The FSF's Brett Smith confirms what has argued repeatedly for the past few months (even earlier this week). The FUD machine is working at full force. The victim this time around is the new version of the GNU Public Licence. Whether Novell is just passively or even actively involved is something which would be hard to tell. Maybe it is not involved at all, but where is its criticism of Microsoft's actions? Passive convenience perhaps? Silent obedience and servitude?

Here is the revelant fragment of text:

In the past few weeks, we've gotten a good sample of the tactics Microsoft is going to use against GPLv3. The so-called Association for Competitive Technology has been on the warpath. GPLv3 is an unenforceable contract, they say. You can't negotiate it. It's going to send us back to the bad old days of technology when different pieces of software couldn't talk to each other. Apparently, their plan is to say anything they can think of that sounds scary, and then see what sticks.

Nothing good ever came of underestimating Microsoft's power, but I think this is a pretty good sign for us. I don't think they're fooling anybody who honestly has an open mind about this subject. And once you see other big companies releasing software under GPLv3, I think that'll do a lot to dispel the FUD right there.

Tivoization is addressed in another new article which discusses the GPLv3 and some of its lesser-known effects.

Currently, the Free Software Foundation (FSF), which produces the evolving GPL, is trying to create a version 3 of its license that is expected to supplant prior versions, including the current version 2.1. Version 3 will attempt to address two knotty issues.

The first is called tivoization, which is a word coined from the company name Tivo. Tivo uses free software and complies with the GPL but the gadgets it makes will only run programs that bear an acceptable digital signature.