hear "Longhorn Server" intends to support Xen as a DomU in both paravirtualisation and full hardware virtual machine mode.

"As for Microsoft? I wouldn’t put it past them to get on board and come out with software for Linux boxes. After all…we know Vista is a failure. "

Yes.. they can start with WINE

– forcerain

I find it insane that Novell could essentially "switch sides" from being a proud supporter of the Free Software community to alienating the same community that makes their £££, $$$ and €€€ possible. Very foolish idea and I hope Novell suffers for it.

Who contributes the most to Linux? Cuz it sure as hell ain't Novell! The code isn't theirs to "protect" in the first place and quite frankly I couldn't care less if i'm infringing on so-called IP, because to me GPL'd code is mine to use how I like regardless of any stupid "intellectualism" involved in restricting people's use of software.

– forcerain

1) Novell is the only company to not lose legal decisions against Microsoft. They have won hundreds of millions of dollars in their lawsuits against MS. They have one of the best legal teams in the IT industry. They also have one of the largest IP portfolios in the IT industry. All these factors give Novell a very, very large edge over MS in fields that MS has not had control over. I for one see the MS-Novell deal as a boon to Novell and one, which has been speculated upon, is due to Novell holding possible IP litigation over MS' head with Vista and MS own moves into Linux (which they know they must do).

2) MS is known as the King of FUD. There hasn't been any time in the entire history of the company they haven't threatened, insulted, smeared, or trashed anyone not using their software. That's what they do. Ballmer though is way more viscious and outspoken, and personally I think stupid, in how he's talking about Linux users, Mac users, etc. He is not so much Sauron as Lord Haw-Haw.

The interoperability of MS and Novell products is a huge boon to Linux. Already I know of places willing to move in SLES and SLED just due to the fact their systems will be able to operate more cohesively.

As for Microsoft? I wouldn't put it past them to get on board and come out with software for Linux boxes. After all…we know Vista is a failure.

The most telling part of the video is the final remark by Steve Ballmer threatening all non-SUSE Linux distributors, while Ron Hovsepian smiles giddily in the background. Interestingly, those words are not included in the available transcript.

BRAD SMITH: "… And you'll see, as well, an economic commitment from Novell to Microsoft that involves a running *** ROYALTY ***, a percentage of revenue on open source software shipped under the agreement." AND, Ballmer adds: "… we're going to make clear that IP, the patent bridge, the IP bridge is an important thing. … And in our case, it means you don't license – let me be clear about one thing, we don't license our intellectual property to Linux because of the way the Linux licensing, GPL framework works, that's not really a possibility. The cleverness was, how do we get protection and respect for our intellectual property in a world in which that license agreement works? So the two top level points, as Ron whispered to me, technical interoperability and patent peace of mind,…"

What are "royalties" for? The payment for the use of another's IP, the "IP Bridge".

SMITH Continues:
"… The second thing we did in this area was add a promise that goes to developers, even developers who are getting paid to create code to OpenSUSE.org, code that Novell then takes and incorporates into its distribution, and that is then covered under the patent cooperation agreement between us, because after all Novell is ensuring that our patent rights are respected in an appropriate way, and that gives us the ability to address the needs and interests of those individuals."

And what is that promise?

STEVE BALLMER: "The first is a promise that we won't assert our patents against individual, non-commercial, open source developers. Who are these? These are individuals who are creating code, contributing code, they're not being paid for that code, they're often working in the evenings or at home. They're not creating it as part of their job, but they're acting in an individual non-commercial way. The promise doesn't run to anybody who employs them, because after all, they're not acting in the course of their employment. But, it gives those folks a new commitment from Microsoft.

The second thing we did in this area was add a promise that goes to developers, even developers who are getting paid to create code to OpenSUSE.org, code that Novell then takes and incorporates into its distribution, and that is then covered under the patent cooperation agreement between us, because after all Novell is ensuring that our patent rights are respected in an appropriate way, and that gives us the ability to address the needs and interests of those individuals."

Let me make it simple for you. Protection against IP lawsuits is for those FOSS coders whose code actually makes it INTO the commercial SELS distribution. ALL other coders/contributors to any OTHER FOSS projects, including OpenSUSE.org, are possible targets of Microsoft IP lawsuits. After all, isn't that what Novell is paying ROYALTIES to Microsoft for… the putative MS IP in "Linux"? And, didn't you just read Ballmer's statement that only FOSS code that is IN Novell's commercial Linux distribution is free from threat of a Microsoft lawsuit?

And, from Novell's point of view, doesn't that promise make them SUPREME (for at least FIVE years) beneficiaries of that SELS code umbrella?

RON HOVSEPIAN: "I think it captured the essence of it."

Hovesepian cannot be so stupid as to not see the overwhelming PR advantage that royalty payment gives to HIS distro, at the expense of others, in large segments of the business world.

It also represents the WORST case of EXPLOITATION of FOSS code and coders that the Linux community has ever seen. Not even Apple's Safari exploitation of Konqueror reached this level.

You can get a REAL sense of the spirit of the discussion by viewing the video of the announcement. It chilled me to the bone.

By a long long time SuSE user.