Bonum Certa Men Certa

David Sugar's Take on Microvell

Over at Free Software Magazine, David Sugar writes "Never before has the contrast between software freedom and intellectual slavery been more clear thanks to the proud efforts of gNewSense, and the craven ones of Novell." and challenges Novell's assertion that they acted on behalf of the community and developers:

It is interesting that Novell chooses to say they negotiated this agreement on "behalf" of all software contributors to (and customers) of Novell. Some of my packages are included in SuSE, though, strangely, I do not recall them ever asking me to negotiate this agreement on my behalf. That it claims to only protect "non commercially involved" contributors, it's clear it is about limiting what I can do and to whom I can safely distribute my code through. It's meant to threaten and intimidate those who develop software in freedom, and to control what they will be allowed to do. I do not remember requesting to become Novell's slave, or of desiring to pay a Microsoft slug for the right to practice freedom. As such it is an insult to everyone who has ever contributed code that they now use.

Sugar likens Novell to a rabid dog that must be put down rather than risk infection of the populace, and issues a call to package owners to investigate if Novell is in violation of the GPL as it stands now, and if it is determined that they are to rescind their distribution rights:

What we can do, those who believe in freedom, those who use GNU/Linux, or those who everywhere who believe in free markets and reject gangsters and thugs and the destruction such people do to society? First and foremost we must stand together in solidarity and not let the enemies of freedom succeed in their game of divide and conquer. If Novell has violated the letter of the GPL as well as its spirit, those of us who maintain packages that are distributed today as part of SuSE/Novell GNU/Linux must exercise our option to issue cease and desist orders. When dealing with a dog with rabies, even if once a loved family pet, it is best to put such an animal down before it also has the opportunity to infect others. As for thugs like Microsoft, they must be treated as the cancer to business and society that they are.

As is evidenced by their recent financial statements, Novell is completely hitched to Linux as their future as their Netware revenues plummet, but it appears that they are also completely hitched to Microsoft as well. Now it appears that the community is not interested in being two-timed, and is divorcing Novell. We don't do bigamy.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Facebook's Debt Leaps to Over 51 Billion Dollars
A lot of this is a bubble, aside from the bubble the media irresponsibly dubs "AI"
3 Days Ago Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news
Most of This Month Will Deal With EPO Scandals
A timeline of sorts
Links 01/11/2025: Microsoft Distributes Malware Again, Radio Free Asia Shut Down by Dictator
Links for the day
 
Linux.com is Becoming Microsoft
They took a once-reputable site with a vast audience and turned it into a pile of trash
Microsoft Lunduke: People Pointing Out I'm a Bigot is a Badge of Honour
It's almost as if he openly admits being a troll and is proud of it
Oracle's Debt Continues Rising to All-Time Highs, The "Slop Bubble" is a Smokescreen for Larry Ellison
wishful-thinking bubble waiting to implode completely
News on the Web is Becoming Rare, Shallow, and Difficult to Find
To efficiently and rapidly find original and important news without underlying comprehension/understanding of the news (and its context) is a hard task
Slopwatch: Linux Journal, Serial Slopper, WebProNews, and More
getting back into the habit
The Cocaine Patent Office - Part III: European Patent Office Officials Cannot Claim False Identification
Corroborating with other sources is always desirable if possible. We shall do so later in this series.
Still Catching Up, Daily Links a Top Priority
Readers who have additional information about the EPO can send it along to us
Links 01/11/2025: "Americans Are Defaulting on Car Loans at an Alarming Rate" While Many Left to Starve (SNAP)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/11/2025: FIFO and Gemini Age Survey
Links for the day
Why Does German Media Protect the EPO From Accountability for Cocaine?
Can we trust such media to properly inform the public?
Links 01/11/2025: Microsoft Azure Goes Offline Again
Links for the day
November is Here, Anniversary Party This Coming Friday
Expect this site to return to its normal publication pace either by tomorrow or Monday
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, October 31, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, October 31, 2025
Gemini Links 01/11/2025: Synergetic Disinformation and Software Maintenance
Links for the day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, October 30, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, October 30, 2025
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 29, 2025