--Ron Hovsepian, Novell CEO
"FOR Windows users," claims our reader, "Novell and Suse only serve as a last barbwire fence to keep their livestock (or maybe pawns was the right word) from roaming free." He points to this article to serve as a reminder ("Microsoft exec called software developers 'pawns'"; we have the full text of that talk).
With a product introduction on Tuesday, Novell will enable developers to use Microsoft's Visual Studio software development platform to both build and debug .Net-based applications for deployment on Linux and other non-Windows platforms.
Novell's Mono Tools for Visual Studio, available now, lets .Net developers utilize Visual Studio to build cross-platform applications. Also usable for putting .Net applications on Unix and Mac OS, the product serves as an add-in module for Visual Studio and leverages the separately available Novell Mono runtime for running .Net applications on non-Microsoft platforms. Mono Tools for Visual Studio had been offered in a preview release to a limited number of developers earlier this year.
What we have here is a MonoTouch application for the iPhone covering a Microsoft conference and advertising Team Mono’s booth at the same conference for those that “don’t have a Mac”.
Why exactly is this garbage on Planet GNOME and Planet SUSE? (I can understand Planet GNOME, since GNOME seems to have largely adopted the Venerable Ostrich Position on Mono) Do people not get tired of the pro-Mono / pro-Microsoft messaging that has nothing to do with Linux?
At least Team Mono used to pretend there was some benefit for Linux from Mono, lately much/most of the messaging has absolutely nothing to do with Linux.
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Of course, Microsoft rewards its collaborators when it suits them, so Peter Galli has written “Microsoft and Novell: Three Years and Going Strong” where he gives the lapdog a small treat, and doesn’t miss a chance to talk up intellectual “peace of mind” . This is a disgustingly popular code phrase for “Use Microsoft-approved software or we just might sue you”. Microsoft and Novell love to brandish a bit of IP FUD about, especially if they can wield it against Red Hat.
I like to point out another way of looking at “Three Years and Going Strong”: the Novell-Microsoft deal is just as offensive and anti-community today as it was the day it was signed. The reasons for opposing the deal are just as valid today as they were three years ago. The people that walked away from Novell three years ago were right to do so, and anyone that chooses to do so today is equally justified.
Update: If you do not have a Mac, come to our booth at the Microsoft PDC, and we will ad-hoc deploy the app for you.
Sadly for me Banshee insisted on crashing whenever i tried to watch a film so i can't demonstrate it as it should be, but i did manage to stream a (randomly clicked) video as flash.
She [Novell vice president] continued, "Over the last three years, the IP peace of mind has been an element of the partnership that has been well-received by customers, and has not been controversial in the last couple years at all. It's really just become accepted as part of the program. Will it be part of our part of our partnership (in the future)? I think the core elements that have made us successful, we should look to those to stay part of the partnership going forward. What that looks like in the end, we'll have to see based on the discussions we're having, but I would expect that both of us would want to keep the pieces that have been really successful."
The companies are now entering the fourth year of the original five-year agreement. Asked if they're already working to extend the deal beyond the initial term, Microsoft general manager Ted MacLean didn't provide any specifics but said the companies in general are "constantly exploring how to continue working together."
To further broaden its base, Novell is considering adding support for Oracle Unbreakable Linux, Heystee said. "We're looking at it, since we've gotten quite a few requests from people having support issues" with Oracle, she said. "You do see a trend there, of customers wanting to work with the manufacturer of the Linux distro itself."
