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Novell Talks Red Hat, Still Sidles With Microsoft

Competition is a funny thing when one's friend becomes a foe and one's sworn enemy suddenly becomes a friend. It appears as though Novell's rivals these days are only Linux distributers. Having taken off all comparisons with Microsoft Windows from its Web site [1, 2], Novell has moved on to speaking about the weaknesses of GNU/Linux that's not developed under Microsoft's iron fist, so to speak. I have just caught the following article from Salt Lake Tribune:

Novell spokesman Kevan Barney said the downfall of Red Hat's Fedora Legacy Project only strengthens Novell's commitment to its own partnership with open-source, or free, software developers worldwide.

"What has happened with Fedora does not affect what we are doing with our Open Systems Project," he said. "We have over 30,000 registered members. The project is doing quite well."

Novell offers its own Suse Linux product line, but it differs from a companion, free-to-download Open Suse version only in the level of technical support and the stability required for each generation of retail editions.


There is not much to be seen here, but it seems evident that Novell is after Red Hat's customers while it remains obedient to (READ: scared of) and 'plays nice' with Microsoft. It is a case of Linux fighting Linux, which is precisely what Microsoft sought to achieve when striking this deal, also paying a lump of money for easier persuasion. The divisive nature of the deal---that which separates customers from the developers community---is another harmful side-effect. It ought to bother you that only months ago, Ron Hovespian complained about Microsoft's business practices. Here is what he said before befriending Microsoft:

"Microsoft Corp is using scare tactics to exert pressure on PC vendors not to explore the potential of desktop Linux, according to Novell Inc president and COO, Ron Hovsepian"


In other news, about Novell:

Just a bit of credit where it's due. We consider this site to be impartial, not rebellious. We aspire to discover stories and facts that escape the attention or interest of mainstream press. If you can offer any contributions or stories we have missed, be sure to contact us. We would like our loyal readers to drive the site, rather than let it be controlled by editors. Let us make use of the wisdom of the crowds.

Addendum: here's another new article which fits the theme of this post. It's titled "Novell CTO Touts 'Mixed Source' Strategy, Takes Jab At Red Hat".

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