Novell, MS Partnership, and opensuse bug

[towsonu2003]

So, after I read this week's distrowatch and saw comments of how opensuse is dead, I decided to report bug to their bugzilla.

I used opensuse for a while and I really liked it. I don't want it to be lost to some bad Novell business decision. Here is the bug, if anyone is interested: https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=218620

Edit: The bug, now marked as "private", asks opensuse to separate its development from Novell.

[Joe_CoT]

Yes, the thousands of internet discussion about it, Novell's ignored -- however, like any good linux developer, now that there's a bug report for it, they'll notice the problem :rolleyes:

[towsonu2003]

:rolleyes:

stop rolling your eyes, you're gonna get hurt :P

Anyway, the bugzilla is a good way to publicly contact a developer. It's definitely better than "omg ponies" in a forum thread (which was the first thing I wanted to do when I heard the news) ;)

[towsonu2003]

for those interested, here's the developer's official take on this:


https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=218620


marcio.ferreira@gmail.com changed:

What |Removed |Added
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CC| |marcio.ferreira@gmail.com
Status|NEW |RESOLVED
Resolution| |WORKSFORME




------- Comment #2 from marcio.ferreira@gmail.com 2006-11-06 16:37 MST -------
You can leave the boat. Please do, so the boat can go faster, from now on.

For you to not feel alone and with nothing to do here is a picture for you to
take a look closely and reflect about it. Its linked here:

http://www.voidspace.org.uk/gallery/silly/big_cup_of_STFU.jpg

[Joe_CoT]

You can leave the boat. Please do, so the boat can go faster, from now on.

For you to not feel alone and with nothing to do here is a picture for you to
take a look closely and reflect about it. Its linked here:

http://www.voidspace.org.uk/gallery/...up_of_STFU.jpg

Well, congratulations on getting the developer's attention. Can't say I didn't warn you. I'm not particularly concerned, because I don't use Suse. They don't seem particularly concerned if you do either.

[towsonu2003]

I'm not particularly concerned, because I don't use Suse. They don't seem particularly concerned if you do either.

yep

[jinx099]

so the MS - Novell deal == no more openSUSE???

[towsonu2003]

so the MS - Novell deal == no more openSUSE???

no, it will continue as before, as a community effort, but unfortunately still bound to novell, which is partnering with MS. so the userbase of opensuse will decrease significantly (I would expect), but it will be developed as before, as the bug report (https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=218620) "shows".

[misha680]

You know I keep reading all these people screaming about Novell sold out and MS sucks and you know it is all possibly true. Worst case the MS Novell partnership might even completely stop Linux adoption in industry. But I really think the power of open source is that even if the MS deal drives Novell, RedHat, Sun, etc. all out of business, the community will still have all the Linux code, can still further develop it, and other Linux companies will eventually rise up again. I think that's the beauty of open source, no matter what Microsoft or any other one company does, whatever's in the open source will always stay in the open source and no company or set of companies can determine it's future. So I think ultimately even if this is a huge setback Linux will still survive. All we can do is sit back and see if it happens sooner or later (or contribute code I guess would be even better).

Just my two cents.

Misha

[yabbadabbadont]

Novell is noted for aquiring products and then destroying them. I wonder if history is about to repeat itself?

[chaosgeisterchen]

That won't stop openSuSE and its role as a leading Linux distribution. It's a good one so why are you blaming them for steps Novell is taking... ?

[towsonu2003]

That won't stop openSuSE and its role as a leading Linux distribution. It's a good one so why are you blaming them for steps Novell is taking... ?

I'm not blaming them for anything. I want them to separate themselves from Novell :)

[chaosgeisterchen]

They are not capable of doing this.. SuSE has employees to pay and they fully depend on the goodwill of Novell. Which is not a very good circumstance, though.

[darkenedday]

I'm seeing this as a VERY bad thing too, being suse is one of my favorite distros, and i have this burning hatred for MS and ESPECIALLY vista, however, there is a "brightside". . . Novell still gets alot of it's idea for software from the Open Source community in OpenSuse, as long as Opensuse remains a part of novell, more of the quality and delights of opensource apps will inevitably work it's way into the world of propietary software, and the mainsteam with MS, which isn't that what all of us in the community are striving for? better software and performance for everyone?

A possible future for this:
MS becomes insanely linux like (inevitable) yet easy to use for the mainstream, and in the WAY back, is all of us, the opensource community carefully designing the absolute best software for the masses, which eventually works its way up the chain and to the everyday joe-sixpack, and grandma :-)

of course that's in a perfect world :rolleyes:

[chaosgeisterchen]

And then Linux will break down due to loads of hack-programs induced by users lightly using the sudo-command.

[gamma]

Anyone else see this as strangely similar to what Microsoft did with Apple back in the day? Microsoft gave Apple some money, moved some of their products over and helped Apple out a little bit. I think Microsoft is doing the same thing here...

Why would they do this? It's not because Linux has won, or they're trying to destory Linux, but I simply think that Microsoft no longer wants to be on top. They're always in the limelight and they've grown tired of it. By stimulating competition they take some of the pressure off of them. Using Windows will be a choice, not something you're stuck with.

I'm excited to see Microsoft go in this direction because it could lead to Office for Linux as well as better cross platform support between products and file formats. Suse is a good distribution, but personally I think Ubuntu is a lot more developed, stable and easier to use. Package installation is easier with apt-tools compared to Suse's equivilent.

[towsonu2003]

I simply think that Microsoft no longer wants to be on top. They're always in the limelight and they've grown tired of it. By stimulating competition they take some of the pressure off of them. Using Windows will be a choice, not something you're stuck with.

You forgot the marks in your post :PpPp

[dwblas]

Is no one else concerned that because of Novell, SCO, who was in bed with MS and tried to say that it owned the rights to UNIX and so could collect royalities or limit the use of the Linux, was unsuccessful. Novell successfully asserted that it still owned UNIX. Now, MS is in bed with Novell. If the only thing MS is able to do is present some more FUD, that will stop companies, cities, governments, etc. from switching to Linux because of the uncertainty regarding the future of Linux and that something may come back and bite them some time down the road.

[ComplexNumber]

according to this (http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3571706028.html), both red hat and novell are winners concerning the novell-MS thing. the losers are MS and oracle.

[Bells]

according to this (http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3571706028.html), both red hat and novell are winners concerning the novell-MS thing. the losers are MS and oracle.

Depends on what the future brigns for Novell and Oracle, MS is just in for the ride.

For Novells and Red Has customers (and the community as a whole even though i should know better as a former Slackware contributor)this is actually a good thing.

[snay]

Has anyone actually seen this fabled agreement?
Until I have seen it, or a suitable legal-ish person has at least summarised it for me, Im going to reserve judgement. I did migrate away from OpenSUSE a few days ago, but that was purely coincidenal.

[Bells]

Has anyone actually seen this fabled agreement?
Until I have seen it, or a suitable legal-ish person has at least summarised it for me, Im going to reserve judgement. I did migrate away from OpenSUSE a few days ago, but that was purely coincidenal.

It's about as exciting as the dead giveawa for MS co operation in the GPLv3, iow, it's a community scared shiatless running around screaming "the sky is falling, the sky is falling" even though nothing NEW has really happened.

Novell just signed a cross licensing agreement that means absolutely nothing at all regarding ANYTHING GPL'd or FLOSS...

Maybe i should be REALLY stupid and report it to the bugzilla of Debian, nothing like buggiing devs that have nothing to do with a distro.

Christ almighty...

[Sunnz]

They are not capable of doing this.. SuSE has employees to pay and they fully depend on the goodwill of Novell. Which is not a very good circumstance, though.
If people are interested enough, a fork of OpenSuSE has be made, due to GPL, right?

[K.Mandla]

Seems to me. But I don't have any sense of the depth of the OpenSuSE community. I guess that's up to them.

[cantormath]

it's only getting worse:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=302215

[HW_Hack]

SUSE was one of my favorite distros .... I knew Novell had a history of screwing things up but I had my hopes that was in the past --- WRONG.

Tomorrow I strip SUSE off of my desktop (I run Ubuntu on my laptop) - I refuse to have any connection to M$.

After 16yrs at Intel (as a developer) I have some experience with these guys. They never do anything without an agenda or a clear plan ---- their typical mode of operation is ADC (Acquire, Dominate, or Crush). Even an 800lb Gorilla like Intel is very-very cautious when doing any kind of deal with M$. These guys are f-ing animals at the upper management levels.

And now Novell has taken a short term bet (to try and gain some ground in the Linux enterprise segment) and in-doing so has let M$ get their foot into the Open Source Community with their whole IP "malarkey" --- as others have said this is classic market place FUD and an attempt at regular "shake-down" by mafia thugs. AND .... the fact that Novell is not re-butting or commenting on Balmers Linux / IP / Indemnification tiraids -- proves that they are M$ B!tch.

I feel bad for the Open SUSE guys ... but its time to boycott and bail on SUSE

[cantormath]

I wouldnt blame novell to much....In the art of war, they say keep your friends close and your enemies closer....Its just good to know that Microsoft is reliably evil.