My Thoughts on Novell

What has Novell done for the Linux community? At first, their decision to become a Linux distributor was not well accepted in the Open Source community. The Linux community knew that Novell turned to Linux because it could not compete against Microsoft and needed to reinvent itself with a new product that had vision. This product was the Linux server/desktop operating system.

The Open Source's resistance to Novell as a Linux company was due to its upper management. The way they thought about business was Microsoft's way of doing business. In other words, it did not involve sharing, openness or being part of a community. It meant that Novell was going to cash out on Linux when it suited them. It meant that Novell didn't care about Linux's future but only about its revenue. At a time when Linux was trying to become popular they felt that Novell was going to taint their reputation and possibly hand it over to Microsoft.

Of course, other people felt different. They felt that Novell should be accepted into the community. Novell did many things that popularized Linux in their trade show and even had Linus Torvalds in it. They proudly voiced the GPL and even provided GPL software for the open source community. They produced a bunch of Novell Linux commercials that didn't make it to national television. However, it was cool to watch on the Internet with your Linux friends. The most significant action Novell made to help the Linux community was the fight against SCO. Novell owned the Unix copyright license which SCO claimed was sold to them. This false assumption now led SCO to sue Linux companies because they claimed Linux had thousands of Unix code embedded in it. These types of actions caused the Linux community to be less harsh with Novell.

Where is Novell today? They are still an open source company that sold their soul to Microsoft for revenues. It is the upper management that has made this decision. Novell is being boycotted by the open source community. Not that it matters as the Microsoft community of companies and vendors supports Novell Linux. This is an easy way of Novell making money because as soon as Microsoft doesn't need you it will kill you. The only thing that is helping Novell is the fact that Linux is Microsoft's worst enemy today. This is a way of Microsoft paying the Linux community lip service. As it will officially announce that they are doing their best to work with Linux servers to make a heterogeneous server environment possible. The Linux community knows better but to believe Microsoft paid reporters and journalists. This is how 80% of the world gets brain washed into believing a monopoly. As if you didn't know that already.