No, I don’t know what Microsoft is up to

November 2, 2006 By

Several people have asked me in email, IM, and even my comments, whether I knew anything about what Microsoft is announcing in SF this afternoon. No, I don’t. But am interested.

UPDATE: Looks like some sort of deal with Novell is on. Look at their stock chart.

Filed Under: 1
  • http://gotshoo.com/wordpress/ shoo

    The release of Vista, Office, and Exchange 2007 by November 30th, or did they already do that?

  • http://gotshoo.com/wordpress/ shoo

    The release of Vista, Office, and Exchange 2007 by November 30th, or did they already do that?

  • Greg Stewart

    Microsoft is entering into an unusual partnership with Novell that gives a boost to the Linux operating system, a rival to the software giant’s Windows software. The companies are set to announce details of the plan, which includes development of technology for running Linux and Windows on the same computer, later today.

    For more information, see: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116249026689311557.html?mod=djemalert
    __________________________________

  • Greg Stewart

    Microsoft is entering into an unusual partnership with Novell that gives a boost to the Linux operating system, a rival to the software giant’s Windows software. The companies are set to announce details of the plan, which includes development of technology for running Linux and Windows on the same computer, later today.

    For more information, see: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116249026689311557.html?mod=djemalert
    __________________________________

  • TAG

    Microsoft Linux become possible ?

    Or it’s MS attempt to kill MONO project ?

  • TAG

    Microsoft Linux become possible ?

    Or it’s MS attempt to kill MONO project ?

  • http://www.bynkii.com/ John C. Welch

    If it’s a real, honest integration project, AND they release real details and source where possible, that would be *outstanding*. This is assuming *product* comes out of it, and not just PR bullshit like the huge Sun song and dance Ballmer and McNealy did a while back.

    but if they show us the money as it were, yeah, that’s huge, and welcome too.

  • http://www.bynkii.com/ John C. Welch

    If it’s a real, honest integration project, AND they release real details and source where possible, that would be *outstanding*. This is assuming *product* comes out of it, and not just PR bullshit like the huge Sun song and dance Ballmer and McNealy did a while back.

    but if they show us the money as it were, yeah, that’s huge, and welcome too.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    All our Miguel De Icaza belong to us. :-)

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    All our Miguel De Icaza belong to us. :-)

  • Ritchie

    Any idea what the comment on the live.com home-page is referring to? It links to local.live.com: “Get ready for a new dimension in search… November 7th”

  • Ritchie

    Any idea what the comment on the live.com home-page is referring to? It links to local.live.com: “Get ready for a new dimension in search… November 7th”

  • http://www.appdev.info/ David Lambert

    Looks like it has something to do with running Suse and Windows together, but I’d rather see them get on board w/ Mono — it’s the best thing they could do for .Net adoption. I wrote about this almost exactly a year ago:
    http://appdev.info/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=23

  • deviateX

    Wow novell’s stock price is rocketing about this. I guess that answers this question:

    Does microsoft matter? ( http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2000-07-19-008-20-PS-BZ-MS )

    (at lest it does matter to novell linux)

  • deviateX

    Wow novell’s stock price is rocketing about this. I guess that answers this question:

    Does microsoft matter? ( http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2000-07-19-008-20-PS-BZ-MS )

    (at lest it does matter to novell linux)

  • http://www.appdev.info David Lambert

    Looks like it has something to do with running Suse and Windows together, but I’d rather see them get on board w/ Mono — it’s the best thing they could do for .Net adoption. I wrote about this almost exactly a year ago:
    http://appdev.info/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=23

  • Ross

    “All our Miguel De Icaza belong to us.”

    You’re not joking, I am surprised that he never accepted Mr Box’s offer to join Microsoft before.

  • Ross

    “All our Miguel De Icaza belong to us.”

    You’re not joking, I am surprised that he never accepted Mr Box’s offer to join Microsoft before.

  • Colby

    Novell’s stock is up 15% in after hours trading.
    Red Hat is down 2% in after hours.

  • Colby

    Novell’s stock is up 15% in after hours trading.
    Red Hat is down 2% in after hours.

  • TAG

    Ross,

    Miguel De Icaza has declined because Microsoft recruiters and USA government H1 visa requirements has f****d him once in the past.

    Read his wikipedia entry – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Icaza

    I know some companies able to get people working outside of USA and them move under L1 visa – why not Microsoft ?

  • TAG

    Ross,

    Miguel De Icaza has declined because Microsoft recruiters and USA government H1 visa requirements has f****d him once in the past.

    Read his wikipedia entry – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Icaza

    I know some companies able to get people working outside of USA and them move under L1 visa – why not Microsoft ?

  • Chris

    I liveblogged the Microsoft/Novell press conference. Basically, Microsoft is going to help market SuSE Linux, and the two companies are going to work toward interoperability.

    Microsoft and Novell Entering Linux Partnership (at Gizbuzz.co.uk)

  • Chris

    I liveblogged the Microsoft/Novell press conference. Basically, Microsoft is going to help market SuSE Linux, and the two companies are going to work toward interoperability.

    Microsoft and Novell Entering Linux Partnership (at Gizbuzz.co.uk)

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  • http://tirania.org/blog Miguel de Icaza

    I interviewed at Microsoft in 1997 to work on the IE team to port IE to the SPARC. At the time I had the offer, the limitation was indeed a Visa limitation.

    I have since moved to the US (A few years later I got a different kind of Visa, an O1, and later a permanent resident permit).

    I have tremendous respect for all the developers I have interacted with at Microsoft. It would probably be a very fun place to work at, but am still very attached to open source development and both my friends and my communities have very deep roots.

    Miguel.

  • http://tirania.org/blog Miguel de Icaza

    I interviewed at Microsoft in 1997 to work on the IE team to port IE to the SPARC. At the time I had the offer, the limitation was indeed a Visa limitation.

    I have since moved to the US (A few years later I got a different kind of Visa, an O1, and later a permanent resident permit).

    I have tremendous respect for all the developers I have interacted with at Microsoft. It would probably be a very fun place to work at, but am still very attached to open source development and both my friends and my communities have very deep roots.

    Miguel.

  • http://saviorodrigues.wordpress.com/ Savio Rodrigues

    Yep, a Novell/MSFT partnership indeed. Lots of people are wondering if the agreement violates section 7 of the GPL. SEE: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt

    IANAL, but I think that the patent protection & royalty payments are being associated with the SUPPORT contracts, not with the GPL’d code. So, everyone using SLES gets the same patent protection, none. And Novell pays Microsoft zero royalties on every copy of SLES distributed.

    But, if you’re a paying customer of a SLES support contract, then your subscription contract gives you patent protection because Microsoft won’t sue you (and hey, you have to keep the support subscription current to keep this level of protection). Next, Novell would pay Microsoft for each support subscription sold, in return for the “I will not sue” covenant from Microsoft.

    At the very end of this story at CRN about the deal: http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/dailyarchives.jhtml?articleId=193501489

    Brad Smith, Microsoft’s chief legal counsel, says:

    “Every customer who purchases a subscription for SUSE Linux Enterprise will get not only service and support from Novell but a patent covenant from Microsoft”

    Again, IANAL, but it sounds like you have to buy (and keep current) a subscription to get the protection, hence circumventing section 7 of the GPL. Sigh…

    Savio

  • http://saviorodrigues.wordpress.com/ Savio Rodrigues

    Yep, a Novell/MSFT partnership indeed. Lots of people are wondering if the agreement violates section 7 of the GPL. SEE: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt

    IANAL, but I think that the patent protection & royalty payments are being associated with the SUPPORT contracts, not with the GPL’d code. So, everyone using SLES gets the same patent protection, none. And Novell pays Microsoft zero royalties on every copy of SLES distributed.

    But, if you’re a paying customer of a SLES support contract, then your subscription contract gives you patent protection because Microsoft won’t sue you (and hey, you have to keep the support subscription current to keep this level of protection). Next, Novell would pay Microsoft for each support subscription sold, in return for the “I will not sue” covenant from Microsoft.

    At the very end of this story at CRN about the deal: http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/dailyarchives.jhtml?articleId=193501489

    Brad Smith, Microsoft’s chief legal counsel, says:

    “Every customer who purchases a subscription for SUSE Linux Enterprise will get not only service and support from Novell but a patent covenant from Microsoft”

    Again, IANAL, but it sounds like you have to buy (and keep current) a subscription to get the protection, hence circumventing section 7 of the GPL. Sigh…

    Savio