04.08.07
Weekend Roundup: Noteworthy Links and Stories
SUSE Lacking Passion?
Whether it’s true or not, that’s just what this blogger appears to suggest.
What’s growing at SUSEroot
[…]
I’m left feeling nonplussed. I guess I want to see some passion, you know? Why are you running SUSE?
Maybe Fedora’s fans are more forceful … maybe not. You sure can’t beat the Ubuntu people when it comes to pimping their OS.
GPLv3
This short article talks about the woesome effects of the ‘grandfather clause’, which leads to conflicts.
More ‘Funny Business’
Let’s begin with Bruce Perens, who points out that Dan Lyons is at it again. For those who do not know, Lyons is a Forbes journalist that has been often accused of shilling for Microsoft and SCO by attacking Richard Stallman and Groklaw, among other entities (it could be part of a larger scheme).
If you read Dan Lyon’s blog, 100% of it in recent time has been snippy comments directed to Groklaw and other Open Source entitities.
Speaking of Groklaw, another case of Microsoft lobbying (this time in California) gets reported.
Trouble in ‘Microsoft Land’
Morale seems to have declined in the Windows camp. Former Microsoft evangelist Robert Scoble switches to a Mac and Paul Thurrott says that Microsoft has abandoned Windows XP and will never deliver the promised-yet-forvever-postponed Service Pack 3. Adding insult to injury, another defence mechanism in Windows Vista gets shattered to pieces with a proof-of-concept hack.
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.