M$ and Novell get into bed together - will Novell get infected?
This is an article from MSN:
Longtime software antagonists Microsoft Corp. and Novell Inc. have reached a technological truce that promises to smooth the way the still-dominant Windows operating system and the increasingly popular open-source Linux system work together.The agreement announced Thursday between the world's largest seller of patent-protected software and a leader in the open-source software movement has potentially important business, technical and legal implications.
"This builds a very important intellectual-property bridge between the open source and proprietary sides of software," Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, said shortly before the companies formally announced their alliance in San Francisco.
After news of the deal leaked, Novell's shares shot up 92 cents, or 15.7 percent, to close Thursday at $6.79 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, where Microsoft's shares dipped 4 cents to finish at $28.77.
"They said it couldn't be done. This is a new model and a true evolution of our relationship that we think customers will immediately find compelling because it delivers practical value by bringing two of their most important platform investments closer together," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement.
Under the partnership, Microsoft's sales team will offer its corporate customers a chance to license its Windows operating system as part of a package offering maintenance and support for Novell's Suse Linux platform. Novell primarily relies on the fees for customer support to make money off the Linux software, which is developed by a global community of programmers who aren't tied to any single company and freely share improvements to the code.
By working together, Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft and Waltham, Mass.-based Novell are betting they will enable more companies to seamlessly run Windows and Linux together without crippling breakdowns.
The two companies also plan to improve the interaction between Microsoft's top-selling suite of Office software and a free alternative known as OpenOffice. This appears to be the only part of the collaboration with a potentially significant impact for consumers.
To encourage more companies to embrace Novell's open-source platform, Microsoft has pledged not to assert its patent rights over any of its technology that may be blended with Suse Linux.
The concession is meant to address the concerns of many corporate users who have been reluctant to use Linux because they feared Microsoft might retaliate with patent-infringement claims.
The new partners have a stormy history.
In 2004, Novell reached a $536 million settlement with Microsoft over antitrust complaints in Europe and then sued its rival again in the United States. The U.S. suit alleged the Microsoft withheld technical information about Windows that Novell needed for word processing and spreadsheet programs. Novel has since sold those WordPerfect and Quattro Pro programs.
Microsoft's decision to work with Novell reflects the increasingly important role of Linux's open-source software in corporate computing systems.
Because it's available for free, Linux software long has been has been a source of consternation for Microsoft, which makes most of its money from the sale of its proprietary software.
But Microsoft has been under increasing pressure to loosen up, and not just from customers who want to be able to run Linux with Windows.
Online search leader Google Inc. also is giving away more online software, including word processing and spreadsheet programs, and last year promised to work with Sun Microsystems Inc. to help distribute OpenOffice.
Just last week, Oracle Corp. provided the Linux system with another major lift by offering steep discounts on product support of the Linux platform provided by Red Hat Inc.
Microsoft's backing of Novell's Linux platform may raise even more worries for Raleigh, N.C.-based Red Hat, whose stock price has dropped by 17 percent since Oracle launched its assault.
Hmmm... what does everyone make of this story?
Dominic 
make no mistake about novell
... they are just as bad, and would certainly be if they had the chance. Back in the days that Windows 3.1 was slowly being installed on MS DOS PC's, getting windows to work with Novell was a pain, especially since Novell did not actively want to support windows. And they tried very hard for years to ram IPX down the customers' throats, when even MS knew IP was the way to go. And I never liked how they tried to get NDS and Netware sold in a package deal.... So I'm no fan of either....
Newbie or not Newbie, there's always a question
Slight correction it was
Slight correction it was called QDos Quick Dirty operating system. And the rest I totally agree with.
Linux User #266786
http://www.thebarrel.net
Back in the early
Back in the early days of DOS, Microsoft gave it the acronym Disk Operating System, but the coders that had to rush their unfinished code to market at Microsofts request called it Dirty Operating System, and nothing has changed, it's just gathered more dirt. Sure, it allows users to get things done, but at what cost? Certainly not one that I am willing to pay.
History gets muddied, sometimes.
QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) was basically a 'Loose Knock-Off' of Digital Research's CP/M, written by Tim Paterson in support of Seattle Computer Products' 8086 computer kit. It saw the market under the name of 86-DOS.
Microsoft bought nonexclusive rights to 86-DOS from SCP for $25,000.00, and later paid SCP $50,000.00 for full rights to 86-DOS, beating the IBM PC to market by a month.
QDOS was nonexclusively licensed to IBM, and the market saw PC-DOS accompany the PC product line. Microsoft retained rights to parallel marketing and distribution of Tim Paterson's work.
Seattle Computer Products successfully sued microsoft for having concealed the relationship between ms and IBM, thereby depressing the perceived value of QDOS--in effect, cheating SCP of a just price for the exclusive rights deal. They received a mere $1,000,000.00 settlement.
It is unlikely that Paterson was ever directly well-paid for his work; however, he did leave the employ of SCP and worked briefly for microsoft.
After a second period of employment with SCP, Paterson founded Falcon Technology, a company later bought by microsoft.
Paterson worked again for microsoft, for a short time during the 1980's and a longer time for much of the 1990's. He left microsoft to create Paterson Technology, a software development company that continues to operate today.
Further information pertaining to Tim Paterson and DOS may be found here: http://www.patersontech.com/Dos/Articles.aspx
"You have two labs?"
"Each has its place. At the university, I try to please the Federal Government. Here, I negotiate with God."
Microsoft-Novell
Embrace,extend, extinguish.
I'm certain that's the way
I'm certain that's the way it's intended to end up being; however, it's my opinion that this particular game will be played with the encumberment racket in hand.
They will make the attempt to tie-up, or pollute, the open source code base at some point, or inject highly proprietary modules as de-facto dependencies at one level or another.
microsoft has never been able to compete on the merits, and has always--at some point--killed-off their so-called partners and allies.
After seeing what became of their NDS, Novell certainly should know better than to dance with the Devil again.
"You have two labs?"
"Each has its place. At the university, I try to please the Federal Government. Here, I negotiate with God."
It seems that...
...some explanations are beginning to surface on the deal.
http://news.com.com/2100-1014_3-6133361.html
The way it reads to me is that, at least partially, microsoft is back at banging the indemnification drum again. Seeing as the SCO/Baystar bit is thoroughly tanking on them, I suppose it's to be expected.
BTW: Anyone worried about patent infringements and liabilities with respect to Linux use, really needs to drop by http://www.Groklaw.net and read through things there, before wasting any time worrying about the matter.
"You done filled my wagon chock-full to burstin' with nonessentials. Look at this: Cinnamon, oregano, ci-lantro...What in the cock-a-doodle is ci-lantro?"
"I got your four basic food groups! Beans, bacon, whiskey and lard!"
Will I be
Will I be banned if I say:
"I hope Microsoft and Novell both die in a fire?"
Or do I get a gold star for the day?
LOL.
Both?
What we will do is modify your login so that it will have a pretty gold star, and where your name WAS, it will state "Submitted by User Formerly Known as MBA Whore" 
Consider your wrist (and bum) slapped!
Jon
SimplyMEPIS Value CD: $17.95
Amount saved not buying Windows Vista Ultimate: $399
Experience gained learning Mepis and helping others: Priceless
M$ and Novell get into bed
M$ and Novell get into bed together - will Novell get infected?
Do I care ?
If you use Open Source
If you use Open Source software, and are concerned about your future freedoms; you probably should care (or, at least, be very circumspect with regard to novell code contributions to applications you happen use), but that's up to you.
My occupation?
Well, computer geek-stuff, mostly. I could tell you all about it; but, then I would have to delete you.
Microsoft has always been dirty and they're not to be trusted
They have only one thing on the agenda - world dominion.
In the last 5 years, I have not seen any real "innovation" from microsoft, only the copying of others brilliant ideas, like tabbed browsing and security enhancements that mimic the Unix/Linux models, and more than ever before, they have sought to "protect their penny" by having all the worlds computers report back to their servers. If that's not self-seeking or downright ugly and scary population control measures being laid, what is?
Back in the early days of DOS, Microsoft gave it the acronym Disk Operating System, but the coders that had to rush their unfinished code to market at Microsofts request called it Dirty Operating System, and nothing has changed, it's just gathered more dirt. Sure, it allows users to get things done, but at what cost? Certainly not one that I am willing to pay.
Through cunning and trickery, Microsoft pulled the carpet out from under IBM's feet, and in a sense, IBM deserved it for being so smug and not willing to innovate or see the bigger picture, but nevertheless, microsoft did the dirty and can be counted on to do the same thing again.
Mud sticks!
Mike P
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Life may not be the party we thought, but while we're here, we may as well dance.
Break M$'s shackles from your feet and free yourself with Mepis