Comments on: Consequences, Intended and Otherwise http://techrights.org/2006/11/28/consequences-intended-and-otherwise/ Free Software Sentry – watching and reporting maneuvers of those threatened by software freedom Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: shane http://techrights.org/2006/11/28/consequences-intended-and-otherwise/comment-page-1/#comment-73 shane Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:54:04 +0000 http://boycottnovell.com/2006/11/28/consequences-intended-and-otherwise/#comment-73 If this site helps convince Novell that their short-sighted, selfish and morally questionable deal should be amended or repudiated, we can all get back to pressuring ATI and NVIDIA to open their specs so we can have eyecandy and legally distribute it. As it stands, Novell's deal does nothing but hurt Open Source, they validate Microsoft's stance with the EC that their interoperability information is genuinely innovative and worthy of royalties, they bolster Microsoft's FUD regarding potential IP exposure if using Linux, and they allow a convicted monopolist to engineer a deal that allows them to derive revenue from their only competition. What did Novell gain? The stock is coming right back down to earth, their community is fractured, and the rest of the FOSS world is shunning them. In the IRC chat, and also mentioned on this site, it was noted that MS is rewriting the Patent Pledge - if they get it right, this site might become irrelevant. And I wouldn't be happier. If this site helps convince Novell that their short-sighted, selfish and morally questionable deal should be amended or repudiated, we can all get back to pressuring ATI and NVIDIA to open their specs so we can have eyecandy and legally distribute it.

As it stands, Novell’s deal does nothing but hurt Open Source, they validate Microsoft’s stance with the EC that their interoperability information is genuinely innovative and worthy of royalties, they bolster Microsoft’s FUD regarding potential IP exposure if using Linux, and they allow a convicted monopolist to engineer a deal that allows them to derive revenue from their only competition.

What did Novell gain? The stock is coming right back down to earth, their community is fractured, and the rest of the FOSS world is shunning them.

In the IRC chat, and also mentioned on this site, it was noted that MS is rewriting the Patent Pledge – if they get it right, this site might become irrelevant.

And I wouldn’t be happier.

]]> By: Roy Schestowitz http://techrights.org/2006/11/28/consequences-intended-and-otherwise/comment-page-1/#comment-72 Roy Schestowitz Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:49:15 +0000 http://boycottnovell.com/2006/11/28/consequences-intended-and-otherwise/#comment-72 Greg, Novell's path is destructive. I believe that SUSE code (and it developers) will be better off without Novell, which is, at this moment, not a credible code forger. Boycotting Novell would be a tough choice. But taking Novell's code would be tough too. You lose either way, but while the latter is destructive to one company, the latter puts many companies (and a community) at risk. In hindsight, the deal should have NOT been made. BAD. BAD. BAD. I can't believe they sat on it for 6 months. We're now stuck in a lose-lose situation. Whichever route is chosen will be damaging. We must ask ourselves: which solution will work better in the long-term (for the community in particular)? I used to have great admiration for Novell. I evangelised Novell and Opensuse for a long time. See: http://tinyurl.com/ybj2rc (81,000 hits) http://tinyurl.com/yfww7h (95,400 hits) My change of heart did not happen overnight as it took time to digest. It's akin to the question: would you still love your father if he hurt your mother, your friends and your siblings? I sidle with those who CARE, not those who abuse for whatever reason. A Novell's spokesman has already publicly admitted that the decision was a selfish one. Greg,

Novell’s path is destructive. I believe that SUSE code (and it developers) will be better off without Novell, which is, at this moment, not a credible code forger. Boycotting Novell would be a tough choice. But taking Novell’s code would be tough too. You lose either way, but while the latter is destructive to one company, the latter puts many companies (and a community) at risk.

In hindsight, the deal should have NOT been made. BAD. BAD. BAD. I can’t believe they sat on it for 6 months. We’re now stuck in a lose-lose situation. Whichever route is chosen will be damaging. We must ask ourselves: which solution will work better in the long-term (for the community in particular)?

I used to have great admiration for Novell. I evangelised Novell and Opensuse for a long time. See:

http://tinyurl.com/ybj2rc (81,000 hits)

http://tinyurl.com/yfww7h (95,400 hits)

My change of heart did not happen overnight as it took time to digest. It’s akin to the question: would you still love your father if he hurt your mother, your friends and your siblings? I sidle with those who CARE, not those who abuse for whatever reason. A Novell’s spokesman has already publicly admitted that the decision was a selfish one.

]]> By: Greg Unger http://techrights.org/2006/11/28/consequences-intended-and-otherwise/comment-page-1/#comment-70 Greg Unger Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:20:04 +0000 http://boycottnovell.com/2006/11/28/consequences-intended-and-otherwise/#comment-70 I admire the spirit of this article. Open source will be one tough mutt to kill. The very nature of the beast makes secrets hard to keep. But I despise what this site (boycottnovell.com) is doing - intentionally or otherwise. "Admittedly, this site has been somewhat vocal as well"? Are you serious? This site has been nothing but FUD since day one. Congratulations. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves for your own role in dividing the Open Source community. The Ubuntu-SUSE spat aside, I'm sure public relations folk over at Redmond are laughing in evil glee at the columns on this site. I admire the spirit of this article. Open source will be one tough mutt to kill. The very nature of the beast makes secrets hard to keep.

But I despise what this site (boycottnovell.com) is doing – intentionally or otherwise. “Admittedly, this site has been somewhat vocal as well”? Are you serious? This site has been nothing but FUD since day one. Congratulations. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves for your own role in dividing the Open Source community. The Ubuntu-SUSE spat aside, I’m sure public relations folk over at Redmond are laughing in evil glee at the columns on this site.

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