Summary: Microsoft-Cisco tensions could lead Cisco further away from Windows

Cisco recently settled with the FSF/SFLC and some sources suspect that Cisco may enter the GNU/Linux market by acquiring Novell^*, another company whose treatment of the GPL has been questionable in most arenas.

Having betrayed Cisco several times before, Microsoft turns out to be doing it again. [via The Inquirer]

Them's Fightin' Words: Cisco Says HP-Microsoft Alliance Cuts Out Partners

Cisco Systems called out Hewlett-Packard's and Microsoft's $180 million unified communications and collaboration alliance, saying it leaves partners out of the loop and that neither company has the networking chops to support the solutions.

More interestingly, as we showed a fortnight ago, this massive Hewlett-Packard/Microsoft deal came almost concurrently when (or after) H-P and Microsoft had signed another patent deal. Could this be a form of award or endowment?

Will Cisco lean more towards GNU/Linux as a result? Let us hope so. It cannot do much harm now that Cisco promises compliance and has an officer appointed -- even fully committed -- to the task. Cisco, unlike Intel, has not quite the reputation of an abusive bully, so it would make a decent ally. For PR purposes, Cisco has also just announced finalists in a Linux competition it initiated. Many people may not know this, but Cisco is at the moment one of the richest (if not the richest) technology companies. Oracle and Apple do pretty well too, whereas Microsoft is reaching out for borrowed money. ⬆ ______ ^* Speculations about Novell being bought are all too common now, e.g. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].