ECT features a new article which says very clearly that Microsoft's strategy is to create and use unfounded fear against a rival they are unable to compete with.

Microsoft's business strategy is the equivalent of "don't buy his products or something bad will happen -- but we won't tell you what." In other words, it shows less sophistication than the average playground ruse. Nevertheless, it was enough for Novell -- responsible for the popular Suse distribution of Linux -- to enter last year into a mutual covenant not to sue over patent infringements.

Novell, quite sadly, was either a victim of fear, selfishness, greed, or a combination thereof. Allow me to explain. Those who are supposed to fear are not just Linux vendors, but also companies that use Linux. Selfishly enough, by Novell's own admission, Novell decided to enter the fear mongering club and cash in on uncertainty they themselves created, along with Microsoft. This means that not genuine fear of lawsuits was Novell's reason to enter the deal; rather, it was the ability to exploit fear.

Greed relates to the monetary award they received (over $0.3 billion). Think of it as a compensation plan sponsored by Microsoft's anti-Linux agenda. That in its own right justifies resentment that makes Groklaw's headline "Novell sells out" seem very accurate. LXer has more to say about the recent series of deals, which are intended to achieve nothing but to create uncertainty in the market.

What does Microsoft get out of the deals? They get to shamelessly accuse our community of wrongdoing without ever having to prove it in court. They get to advertise that they are working to enforce their patents - you know, the ones that should never have been granted to begin with. They will likely even use the deals to claim all manner of "victories" over our community.