Bonum Certa Men Certa

Why Microsoft's and Novell's Role Cannot be Ignored

In the past, the raison d'être of this Web site needed to be explained. There are skeptics around and they are sometimes equipped with false, selective, and/or incomplete information.

Linus Torvalds, like many other developers, prefers to ignore the effects of non-technical issues such as the Novell/Microsoft deal. He is either uninvolved or indifferent. The same goes for some technical writers, apparently. It does not make much sense on the one hand, but on the other hand, you can probably see how programmers get distracted by abuse and sabotage. It is difficult to escape issues that revolve around the technical circles. Should they also ignore the likes of SCO?

There is some detailed information in a response with followups to a somewhat controversial opinion.

Yesterday's title was "Time to Write About Something Besides Redmond". I attempted to make a point about moving our attention from non-productive to productive behavior.


Bruce Byfield is no exception. He seems to think that Microsoft's Linux deals are not a threat, but perhaps he is simply unaware of the deals' purpose and consequences. The media's gross bias does not help here. From Bruce's blog:

Consider, for example, the variety of responses that Microsoft has made to free software in the last year. It’s tried co-opting companies like Novell, Linspire, and Xandros. It’s made unsupported threats about patent violations in GNU/Linux. It’s talked about wanting to cooperate with the free software community. Just ask yourself: Are these the actions of the winning side? Or are they a sign that the company is desperately looking for a winning strategy in a losing fight, or divided internally?

The truth is, free software has come a long way from its days of vulnerability.


Be aware of the scale of damage these Linux deals have brought. To make the argument succinct and easy to consume, a visual mindmap was created. Microsoft would love to see Linux writers claiming victory after the deals and thus remain oblivious to what is actually happening as a result of these deals. Never turn your back on a hostile competitor that has sworn to "slaughter" you. The deals have serious consequences. It's time to become aware of them.

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