Bonum Certa Men Certa

Closer Than You Think: Microsoft and Novell Collaborations

Novell and Microsoft truly are close. As the industry loses its temperature (recession), Novell keeps its body close to Microsoft and hopes to receive some warmth in return. It does so much to please the Beast, but the same kind of love rarely comes back. To give very recent examples:

  1. Here is Novell inviting Microsoft to supercomputers, where GNU/Linux enjoys a market share of over 90%
  2. Here is Novell pretty much marketing Windows Vista


The last time I checked, Microsoft's only pages about GNU/Linux are the anti-Linux campaign and instructions/knowledgebase articles about "How to Remove Linux and Install Windows". Remember that shortly after it had signed the deal with Microsoft, Novell removed pages from its Web site if these were critical of Windows or Microsoft.

Looking at news from the past week, you will find that Microsoft and Novell have just forged another technical collaboration.

He told a media briefing here today that Microsoft will make available its User Interface Automation (UIA) specification, which is an advanced accessibility framework that simplifies the development of assistive technology products for people with one or more disabilities.


Another new article talks about Novell and Microsoft working together (with seclusion of course) in a so-called research lab.

In September 2007, Microsoft and Waltham-based Novell Inc. announced the opening of a joint laboratory in Cambridge to resolve interoperability issues between proprietary software and open-source software. The laboratory, part of an agreement Novell and Microsoft announced in November 2006, is located in Novell's Kendall Square facility.


Make no mistake. This is not of any benefit to GNU/Linux. It's all about SUSE Linux. It helps Microsoft combat open standards [1, 2, 3].

Matt Asay, also rather frustrated with the mess Novell is in, agrees that Novell might as well just become the open-source .NET kingdom of Microsoft.

Novell has struggled to compete in the open-source world. Combining with Microsoft hasn't helped. So why not, as Dave suggests, link up with Microsoft's .Net code to build an ecosystem around it that would complement Microsoft's own efforts to do so?

[...]

Let's face it: there are still hordes of developers out there who love Microsoft and would probably prefer to create open-source projects around .Net instead of Java or the LAMP stack. Novell could orchestrate this since Microsoft appears to have a PR problem with doing so.


As long as Novell continues with its Mono agenda [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13], it appears to be losing confidence everywhere you look in the Linux world (Slashdot, LinuxToday and so forth). It was a bad gamble and a very poor way of distinguishing itself. Who will be held accountable at the end?

Novell and Microsoft piss on GNU/Linux codebase

Recent Techrights' Posts

IBM's CEO Roasted, Sizzled and Grilled for Dumb and Inconsistent Vapourware Promises
It looks like being a chronic liar is what it takes to lead the company once synonymous with computing
Who Imitates Who? Plagiarist as Client (From Microsoft), 'Plagiarism' at the Law Firm?
let's revisit the subject
 
Links 11/06/2025: More Vulnerabilities Found in 'Smart' Phones, China Extends Reach in the Pacific
Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/06/2025: Grain and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Links 11/06/2025: "Quantum" Hype From IBM, US Closer to Martial Law, and “The Nation” Celebrates Milestone
Links for the day
IBM's Goal Is Not (and Never Was) Computer Users' Freedom
More than 1.5 decades ago I found IBM to be an "ally of convenience" because of OpenDocument Format (ODF)
Wayland Shows the IBM/Red Hat Way of Doing Things
IBM is trying to 'kill' X
GitHub is Proprietary, Controlled by Microsoft, and GPL Violation Warehouse
"IRS tax filing software [will be] released to the people as free software" ... In general this is good news
Slopfarm Catastrophe
Seems like BetaNews (or BetaNoise) has just suffered a major data loss and restored the site from a week-old backup
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VIII: Illegal Working Conditions
How many people need to die for these people to get their massive salaries?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Links 10/06/2025: Apple Hype and Physical Attacks on Bloggers
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/06/2025: Loon Lake, Farming, and Forth
Links for the day
Links 10/06/2025: Jaws at 50 and US Democracy Crushed Very Rapidly (Martial Law Seems Imminent)
Links for the day
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VII: Washing Their Hands After Corruption and Abuse
"Tragedy or comedy?"
Culling Bad RSS Feeds of Bad Sites
Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater
If 'Microsoft v Techrights' is Dealt With by a 'Microsoft Court' (or a Court Outsourced to Microsoft)
More on that later
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 09, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 09, 2025
Gemini Protocol Turns Six in 10 Days From Now
If you haven't tried it yet, then give it a go today
Live as You Preach
technology is fast becoming dysphoric
Gemini Links 09/06/2025: Addition Addiction and Nitride
Links for the day
Links 09/06/2025: Science, Hardware Projects, and Democracy Receding
Links for the day
Computers Got Smaller, So GNU/Linux Got Bigger
Many people here recognise the lack of urgency (or need) to get expensive new laptops
BetaNews is a Plagiarism and LLM Slop Hub, the Chief Editor Isn't Addressing This Problem Anymore
SS Fagioli is basically a parasite leeching off or exploiting other people's work
Links 09/06/2025: Chaos in Los Angeles and Hurricane Season
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Grows at Windows' Expense and Microsoft Trolls Infest and Maliciously Target Articles About It
Microsoft is - and has long been - organised crime
They Say I'm Mr. Bombastic
They didn't take good lawyers
Links 09/06/2025: Windows TCO and Many Data Breaches
Links for the day
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VI: Political Stunts by Former President Edyta Demby-Siwek and the Connection to Profound Corruption at EUIPO
it's like a money-laundering operation where one politician rewards another at taxpayers' expense
Gemini Links 09/06/2025: Pipelines and Splitgate
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 08, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, June 08, 2025