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● 09.08.07

●● Matt Asay Agrees — Novell is a Slave to Microsoft, Carrier of the Moonlight ‘Infection’ (Updated)

Posted in DRM, Interoperability, Microsoft, Mono, Novell, Patents at 9:22 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Beware Geeks Bearing Gifts

There’s a fair bit of commotion and a divide between those who trust Microsoft’s ‘gift’ to Linux and those who look ahead and see the obvious dangers. Novell is still a common carrier for what could devastate Linux and even Matt Asay, a former Novell employee it must be stressed, can see through the fog of a Microsoft/Novell PR Machine.

=> ↺ obvious dangers | ↺ Novell is still a common carrier | ↺ see through the fog

Microsoft doesn’t respect Novell. Microsoft uses Novell. Novell has a temporary use for Microsoft as its sycophant to “prove” that Microsoft cares about interoperability. “See! We interoperate with Linux, provided that it’s a Linux we can crush at a moment’s notice the minute too many of you care about it. We’ll even keep tabs on your Linux adoption with our nifty coupon program.”

Novell needs to keep growing its Linux business independent of Microsoft. Then, and only then, will it be able to talk interoperability with Microsoft as an equal and then, and only then, will customers truly benefit. Customers that are locked into the Microsoft + Novell platform are not any more free than they were with just Microsoft. In fact, they may be worse off, because they’ve been duped into believing they actually have freedom.

I’ve had my many disagreements with Asay, but he is right on the money this time. He also understands why Moonlight is bad news to GNU/Linux. It enables Microsoft to trap Linux users. Moonlight is open (with the exclusion of proprietary codecs). But it’s open like a bear trap.

=> ↺ disagreements

Articles about [Moon|Silver]light:

Microsoft’s Silverlight Promises to Disrupt Linux Web UsersMicrosoft’s ‘Everywhere’ excludes LinuxECIS Accuses Microsoft of Plotting HTML HijackLinux to Microsoft: Let’s Fight with SilverlightMicrosoft’s Silverlight Biased and DoomedWhy Microsoft Silverlight Will FailAudience abandons Microsoft’s MIX 07 keynoteSilverlight is about The Microsoft Web

Update: as mentioned only a couple of days ago, Novell keeps twisting bloggers’ arms. They should really learn from Darl MBride and just stay out.

=> ↺ mentioned | ↺ twisting bloggers’ arms | ↺ learn from Darl MBride

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