Micro$oft teams with Linux distributor Xandros

[newbie2]

Microsoft and Linux distributor Xandros announced on Monday a technical and legal collaboration, the latest step in the software giant's ongoing program to partner with open-source companies.
http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/87859/index.html
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+teams+with+Linux+distributor+Xandros/2100-7344_3-6188254.html?tag=topicIndex

i hope canonical or Shuttleworth isn't that stupid....:rolleyes:

[slimdog360]

Xandros was always a windows-wanna-be

[Sunflower1970]

eWeek had an article up about this yesterday, then later in the day it was taken down...I thought it had been an error in reporting...Guess whomever uploaded the article to eWeek had to take it down since the announcement was to happen today...

[shijirou]

I don't mean to bash but, won't this go the same way as the Microsoft/Novell thing? The Xandros people are going to get a lot of hate coming thier way really soon.

[reiki]

I was a Microsoft ***** for YEARS. Did much beta, received many gifts, etc. I got news for ya...

Microsoft doesn't "team with" anybody. They may SAY they are... they may CALL it that... but they don't.

[hasimir44]

Are their any estimates that show a comparison of Novell users before and after the Microsoft deal? It feels like there would be a lot less users now. What's the advantage for Xandros?

[salsafyren]

Xandros is irrelevant.

Too bad that somebody now thinks that Linux is indeed infringing on MS patents "Look on all the companies making agreements with Microsoft!"

Too bad that MS is now making money on Linux. I thought this would never happen :-(

[eentonig]

They'd better first make their homepage according the standards.

Not Acceptable

An appropriate representation of the requested resource / could not be found on this server.
Available variants:

* index.html.de , type text/html, language de
* index.html.en , type text/html, language en


Or maybe it's a Ms thing and they want to adapt to their new friend by NOT implementing standards?

Btw. The index.html.en page does show the website

[salsafyren]

This is good news:

FSF says GPLv3 means Microsoft patent protection for all

http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=486516F4-A7CF-4C09-922A-1CB470AC073C

[az]

Are their any estimates that show a comparison of Novell users before and after the Microsoft deal? It feels like there would be a lot less users now. What's the advantage for Xandros?

Xandrox are actually not a free-libre open source company. They freeload on FLOSS. They are a proprietary linux distro.

I reckon the advantage for Xandros is that they go from being a dead duck to getting some sort of payoff before they disappear into oblivion.

[ThinkBuntu]

Xandros? Nobody outside of the Linux world has any idea what Xandros is, and it seems that they're just doing this to try to gain some edge in popularity. I don't expect many, if any, other companies/groups to sign such agreements, because the vast majority of distros are free.

[starcraft.man]

Are their any estimates that show a comparison of Novell users before and after the Microsoft deal? It feels like there would be a lot less users now. What's the advantage for Xandros?

Actually, I remember reading an article a few days ago (too bad I don't remember the link for instance). I remember reading that in all seriousness there hadn't been a huge marked increase in Novell profits or sales, that they'd stayed more or less level with what was expected. Their deal seems to have generally had little effect from what I saw, which I guess is odd. Where as most expected a positive or negative impact from it...

I don't mean to bash but, won't this go the same way as the Microsoft/Novell thing? The Xandros people are going to get a lot of hate coming thier way really soon.

I suppose, but I equally imagine that while some more informed users and open source people will give them flak for cutting a deal with MS and stop using them. There will be perhaps more people who rush in and see them as being "safe" from MS patents, and start to use them. Remember Microsoft's ultimate goal is a simple one, confusion, all they had to do was stir the pot a little (Steve Balmer and his FUD) and now they are getting license deals and more business.

You really have to hand it to them, even if you despise them (like I do for numerous philosophic and ethical reasons) they knew exactly what to say and how to get it out and polarized the entire ecosystem.

[eentonig]

Nr 26 on Distrowatch. And obviously a commercially inspired company from the looks of their website.

My guess is that they thought something in the lines off...

"Well, ok. Our business plan to get rich on free software won't work as long as those other distro's are doing a better job. Might as well cash in with Ms. They'll get some extra facts for Marketing to spread some FUD. And we'll have the money."

[smoker]

i've never tried xandros, and now, i guess i never will, nevermind;)

seems microsoft, as well as the FUD spreading antics, are going for the 'divide and conquer' route. hope the majority of the linux community keep well back, the ms taint can spread like the spyware in their os:o

[Pobega]

Xandros isn't really as big of a hit to the open source community as Novell was. I mean, everybody knows Novell. I don't think a lot of people have actually had experience with Xandros, seeing as it is a corporate distribution, where Novell and RedHat own 95% of the market.

[Kimm]

This is good news:

FSF says GPLv3 means Microsoft patent protection for all

http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=486516F4-A7CF-4C09-922A-1CB470AC073C

Thats great! I wounder how Microsoft feels now ;)

[jiminycricket]

Xandros isn't really as big of a hit to the open source community as Novell was. I mean, everybody knows Novell. I don't think a lot of people have actually had experience with Xandros, seeing as it is a corporate distribution, where Novell and RedHat own 95% of the market.

It's a precedent, though. One more move on Microsoft's side.

I used to use Xandros a bit..I think OCE 3.1 and 2.5. They have quite a bit of proprietary software like XFM, XN, their management consoles, Active Directory replacement, etc., so it's not a GPL problem there. The patent thing is a problem with the GPL, if it applies to GPL'd software. I don't think Xandros can go GPLv3 so security and enhancements won't get into that OS. MS may have killed Xandros, unless MS suddenly starts writing GPLv2 code.

They also used to bundle a demo Crossover Office (company who funds WINE). Anyone think they'll remove that now, considering MS's revulsion towards WINE (locking out of Windows Update, locking out Internet Explorer 7 with "Genuine Advantage")? If so, it's sad when MS can control what goes into a GNU/LINUX distro.

EDIT: New thing I just read (http://stephesblog.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/06/the_latest_micr.html). Microsoft gets to tout another licensee to the European Commission, who was saying that MS's royalties were excessive. Thanks so much Novell and Xandros....

[Kingsley]

An article about the same thing on a different site (Yahoo) said this
Microsoft also said in a statement it will endorse Xandros Server and Desktop programs as a preferred Linux distribution.
As I see it, more people will start using Xandros. That'll make it even easier for us to convert them to Ubuntu.

[Anthem]

Before Ubuntu, Xandros was the nicest Debian-based desktop distro. They've been surpassed by free products recently, though. "Freeloaders" is probably to harsh, though: they used to put a lot of work into KDE (no idea if they still do). Their "Xandros Networks" is what Linspire's CNR was supposed to be. I imagine MS paid them a ton to do the deal... I can't imagine Xandros paying Microsoft anything. Novell got, what, $400 mil for the deal? If MS paid them 50mil, that's probably a million dollars per employee. I love FOSS, but I'd make that deal.

Canonical won't, though. Mark doesn't need an extra 50mil.

[samjh]

Source: http://australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,21852039-15306,00.html


MICROSOFT will share technology with Linux distributor Xandros, the latest in a string of deals meant to help the patent-protected Windows operating system work more smoothly with open-source programs.

Microsoft hopes the Xandros deal will help Windows work more smoothly with Linux
Under the terms of the agreement, New York-based Xandros, which makes and distributes open-source desktop and server software, will license server code from Microsoft and develop software tools that work with Microsoft's systems.

The companies also will work on technology to translate between two types of documents, Microsoft-developed OpenXML format and the Open Document Format. That could improve interoperability between Microsoft's Office software and open-source rivals.

Microsoft also said in a statement it will endorse Xandros Server and Desktop programs as a preferred Linux distribution.

Key to the agreement is a clause that protects Xandros customers from running afoul of Microsoft's legal machine for patent infringement. A growing number of companies and government agencies rely on elements of both Microsoft's Windows and various versions of Linux to run their office networks, but fear being sued by the software maker, which claims open-source software infringes on hundreds of its patents.

Financial terms of the arrangement weren't disclosed.

The Linux server software segment is dominated by Red Hat and Novell. Xandros' share of that worldwide market is so small that research group IDC doesn't track it. Xandros captured less than 1 per cent of the desktop Linux operating system market in 2006, according to IDC, far behind big players like Red Flag Software, based in China, and Turbolinux in Japan.

The deal with Xandros is similar to one Microsoft struck with Novell last November. It sparked considerable outcry from some open-source programmers, who make all of their code - and any software that includes their code - available without charge to users and other developers.

Free software proponents argued that under the public license governing Novell's code, Microsoft must give up patent claims on its software if it makes exceptions for some customers.

In a May filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Novell said Microsoft could conceivably back out of the deal to avoid extending its patent covenants to a broader range of recipients.

[Catsworth]

Old news I'm afraid ;)

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=464661&highlight=xandros

[the.dark.lord]

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2140955,00.asp

This doesn't sound good. First Novell, then Xandros.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't see it was posted before.

[mech7]

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2140955,00.asp

This doesn't sound good. First Novell, then Xandros.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't see it was posted before.

Umm and why doesn't this sound good? I think it will only benefit them :)

[DoctorMO]

Umm and why doesn't this sound good? I think it will only benefit them

Spiting your suppliers to provide such small benifits to your customers is pretty stupid. As needs constantly pointing out, Linux vendors are not in the business of distributing their own products; they are vehcials for repackaging and added services bundling. failure to keep the wishes of the very programmers who's work you repackage to make money is not a goof business move.

[newbie2]

I was a Microsoft ***** for YEARS. Did much beta, received many gifts, etc. I got news for ya...

Microsoft doesn't "team with" anybody. They may SAY they are... they may CALL it that... but they don't.
As a hobby, Cansdale developed an add-on for Microsoft Visual Studio. TestDriven.NET allows unit test suites to be run directly from within the Microsoft IDE. Cansdale gave away this gadget on his website, and initially received the praises of Microsoft.

In fact, Microsoft was so pleased with him, it gave him a Most Valuable Professionals (MVP) award, which it says it gives to "exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who voluntarily share their high quality, real world expertise with others".

However, his cherished status did not last. In December 2005, he started getting emails from a Microsoft executive called Jason Weber.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/05/microsoft_mvp_threats/

:rolleyes: :twisted: