11.20.06
Novell’s Changing Image
You can tell something is amiss when a company changes its opinion and sales pitch overnight. And unfortunately, Novell has done just that. Several days ago I spotted the following blog post.
Novell starts pulling down Anti-Microsoft messages from their site.
Do you remember the infamous “Get the facts” campaign. Microsoft put up adverts all over the place for people to “Get the facts”.
[...]
On their website (www.novell.com), Novell now displays a banner, “Microsoft endorses SuSE Linux”. Who needs Microsoft’s endorsement?
It didn’t take a long time for Pamela Jones of Groklaw to point this out as well.
I remember when Novell knew what Microsoft was all about. Remember their webpage, Unbending the Truth: Things Microsoft Hopes You Won’t Notice, answering Microsoft’s Get the Facts campaign? Try going there now. Poof. Redirects you to some pablum about Novell’s SUSE being better than all other Linux distributions
Let us take a closer look.
Jan 13 2006:
“Recently Microsoft has been challenging the suitability of Linux for the enterprise, bending the truth quite a bit to make it fit their view of the world. This site is dedicated to unbending the truth and setting the record straight. Take the time to explore the facts, and you’ll understand why Microsoft is challenging Linux, and why Linux is often a better choice than Windows for satisfying the business needs of enterprises”
http://www.novell.com/linux/truth/
Nov 20 2006:
Why Choose SUSE Linux from Novell?
“Linux* is about more than an operating system. It’s about applications and databases that run on Linux. It’s about technical support. It’s about consulting expertise. It’s about training. And most importantly, it’s about you. How will Linux help you run your business better? Not all Linux distributions are created equally. With SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 9 from Novell®, you get the best-engineered Linux from a vendor that can deliver a global ecosystem to surround it”
http://www.novell.com/linux/truth/
Now, I suppose, Microsoft’s censors will approve.
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.
Kevin Fowler said,
January 23, 2007 at 11:16 am
I love archive.org
http://web.archive.org/web/20060113044918/http://www.novell.com/linux/truth/