Novell Marketing in the UK
Novell is already marketing its Microsoft deal in the UK. A couple of readers have sent me their UK newsletter, and it's a pip. They mention the patent aspect of the deal, by the way, prominently. The newsletter has a link to this page, where it is all spelled out clearly:
The patent cooperation agreement enables Microsoft and Novell to give customers assurance of protection against patent infringement claims. It gives customers confidence that the technologies they use and deploy in their environments are compliant with the two companies’ patents.
As part of this agreement, Microsoft will provide a covenant not to assert its patent rights against customers who have purchased SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or other covered products from Novell, and Novell will provide an identical covenant to customers who have a licensed version of Windows or other covered products from Microsoft.
Anybody but me see a disjoint between this wording and Novell's letter to the community? And if you don't mind my asking one teeny tiny question: Are software patents legal in the UK? The marketing page puts it on the record that Novell is advertising in the UK a product that supposedly has patent benefits and which implies that users of Novell's products are specifically protected from Microsoft patents.
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Novell-Microsoft: The Honeymoon's Over
It looks like the Novell-Microsoft dalliance is going to last about as long as one of Britney Spears' marriages. Novell, playing the role of Kevin Federline in this story, has been jilted. It also seems apt to call Microsoft the 'Britney' of the saga - so famous despite no evidence of any redeeming qualities. Steve 'Britney' Ballmer just couldn't resist doing what he does best - bad mouthing Linux. According to the Microsoft CEO, Linux is chock full of he and Bill's intellectual property. He confirmed what a lot of people were suspecting that the Novell agreement really meant: SuSE is the only brand of Linux that people will be safe with. Those who have chosen other flavors had better get a good lawyer. Now Novell, who has to be all things to all people - a good friend to the Linux community and a faithful partner to Microsoft - has been put between the proverbial rock and the hard place. On Monday, they offered an alternative spin on Ballmer's patent threats in an effort to wipe the egg of their face.
As they say, I hate to say I told you so, but .... I told you so.
Full Story.
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You talk the talk, but do you waddle the waddle?
Novell is loading Microsoft's gun
It is with regret that I urge all FOSS developers to treat anything Novell has contributed to the community as suspect, scrutinize any Novell contributions and purge them as deemed appropriate.
This threat is real, and it is not necessarily contingent upon whether or not Microsoft would actually sue customers for patent infringements. This is a classic case of posturing. Novell is now in a position to leverage its agreement with Microsoft in a way that harms all other Linux distributions and other FOSS projects. It is actively exploiting its unique position in ways that seem beneficial, but will pose risks to anyone but its own customers.
Full Story.
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You talk the talk, but do you waddle the waddle?