__/ [ [H]omer ] on Friday 02 February 2007 23:58 \__
> Novell about to get slapped?
>
> ,--
> | By Jim Finkle
> | BOSTON (Reuters) - The Free Software Foundation is reviewing Novell
> | Inc.'s (NOVL.O: Quote, Profile , Research) right to sell new
> | versions of Linux operating system software after the open-source
> | community criticized Novell for teaming up with Microsoft
> | Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile , Research)
> |
> | "The community of people wants to do anything they can to interfere
> | with this deal and all deals like it. They have every reason to be
> | deeply concerned that this is the beginning of a significant patent
> | aggression by Microsoft," Eben Moglen, the Foundation's general
> | counsel, said on Friday.
> |
> | The foundation controls intellectual property rights to key parts of
> | the open-source Linux operating system.
> `--
>
> I'm torn on this one. On the one hand Novell has contributed a lot to
> Linux, especially in the last couple of years, but OTOH they're well
> known for their poor decisions, and this MS "partnership" was probably
> their worst.
>
> Overall, I'd say any step which ends this farce, has to be a good
> thing.
The reporter has created "unnecessary waves".
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6837365670.html
"What he actually asked me," said Moglen in an email interview, "was 'Is
it true that some members of the community want GPLv3 to keep Novell from
distributing future versions of GPL'd software?' I said, 'Yes, the Free
Software Foundation is opposed to the deal, and is thinking about what to
do; there will be a new draft soon [of the GPLv3]" (GNU General Public
License Version 3).
Therefore, "the actual quote he prints is entirely accurate, but his lede
destroys the context and is making unnecessary waves."
===
Yesterday I saw a blogger/so-called journalist writing to say that Europe
backs off Open Source when it fact all the EC did is explain that it does
not favour Open Source just as a matter of principle (Microsoft-funded
hobbyists are pressuring the EC). I was not the only one upset by the
sensationalist headline.
--
~~ Best wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Nothing to see in this sig, please move along"
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Load average (/proc/loadavg): 0.17 0.67 0.49 1/147 18062
http://iuron.com - semantic search engine project initiative
|
|
