UST 6 years (and 2 days) ago Novell signed a horrible deal with Microsoft — a deal which in turn got me so passionately upset that I became a frequent blogger rather than just a journalist. Nearly 6 years after Boycott Novell had been created and became part of Techrights I still run Techrights to the best of my abilities, even though I write almost every post on a tablet when time permits, usually in the streets or whilst in the gym.

There is a certain sense of achievement derived from the death of Novell. The company is no more; it was sold. Moreover, my prophecies were correct all along, as Novell gave its patents to Linux foes and Mono, for example, got far closer to Microsoft. Those who sought to vilify me (especially Microsoft and Novell boosters and/or employees) failed for the most part.

The issue of software patents has become more mainstream since then. It is now the #1 target for me. When attacks on the patent system become as frequent as pro-Android article, then the battle is inevitably going to be won. For Linux, mainstream adoption in the form of Android is marked by a 75% worldwide market share, based on a firm close to Microsoft (IDG).

Summary: That’s me interrogated by Jono Bacon

Direct link (MP4) (or MP3)

For perspective, also see this feedback. I was very uncomfortable on this show, and it probably shows. I knew it would be rather hostile.

was recently made aware of a Web site and startup called The Point. It is said to be “a new way of thinking about organizing actions like boycotts.” To borrow a description of the methods used: “When you start a campaign on The Point, you target a company and say, ‘Change, or else when X people join, we’ll all do something that will force you to change.’ So no one does anything until the campaign reaches its ‘tipping point’ — when you have the numbers to actually force a solution.”

This is related to the Web site Boycott Novell, which I mentioned a few moments ago. The site presents the point of view which is rarely covered and makes people aware of reasons to avoid Novell and move on to other solutions/companies. In that respect, the site has been very successful and cost Novell millions. Visibility/reach/publicity are the key. It’s long lasting due to RSS/search engines.

Signatures alone are not enough, but Bruce Perens played a role in a Novell boycott as well. He had 3000+ people sign a petition which is protesting against Novell’s deal with Microsoft. If there’s a site where people can quickly add their name to acknowledge that Novell lost their business, that would be it. In Novell’s case, Bruce Perens beat Shane and I to it.

The power of the Web (peers) has had many petition spots born. They can be made more effective though. One needs to hit abusive companies where it hurts — the PR image, which in turn hurts their wallet in the most effective (and long-lasting) way.

We sometimes pressure or present a list of conditions and suggestions for Novell. Last week, for example, Novell was pressured to stop with careless Mono development, to a certain degree. A former Novell developer acknowledged this after the GNOME Foundation found itself attacked.

To an extent, the site was inspired by the work of Groklaw, which brought SCO to its knees.

ARLIER today I participated in a Linux.com audiocast and then came various links (including Slashdot) pointing at BoycottNovell.com. Combined with curiosity around Novell’s nightmare scenario at Wall Street, this meant that an already-increased interest in Novell had peaked. So, the server was brought to its knees and the site is now said to be “suspended”; in fact, the right text to use would be “overwhelmed by requests”.

The Web site enjoyed increased attention recently (much to Novell’s regret), but it was not prepared for this type of load (possibly tens of thousands of people requesting ~150 KB pages in a matter of hours). The site should be back to functioning shortly (it’s still cited in Slashdot’s front page at the moment).

I’m blogging this because I’ve been receiving E-mails asking about the situation. It would be easier to point people at this Web page, which resides on a completely separate Web server.

Bill Gates arrested in his younger days (photo in public domain)

would like to divert the readers’ attention to to my most recent post in another blog. Many of Microsoft’s dirty tricks are finally out for public viewing, indefinitely. I intended to put all of them on my external hard-drive, but gave up due to the enormous volume. Therefore, I’m glad they are online, saving me the storage burden. Which reminds me of a little joke:

[sarcasm]
500 GB. Now that’s a lot of space to accommodate with pr0n.

Files under /brunettes/2006/dec/29/3/volvume10/issue2/

Got to keep tidy!
[/sarcasm]

AY Ozzie has just revealed one of Microsoft’s fruits from its deal with Novell. The authenticity, however, is yet subjected to doubt. On the face of it, Novell is set to acquire XenSoruce. From the ongoing discussions: ‘They (Novell) will release a new ZENworks Q1 for application virtualization on Windows and Suse. Novell also has the only reliable Identity Management, and Directory that scales the Enterprise… Also consider that if Microsoft purchased XenSource directly then VMWare and the other virtualization vendors would rightly scream “Antitrust”‘.

I tried to submit this gossip/scoop to Slashdot and I await the response. Indeed, as I would not deny, this is one of the reused Slashdot submission-type blog items. I use my personal blog as a ‘safety net’, so to speak. I also had to resubmit this because I can’t see the previous submission in the Slashdot dashboard, which is odd. There seem to be some changes going on in the site. Regardless, keep an eye on the news.

EREMY Allison of Samba Fame has recently left Novell in protest over the company’s deal with Microsoft. BoycottNovell has had an interview with Jeremy—one that covers the events which preceded the deal, as well as ways forward. From the interview: ‘My guess is that the negotiations for the useful parts of the agreement (the virtualization part and the federated directory interoperability part) had, as Ron (Hovsepian) says, been going on for months and just before Novell wanted to seal the deal Microsoft turned up with “there’s just this one more thing we want you to sign…” and in desperation to get the other parts of the deal done they rushed it through.’

I enjoyed my E-mail exchange with Jeremy, who I must add has a wonderful personality. Like many of us, he appears to be a freedom enthusiast/fanatic facing a scientific chasm and a world where nothing at all is free.

This interview got Slashdotted and, although it was not my first time being Slashdotted, this was my first time a submission of mine was accepted. I only tired a handful of time in the past (first attempt almost 2 years ago). I guess I’m not longer confined by the cushy space of Digg and Netscape after all…