Summary: Novell is changing hands again, and falling into the hands of even more Microsoft-friendly actors

Many GNU/Linux sites have not properly covered -- if at all -- the news about Microsoft's very special partner (with a long track record) buying what's left of Novell and SUSE after Microsoft took the patents.

Microsoft Focus, or Micro Focus, would soon be in charge of SUSE. One GNU/Linux-centric journalist said: "Micro Focus announced today its intention to acquire privately-held Attachmate in a deal valued at approximately $2.3 billion.

"The deal includes the issuance of 86.60 million shares of Micro Focus to Attachmate's parent company, Wizard Parent LLC. Micro Focus states that the value of the granted shares is approximately $1.19 billion. Micro Focus also will take on Attachmate's net debt of $1.17 billion.

"Micro Focus is an enterprise application modernization and testing software vendor with a long list of products in its portfolio. The company's core products include its Visual COBOL, Enterprise Analyzer and Enterprise Developer platforms.

"Attachmate is an amalgam of multiple companies, including a namesake company that provides enterprise file share and legacy application management products, and the NetIQ business for networking application visibility software. Attachmate also owns Novell, which it acquired in a $2.2 billion deal in 2011. Following the acquisition of Novell, Attachmate spun out SUSE Linux as its own operating division."

Oddly enough, nothing is being said about the Microsoft connection or even the mysterious sale of Novell to Attachmate via secretive proxies.

We are probably going to revisit this acquisition very soon. ⬆