04.30.07
Eben Moglen Will Deal with Novell, Then Move On
As many of you probably know by now, work on the GPLv3 may have driven Eben Moglen to the point of exhausion. He intends to leave his position FSF when the chore is done. And yet, it will be done. Novell will not escape the ‘wrath of Freedom’.
Looking ahead, he [Eben Moglen] will continue his work on open source and the law, but he’ll be doing it at the SFLC (Software Freedom Law Center). There, he’ll be working on “refining organizational structures, innovating strategies for setting up ‘project conservancies’ — a new type of shared container for multiple free software projects — which gives those projects administrative and legal advantages with minimal overhead.”
We covered the GPLv3 many times before, in a variety of contexts, with various pointers included. It’s in the archive. Hopefully this will serve well those who research, of which there are plenty based the this site’s statistics. Our focus was the consequence of the licence on the Novell/Microsoft deal; but it also addresses similar deals which could be attempted in the future.
As we have come to see, similar (albeit low-profile) deals have made since November. None of them was truly addressed by the software licence of Linux, which is GPLv2. It remains to be seen if Linux will join GNU in its journey towards the GPLv3. It no longer seems far fetched. It is truly needed at a time when Microsoft continues its silent war. The company is apparently building and piling up an arsenal with which to litigate against the free operating system (distributors and/or users).
To close off with a tribute to Eben Moglan, here is an old talk where he rebuts SCO’s arguments and explains that Linux is not just free in an economical sense (the usual FUD about Linux destroying the economy). Rather, it’s about freedom to have knowledge of what we use, to share it, and to improve it. The flow of compelling arguments makes a strong case, but it’s a very long talk.
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.
shane said,
April 30, 2007 at 8:50 am
I have said it before, but Eben Moglen is my hero. I wish him great luck and success with SFLC.