05.17.07
Why Was Novell Targetted? Because of Vista and Longhorn (Server 2008).
Sun Microsystems’ CEO reminds us and confirms what we already know very well. The recent attacks on Linux, including the Novell deal which is essentially a Linux attack, do not reveal any weaknesses in Linux. Au contraire. Windows is the weakness. To quote Jonathan Schwartz:
You would be wise to listen to the customers you’re [Microsoft] threatening to sue - they can leave you, especially if you give them motivation. Remember, they wouldn’t be motivated unless your products were somehow missing the mark.
This is something for which we provided a compelling and extensive case before. The “shipping is a feature, too” syndrome in Windows proves that Microsoft has hit a wall. Failures to evolve for the Web aside, GNU/Linux compared Windows is not only cheaper, but it is also better and faster than Windows, in terms of development. Microsoft knows this. In fact, to make things worse, it is failing in (at least) two fronts at the moment — the desktop and the Web as well, according to Tim’s O’Reilly’s latest blog post.
Again, despite the strategic insight into the power of advertising as a model, it’s not Microsoft that is seizing the palm. It’s far too early to count Microsoft out, but a year after the fanfare of Ray’s hiring at Microsoft and the justified celebration of his strategic insights, Microsoft continues to struggle. As science-fiction writer Frank Herbert once said to me, “Ideas are a dime a dozen. It’s execution that counts.”
As some prominent people have predicted and argued, Microsoft’s fight for survival has begun. It is becoming very aggressive as a result of an inevitable demise. The Novell deal was a milestone to Microsoft in the sense that it marked the beginning of legal actions, or at least loud threats and fruitful extortion attempts.
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.