Novell Treats Users As "Customers"
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| moopst Nov 13, 2006 6:01 PM EDT |
Novell does not see their users in the same way as the FSF. They see them as "customers", they used that term several times in that article. RMS and the FSF see them as users whose most pressing needs are the 4 freedoms. Novell sees them as customers who need hand holding. |
| jdixon Nov 13, 2006 7:05 PM EDT |
I think it's safe to say that most of the users Novell is trying to attract see themselves as customers who need handholding. That's what potentially makes this a good strategic move on Novell's part. The main problem I can see is that a number of people have now agreed that the agreement breaks the GPL. We'll have to wait to see what the FSF says for certain, but the expert opinion so far doesn't look promising. Quoting from Novell's new page: " Novell's end user customers receive a covenant not to sue directly from Microsoft for their use of Novell products and services, but these activities are outside the scope of the GPL." The GPL is the license covering the use and distribution of the Novell products in question. How can customer use of the products be "outside the scope of the GPL"? |
| moopst Nov 13, 2006 7:49 PM EDT |
I agree, this "covenant" is a license which Novell cannot sublicense. Thus downstream users/developers cannot add their own innovations. Propriatary software can't match free software for innovation. This agreement is a lame attempt by MicroSoft to virally infect freedom software with M$ IP. Trying to put Novell's users back on the feudalistic serfdom track. Novell will try to be the vector, the protein shell that is to infect OOo with M$ IP RNA to try to create the illusion that "Open XML" is actually open. Then M$ can hope to con European governments into adopting it with enough bribes, threats and the fig leaf of the Novell bastardized version of OOo. The same is to happen with Mono and Samba. Embrace, extend (with M$ IP), and extinguish software freedom. Except it ain't gonna happen. |
| theboomboomcars Nov 14, 2006 6:09 AM EDT |
This covenant seems a lot like a support contract to me. Novell sells support for SUSE, I can use SUSE with out it but not with official support from Novell. The same with this covenant. If I am worried that MS will sue me for using Linux then I can buy "support" through Novell to not be sued. I personally am not worried about professional support or being sued so I will donate my money to other projects that won't waste my money on MS. Since it seems that the only patents that MS holds that Linux violates are the icon on the desktop one and the double clicking the mouse one. But it seems that there is enough prior art on these that if MS sued someone they would loose the patent and not get any money from it. The main question is why did MS make this deal, because it seems that its good for Novell in the business sector to have a MS approved distro, then the powers that be can get linux without offending the almighty MS. But MS seems to be spending more money on this deal then they are getting out of it. |
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