05.06.07
The Crazy Theory: Is “Microsoft Linux” Already in the Making?
Does Microsoft want SUSE? This far-fetched idea has been discussed before. Nevertheless, this idea is very much alive, although most would pretent it’s lunacy and dismiss it as a conspiracy theory. It may be worth repeating now that we know Novell is cooking a .NET-rich Linux desktop.
It has already become apparent who is pulling whose string after this deal. The wildest of all speculations might even suggest that Microsoft is hoping to exploit Novell’s development efforts, at its own expense — that Novell will do its dirty work and prepare a Windows-like platform under the disguise of a Linux agenda (and therefore far away from loud criticism, backlash, and even outcry followed by legal actions).
It has already been stated by the press that the codebase of Windows Vista is unmaintainable. The operating system is not sufficiently modular. This led to the rubbishing of Longhorn back in 2005 when Jim Allchin called it “a pig”. According to one source, up to 60% of the code in Windows Vista still needs to be rewritten. A UNIX-type kernel seems like the only way out of this dead-end pathway. Meanwhile, project Singularity from Microsoft has apparently faded into oblivion. Microsoft’s newly-acquired partner could offer a gem.
Allow me to stress something: this is just a crazy speculation at the stage, no doubt, but it is worth expressing in textual form while it makes some sense, perhaps just remotely, only in a parallel universe occupied with hidden agendas. Bear in mind that Novell could in fact inherit SCO’s code, not just its role (”the next SCO”). Ironically, that is the very same company which Novell battles in court over code. All in all, the point of the matter is that everything seems possible when one looks at the very long term.
Remember this: Vista is not maintainable. Microsoft shyly and secretly admits that. The missing link here might be .NET (and Mono). The coy attitude and ties with Port 25 do not make Novell look like a model open source citizen, to say the very least. If anything, increasingly we see a convergence between Microsoft’s Open Source labs and Novell.
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.
gpl1 said,
May 6, 2007 at 6:40 am
I think this is possible but only if they change to a BSD kernel and non-GPL’d userland. Microsoft has no use for the GPL at all but likes other open source– I don’t mean free software– licenses (eg., ROTOR)
Roy Schestowitz said,
May 6, 2007 at 8:48 am
There have been a few interesting and relevant posts in the last couple of days. First, consider this one:
Core, Complement, and Context: Channeling Geoffrey Moore on Open Source
Then, have a look at this one from
asp.net.Why Microsoft can’t ship open source code