11.05.07
Patent Advice to Open Source Developers ‘Extended’ by Novell
Here is a new article that advises open source developers to fight fire with fire. Is it clever? Probably not.
The United States patent and legal system has turned into a battlefield where companies and technology developers can be attacked. Open source and free software developers have historically ignored this secondary battlefield, focusing instead on the primary battlefield of development and proliferation of their project. This omission leaves open source projects and individual developers vulnerable to patent infringement lawsuits. By creating its own defensive patent portfolio as commercial companies do, the open source community can arm itself for this battle.
OIN definitely comes to mind here. That’s what everyone should have done. Novell, however, was too vain to only offer its portfolio to OIN (which is did). It took a shot at the trolls and then also shot itself in the foot when it signed a ‘protection’ deal and exchanged patents with Microsoft.
The following new article on the “strange bedfellows” describes how Microsoft and Novell liaised to compete. But who against? Each other? Probably not, they both fight against common rivals and Microsoft is likely to eliminate Novell when Novell’s hand is no longer useful. Microsoft uses Novell against Linux and Novell uses Microsoft against… well… GNU/Linux, apart from SUSE Linux — for now.
Here is Novell’s take on the relationship with Microsoft.
“There’s always that desire to do what’s best for the relationship, but I want to make sure what I’m doing is helping my company,” said Novell lab manager Suzanne Forsberg.
Good job, Novell. Great job. Not helping Linux, but only helping Novell at the expense of Linux. Patent deals are only good for Novell, and their benefit won’t last for much longer. How foolish a move.
Hopefully, Microsoft will stop giving Novell its ‘precious’ Linux ‘coupons’. Then, Novell will wake up and realise what a mess it has gotten itself into, along with others. Maybe Novell can still escape this deal somehow, or at least reduce the damage done.
Image from Wikimedia
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.