12.04.06
What About the “Hobbyists”?
Here is a quote-worthy statement from Groklaw regarding an interview with Novell’s marketing VP:
Linux Action Show has an interview with Novell VP for Marketing Justin Steinman, who talks about the deal. He says some interesting things. One thing he says is the Novell has noted that the deal for non-compensated developers (he calls them “hobbyists”) should be irrevocable, and Microsoft is “willing to talk about it.” Of course, that isn’t the real problem. The real problem is distribution and sharing and the apparent acknowledgement of some unknowable Microsoft “IP” — whatever that is. What about the compensated developers?…
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.