So from all the current information, they are doing pretty well.

> Is it? Novell would LOVE people to believe this (and so would Microsoft).

Yes, it is. Your argument (and the text you provided) fails because it’s a non sequitur. One customer not caring for it hardly necessitates something about all the others.

>> (i) Novell is doing great

We shall soon find out.

http://boycottnovell.com/2007/05/02/novl-financial-results-at-months-end/
( “Novell to report on May 30th” )

I prefer not to speculate, so I did not say Novell is doing badly. I just stated facts and quoted articles.

>> (ii) RedHat is doing great

Their sales were up 41% in last quarter’s report. Novell has declined to file financial results for quite some time.

>> It’s also simply not productive for you to
>> argue that this customer patent coverage or interoperability is
>> “useless” when it’s a very clear demand from a lot of many
>> Novell enterprise customers.

Is it? Novell would LOVE people to believe this (and so would Microsoft). Have a look:

http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/03/microsoftnovell.html

Microsoft/Novell patent deal — a customer doesn’t speak

I asked Matthew O’Neill, group head of distributed systems for HSBC global IT operations, whether he was ever worried about either Microsoft or Novell suing it for using the other company’s products.

Before O’Neill could answer, however, Susan Hauser, general manager of strategic partnerships and licensing at Microsoft, chipped in to answer for him, giving the stock answer that the companies’ customers had concerns about intellectual property and wanted peace of mind.

Well here I was asking the companies’ customer to explain his concerns about intellectual property and he wasn’t being given a chance to speak. Eventually he did make his feelings known, but it would seem HSBC isn’t as concerned about IP infringement as Microsoft.

…as some type of negative press (sorry, I couldn’t resist). If other distributions aren’t being affected, then you’re tearing apart some of your own argument here.

It’s also simply not productive for you to argue that this customer patent coverage or interoperability is “useless” when it’s a very clear demand from a lot of many Novell enterprise customers.