Comments

• Shane Coyle

  2008-07-08 20:01:09

  And now a word from Stafford Masie, formerly of Novell, about the Microsoft Novell deal and VMware...

  ...virtualization is very very key, customers want to utilize Linux as either a host operating system with Microsoft as a guest operating system, or vice versa, and yes wea re going to support the XEN technology there, the XEN hypervisor technology, Microsoft is going to support it too. Yes, there is a competitive angle there, yes we’re coming at VMware yes yes yes we are, ok thats part of it because but we’re doing it in an open source way, so were going to support the XEN technologies in our server platforms and togther collaborate and ensure it works properly, supported properly, etc
  
  Now as far as thats concerned, thats the technology aspects of it, now its broad from a Linux perspective, they’re essentially saying that anyone who is an OpenSUSE contributor is covered under the covenant. the covenant essentially is a patent agreement between Novell and Microsoft that says if you participate in the OpenSUSE distribution… as long as its not for commercial gain, that you are covered by this covenant, that they will not exercise what they believe is their patent rights…

  FWIW

• Roy Schestowitz

  2008-07-08 20:35:51

  Wow. Reading it now after all this time is enlightening. I don't think he was /supposed/ to say some of these things.
  
  OpenSUSE. Covered. Covenants. Not for commercial use...