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Novell responds to the Open Source comunity, it’s not as bad as it looked
Looks like novell responded back to the community with an open letter.
Reading this letter it is as I said before about the integration of MS Services and i still think it is that way that Novell is trying to get interoperability with Microsoft products. I am as much against the MS “standards” as the next guy however if noone takes the step and makes some kind of deal with them we can never get anything to cooperate. And face it 90% of all corporations use Windows in a large scale. Do i have a problem with how they aprached the whole thing? Absolutely. but still in the long run I do think this will benefit Linux in some sense. What happens , for example, if Novell works with Microsoft? Microsoft just handed their “secret” protocol documents over to the EU commision. Now Novel can take these documents and if they build new technology based on, say Samba, they will ahve to opensource it. however with a cooperation with Microsoft the new software might be created faster? This would mean within a couple of years we could have linux machines talking to exchange (nicely, not OWA) or to AD or whatever.
I know the hardcore OSS fanatics do not want anything to do with this but form a corporate stance (I am tlaking corporation!! not 100 employees) it is a necessity. The one thing Microsoft has done well so far is providing their product for the ENTERPRISE with features that the ENTERPRISE wants/needs. Linux is lagging behind because it cannot speak Microsoft and mostly developers are working not for ENTERPRISE products (i will get flamed for this one!). If novell can provde in the long run the bridge for the “gap” then why not? there wouldnt be a reason not to tryand/or deploy Linux in a larger scale if it could talk to the exchange erver perfectly or to the AD or all the other neat little things.
In the end this is all just speculation but I think there might be some truth in it. I spoke with a friend of mine that work closely with Suse/Novell (no not just with the OS but with the company) and even he hinted at this. He said “You know what, it just all comes down to business, if Novell is the first to provide this functionality they will get business. If they open sthe source code then, thats fine but they will be the first ones and they will have the resources within Microsoft to make things work smoothly!”. And I have to agree with him. from a OSS persective I can see where the skepticism comes from but from a corporate view I have to say, if it turns out that way a lot of things might change.
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I think you have missed a point really, Microsoft (Steve Ballmore) have claimed they have their IP in the linux kernel and part of the agremeant is that microsoft will not sue end users, as long as they use the SUSE distro, so if Novel did start using Microsoft provided information to imporve interop, and realeased it into the opensource comunity this would only increase Microsofts claims. This really can only be bad for the Corporate comunity as it resticts choice MS or MS imdemnified partner Novel, chose anyone else and Microsoft might come after you. Classic Microsoft tactics, FUD. You might want to check out Microsofts response to the open letter
Thanks for the comment, but as far as I remember wasn’t the IP claim AFTER the deal was made and the community reacted? But anyway, if they release the interop software which was built with documentation delivered by MS to the EU, then there cant be a problem. The deal as far as I can see could only help Novell getting it done faster?
Novell is helping MS keep those protocols secret now.
As a contributor to the comunity I DO NOT WANT my FREE work used (and SOLD) in an agreement with Microsoft.
DO NOT MATTER if the contribution was big or small; it was a contribution.
Since IT IS a contribution to a comunity AND NOT to Microsoft no one has the right to SELL it!
What is the part you do not understand?
Hi, well if you distribute your contributions under GPL v.2 people CAN sell it. And unless you make your own license and exclude Microsoft this wont change. The GPL v3 is now being remodddeled so that you cannot leverage it with IP and patents but the whole point with the GPL is that youcan seel and re-distribute the code, as long as you make the source of what you are selling available.
Redhat is selling Enterprise Linux (at a hefty price btw.) but they make the source available and besides YaST, I think Suse has everything open as well.