[Novalug] No FLOSS supporter will use SuSe? was Re: [Ma-linux] hell freezes over, and Microsoft, Novell join in Linux Pact

Alan McConnell alan@patriot.net
Tue Nov 7 07:21:10 EST 2006


On Mon, Nov 06, 2006 at 07:40:42PM -0500, Jay Hart wrote:
>
> However, if I see Suse going the wrong way (IMHO), I guess it will be time to
> use something else. I've been using Suse for over 5 years now, and love it.
	I was fortunate enough to make the presentation by the lawyer
	supporting FLOSS at last Sat's NOVALUG meeting.  He told us there
	of the real threat to Linux/FLOSS.

But first: the community has "taken" all the propaganda hits from M$ that
are possible, no?  We've survived "Linux is a toy", "Linux is for
hackers only", etc.  We haven't beaten "Linux isn't ready for the 
desktop", because the refutation of that depends on converting the
mass of regular users, and they never get a chance to hear the Linux
side.  "Your potential, our passion" is the only thing they hear, and
will be the only thing they hear as long as e.g. Mrs Gates sits on the
Board of the WaPo company.   But that's all right, word of mouth is
slowly getting our ideas out . . . or so I discern.

But the above lawyer -- sorry, I never got his name -- told us what
can happen: getting bombed with threats of suits alleging patent violations;
presumably also copyright violations.  Even if it is BS, the suits must
be defended against.  How can Red Hat, or Debian, do that?

So Novell/SuSE signs up to a "no patent war" agreement with M$.  Bingo!
pretty soon SuSE is the only Linux on the block.

I'm not saying that this is going to happen; I'm saying that this is the
major threat I perceive.

Comments?

Best wishes,

Alan

-- 
Alan McConnell :  http://patriot.net/users/alan
    "The intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."
    Impeachment proceedings should be started immediately.



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