Microsoft to Novell: Bend Over and Leave the Driving to Us

Am I missing something?

As of November of last year, Microsoft will help Novell market the work of the Linux community.

Novell will share the profits with Microsoft. There is no mention of Novell sharing the profits with the great open-source salt of the earth.

The shining faux brass trophy of the cyber-proletariat is going to be marketed by Microsoft and Novell with no more regard for "the people" than Exxon-Mobil bumping up the price of regular-unleaded to $5.00 a gallon.

The contract specifically disallows Novell from doing everything the open sourcers are doing (WINE, OpenOffice). Consequently, when the courts tell Microsoft to pound their open source lawsuits up their asses, Novell is still screwed. They'll be hamstrung by a contract that doesn't let them keep up with the open source weenies.

What does this do for Novell? As near as I can see, it saves them the cost of a few lawyers for a while. In exchange for that economy they get to spend a few years over a barrel; they're not even getting a courtesy reach-around. The open source community will heap scorn upon the name Novell for all of eternity; Microsoft will give Novell the same respect the Sardaukar bestowed on the Suk Doctor, Yueh.

I hope if I ever sell my soul to Satan I get more than a set of steak knives and coupon for free fill-up.

What does it do for Microsoft? Nothing. Everybody hates them already anyway. They're going to pay a lot of money to lawyers pursuing these meritless lawsuits. Then they'll get creamed.

Horsemen heralding the Microsoft Apocalypse are beginnning to come into view...

iPod
Vista
Zune
Linux
Dell-Linux in WalMart
iPhone
Leopard

And you thought there were only going to be four.

The popcorn is done.