I got a bad feeling about this Chewie.

[Alan Dayley]

On Thu, March 22, 2007 11:01 am, jordi laforge wrote:
> My company is a Novell customer. We use eDirectory\Sles9\Oes. All the
> people
> from Novell I talk to give me the same company line about how good the
> Novell\MS deal is for the customer and interoperability. I've been holding
> judgement on it.
> The other day a Novell sales rep said this to me:
> " MS has realized that Linux is key in the Business Enterprise and is now
> a
> viable and solid alternative to Windows."
>
> Knowing how much MS cares about the enterprise environment I'm starting to
> think that MS is going to buy Novell.
> Anybody else thinking this?

Yes.  More and more.  Remember "Embrace, extend and extinguish" 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish)

My fear, at present mostly hypothetical, is as follows:

Embrace phase:
-------------
Novell and MS make a deal to make MS Windows and Linux more
inter-operable.  And statements like what you quote from the Novell rep. 
Continue with the "Licensed Linux is good" mantra.

This deal will not save Novell as the FS/OSS community continues to
marginalize them despite all the "benefits."  Novell needs more cash to
stay alive, making the ripe for a by-out.

MS buys them gaining a "properly intellectual property licensed" version
of Linux AND the Unix copyrights.  Embrace complete.

Extend phase:
------------
Continue the "inter-operablility" efforts began by Novell, blending what
is left of SUSE Linux with MS Windows stuff to "benefit the customer" and
"make things easier" and "create consistency" and blah, blah.  Other Linux
distros will not be able to use these extensions because the license will
not be Free or Open, though it may be called "Open."

Extinguish phase:
----------------
New FUD --> MS Linux is the "real" Linux because they have the Unix code
and it works with all the new interoperability standards.  Marginalize any
other Linux because it cannot work right with "real Linux"

I fear that "embrace, extend and extinguish" is coming directly at Linux
via Novell.  If the above sequence proceeds, Novell will be revealed as
having sold their FS/OSS good will for a mess of pottage that only kept
them alive for a few more years, at best.  It will make the "religious" FS
philosophies all that much more important.  It will put Linus on the wrong
side of the fence if "MS Linux" locks out freedoms like TiVo does and as
allowed by GPLv2.

It's not a pretty picture.  But, that is what MS does.  So far, Novell is
paving the road for it to happen.

Alan