Novell — Microsoft Transaction Terms Published
Microsoft and Novell executives yesterday published the terms of their controversial business agreement to promote and promote SUSE Linux. It was said that Microsoft is now the largest source of the SUSE Linux sales business, and that the deal has helped promote Linux in enterprises. The public did not believe it, but still ...
Representatives of both sides said that Microsoft opened the door to Linux for such large companies as Wal-Mart and Nationwide Bank, thereby bringing great benefit to the opensource-community.
Novell Director of Linux Marketing and Open Platform Solutions, Justin Steinman, this week participated in a panel discussion at The Open Source Business Conference. There was also the director of Microsoft Linux Labs Sam Ramji (Sam Ramji) and the chief editor of the site LWN.net, as well as defender of open-source Jonathan Corbet (Jonathan Corbet).
Contrary to the opinion of the opensource community, which considers Microsoft the main enemy of free software, the software giant turned out to be the main source of Linux sales business for Novell - a deal between these companies turned out to be very useful for SUSE Linux. Justin Steinman said that “Microsoft was the main partner of Novell in the first quarter of 2007. We saw 60% SUSE sales growth over this period. ”
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After the performance of Steinman, Ramji performed. He said that the future of network computing is a heterogeneous environment (a network that combines servers and workstations with different systems, for example, the same MS Windows and SUSE Linux), and Windows should work with such systems as Linux, of course, if Microsoft does not want to lose the market.
But Ramji and Steinman faced both criticism from Corbet and criticism from the audience, especially about the fact that Microsoft was going to take royalties for more than 200 patents violated.
“I don’t think this number means a lot,” said Steinman about the 235 patents filed by Microsoft, “but it seems to us that such comments are unproductive.”
Corbet, not understanding Novell’s actions, accused the company of allowing Microsoft’s misconduct:
“Novell pays Microsoft money with every copy of SUSE Linux sold. If this is not a patent deduction, then what are you paying for? It seems to me that they call me a thief. It’s even more unpleasant to hear such provocative accusations from people in our community. ”
Under a deal that allows cross-patent licensing, and defining joint development, Novell agreed to pay Microsoft a percentage of the revenue from the sale of opensource products. Microsoft, in turn, abandoned patent claims against SUSE Linux users. The transaction itself was concluded in November 2006.
So far, the specifics of the agreement have not been made public. But Novell said during a speech that it will do so at the end of May as an attachment to the 10-K form for 2006.
Representatives of both sides said that Microsoft opened the door to Linux for such large companies as Wal-Mart and Nationwide Bank, thereby bringing great benefit to the opensource-community.
Novell Director of Linux Marketing and Open Platform Solutions, Justin Steinman, this week participated in a panel discussion at The Open Source Business Conference. There was also the director of Microsoft Linux Labs Sam Ramji (Sam Ramji) and the chief editor of the site LWN.net, as well as defender of open-source Jonathan Corbet (Jonathan Corbet).
Contrary to the opinion of the opensource community, which considers Microsoft the main enemy of free software, the software giant turned out to be the main source of Linux sales business for Novell - a deal between these companies turned out to be very useful for SUSE Linux. Justin Steinman said that “Microsoft was the main partner of Novell in the first quarter of 2007. We saw 60% SUSE sales growth over this period. ”
')
After the performance of Steinman, Ramji performed. He said that the future of network computing is a heterogeneous environment (a network that combines servers and workstations with different systems, for example, the same MS Windows and SUSE Linux), and Windows should work with such systems as Linux, of course, if Microsoft does not want to lose the market.
But Ramji and Steinman faced both criticism from Corbet and criticism from the audience, especially about the fact that Microsoft was going to take royalties for more than 200 patents violated.
“I don’t think this number means a lot,” said Steinman about the 235 patents filed by Microsoft, “but it seems to us that such comments are unproductive.”
Corbet, not understanding Novell’s actions, accused the company of allowing Microsoft’s misconduct:
“Novell pays Microsoft money with every copy of SUSE Linux sold. If this is not a patent deduction, then what are you paying for? It seems to me that they call me a thief. It’s even more unpleasant to hear such provocative accusations from people in our community. ”
Under a deal that allows cross-patent licensing, and defining joint development, Novell agreed to pay Microsoft a percentage of the revenue from the sale of opensource products. Microsoft, in turn, abandoned patent claims against SUSE Linux users. The transaction itself was concluded in November 2006.
So far, the specifics of the agreement have not been made public. But Novell said during a speech that it will do so at the end of May as an attachment to the 10-K form for 2006.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/9000/
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