Whats behind the Linux & MS deal

N

Npl

Veteran
If anyone got very uncomfortable seeing MS collaborate with Novel a few weeks ago, rest assured it wasnt a cold day in hell.
Steve Ballmer`s point of view is that the collaboration with Novel is making them a "legal" OS. Unlike all that other Distros, which dint "collaborate" ( = paid 40 Mio) and have unlicensed code in the Linux-Kernel and might face legal action. Code that arguable is MS property :rolleyes:
So its just business as usual.

Linky: Click here

I hope thats the appropiate forum
 
Considering the size of the code bases involved and the number of patents Microsoft has, it was probably cheaper for Novell to deal than risk finding out Microsoft had some stupid patent granted for using the keyboard to enter text or something.

The massive amount of research and legal wrangling involved would probably cost Novell much more.
Worse, if there is some Microsoft patent being infringed, finding out about it would treble any damages.
Fighting the patent if it is incredibly stupid would probably cost millions as well.

Novell's deal also shields all those Novell customers from having to pay the same exhorbitant costs of defense, and will probably more than pay for itself in terms of the customers that would have gotten scared off by legal questions and the money Microsoft could be paying in the future.

edit: or the money from customers of other distros might lose due to the uncertainties created by Novell lending legal credence to Microsoft's claims against other companies

I don't know what it is Microsoft is claiming was infringed, or if they know of any actual infringement. They don't really need to, since the costs of defending against this kind of suit are very high, and Microsoft doesn't stand to lose much even if it lost.
 
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I can understand the reasoning of Novel, but that wasnt the point. The news of the collaboration were shouting things like "MS supporting Linux", "enchance Windows & Linux interoparatibility", etc. Its now clearer to me whats the focus (Novel, not Linux or OS ) and whats under the surface - that can be summed up as "Protection Money".
 
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