Linux.com

Actually, we'll also delete posts that attack another reader, but it must be a pretty harsh attack. I can't recall any being removed for that reason for at least two years. And we remove obvious spam.

I'm as puzzled as anyone else about the missing QBrew posts. I thought they were pretty funny.

Robin Miller
OST Editor

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They are welcone to share the <a href="http://linuxtracker.org/torrents-details.php?id=2227" title="linuxtracker.org">SuSE Linux Windows Screensaver</a linuxtracker.org> if they want (or, ideally, develop a better one.)

Torrent <a href="http://linuxtracker.org/download.php?id=2227&name=SUSE-Linux-10.1-GM-LiveDVD-screensaver.iso.torrent" title="linuxtracker.org">here</a linuxtracker.org>.

Have a lot of fun !

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There is more to the story than was said in the conference.
But it is a stretch on your part to say that this business arrangement is an acknowledgment of Linux infringing on MS IP. Nothing of the sort was said or even implied.

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Well I would not be so optimistic. I wont trust microSoft for one microsecond.

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Of course Linux does not infringe, yet Novell has agreed to fork over money to Microsoft. Why?

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Not knowing the details, I would venture to guess that the licensing would be part of some of the future projects done in the context of this business collaboration.
I do not think these licensing costs are related to any past IP infringment -since there are none.

But I agree that going into business with MS is a risky proposition for Novell considering MS history.

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"But I agree that going into business with MS is a risky proposition for Novell considering MS history."

Not if Microsoft secretly owns Novell already.

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I think this site is becoming more and more windows oriented I pasted a reply yesterday and surprise surprise its not here today... Yo guys and Linux.com are starting to worry me, are you pro Linux if so i will prefer you change your site name to windows.com

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Microsoft runs many Linux sites,...

It is quite obvious if you start looking.

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Newsforge/Linux.com gave you more information than you had when you woke up. It effects FOSS rather directly being that a major distribution is working with Microshaft. But then, if you've been reading the news, you may have noticed that the proprietary world is taking much more notice of FOSS. Granted, MS software will never work 100% with anything but Microsoft because that's, well, good for business.

But I digress, the point is you have more information now than you did when you started reading this article. It effects FOSS directly and as such is a valid article for the site. It keeps you informed on what move proprietary software houses are making in support or offense of FOSS.

It also notifies the Suse user community to be aware of what is going on and to watch for signs of the distribution degrading.

If M$ stays true to there word and has not spent three months in detremental backroom deals then great. M$ has a tone of resources as long as they don't contaminate the FOSS community for later IP action or similar M$ proven strategies.

If M$ has yet again got there hand down the pants of another software developer.. well.. it worked out great in the past now didn't it:

Apple
BSD
Java
OS2/WinNT

yes, if they provide un-IP'd patches with sign-off, Linus will allow it into the kernel, and I'll use it. If they consume Suse (a-la-OS2) to develop there own Microsoft osX-P for release after the Vista debacle, well, FOSS is far and wide; Suse will be a loss but not the last Distribution.

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I think this site is becoming more and more windows oriented I pasted a reply yesterday and surprise surprise its not here today... Yo guys and Linux.com are starting to worry me, are you pro Linux if so i will prefer you change your site name to windows.com.

The only posts we delete are those with offensive language. And if you think I am "pro-Microsoft," I suggest you double-up on the tinfoil for your cap.<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:)

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So Microsoft has secretly bought Novell (Red Hat as well?).

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No one seems to understand what this is really about. This deal is about two things and nothing else.

1. It is about press and corporate image. Novell gets press and a stock boost. Microsoft gets press supporting the idea that it is working with the competition and that antitrust officials in the US and Europe can relax. Ultimately, it's smoke and mirrors for both companies.

2. Xen. Xen is the virtualization technology that Novell has chosen to use and it works fine. You can run multiple operating systems on the same hardware. It's cool. But there is a catch. The guest OS must be modified to run on XEN. That means that while you can recompile and run all the Linux and BSD kernels you want on Xen, Windows being closed source can't be modified and therefore can't be run on Xen. That is until now. Now with this agreement, Microsoft will place the necessary modifications into the Windows kernel to allow certain versions of Windows to run on Novell's Enterprise Linux and Xen.

What does Microsoft get? Some cash and see number 1.

Talk about Open Office interoperability is more smoke and mirrors. They are already interoperable and with Office 2007 supporting ODF, they will continue to be, regardless of this agreement.

please send your conspiracy theorist emails to dev-null@example.com

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I am new to linux. The news makes me nervous now to try linux (Kubuntu in my case). I have been on forums after forums reading and your post is the one that makes sense to me.

Microsoft is not suddenly going to change its past behavior. There's something in it for them and they don't care who they squash.

Should I be scared to change to Linux?

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You should be scared _not_ to change to Linux.

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No. Expand your computing horizon. You may try it and like it, you may try it and hate it. Or you may realize for somethings Linux is better than Microsoft, and Microsoft is better than Linux for others.

No matter how the cards are played, you'll have learned something new.

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Actually, it's about one thing: The SCO lawsuit. Novell has claimed that System V "licensing fees" Microsoft paid to SCO to finance their lawsuit against IBM are actually compensation owned Novell, not SCO. And, since SCO has no way of getting that money back to give to Novell, Novell was almost certainly lining up to sue Microsoft for the money. By cooperating with Novell, which still claims ownership of System V, Microsoft avoids a lawsuit. HOWEVER...

Ballmer is now making noises that other Linux vendors should follow Novell's lead or risk getting sued themselves by Microsoft. What's going on here is obvious: Microsoft's stooge, SCO, failed. Microsoft is now pulling the Linux-vendor-harassing project in-house and will soon be filing a big patent-infringement against IBM, just Wait N' See.

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Does't IBM have more patents than Microsoft? Surely if IBM is in violation of some Microsoft patents, the reverse is also true.

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Window CAN run under Xen today, if you use a newer CPU from Intel or AMD that has hardware support for virtualization.

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Considering the fact that both companies promote<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.Net (Novell under name of Mono) this makes sense. I think that the majority of possible patent claims come from there.

I am a developer and the platform divisions always ment more work for the same money to me. I say that theese are the good news.

DG

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"In addition to its collaboration efforts, Microsoft is slated to assist Novell in the marketing and distribution of SUSE Linux." i don't understand what does it mean...? does somebody have an idea?

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They will work together to market the interoperability featurs they collaborate on. Distribution comes into play with 70,000 coupons MS will distribute for SUSE Enterprise Linux, according to Ron H. during the news conference.

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And so the beast has started to feast on yet another Linux light in the sea of FOSS lights. Corel Linux's light went out long ago with a Microsoft partnership, now we wait for SUSE to fade away as well. Give it time, Microsoft will devour all of those companies who feed it.

The remaining FOSS supporters will be the ones divided, screaming at the noise of billion dollar M$ marketing.

OS/2, how we knew you..

Sorry FOSS, I loved the idea, but who can fight today against convicted monopolies?

We just don't have the heart to fight evil like the hippies did in the 60'ies, bless their caring hearts.

This is what you get for being a nation of sober caffeine guzzlers, brainwashed by advertisements and souls sold to consumerism.

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i dunno dude - some of us are still stoned !

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I've seen comments removed, and ones that did not have any offensive language. The only thing they did have was some pretty dead-on, hilarious criticism of your editorial ineptitude, but I may have just been offensive<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:(

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Really? Please provide evidence of the same, and we'll fix the problem. I've never seen any post removed from here or NewsForge that didn't contain profanity.

I can point you to _lots_ of offensive, critical posts here which have not been removed, so I am having a hard time believing your claim.

Maybe I'm wrong. Show me.

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In other news, Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian agreed to meet Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for negotiations only in a room without any chairs. Discussion was done sitting on pillows on the floor.

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It's a tarp!!1
I would think twice before getting involved with Microsoft. History tends to repeat. Everyone who get in contact with them, sooner or later gets burned.

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About the document compatibility, Microsoft is well-known for breaking standards, sticking with closed proprietary standards and file formats, refusing to follow open standards and for breaking standards using their vicious EEE-strategy (Embrace, Extend, Extinguish).

If it appears that something good is going on in Redmond, then it most likely is smoke and mirrors to appear in good light for the EU anti-trust lawsuits.

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"The only posts we delete are those with offensive language."

That is not true. Although you guys delete much less than other sites, which is good.

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"No one seems to understand what this is really about. This deal is about two things and nothing else.

1. It is about press and corporate image,...."

WELL, you certainly don't understand what this is really about.

The truth is, the same people/groups, own both Microsoft and Novelle.

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You are wrong, as another poster has observed. You personally may not be the one doing it, but NewsForge and Linux.com take down posts that don't sit well with other people. Here is one example where I posted a complaint:

<a href="http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/08/29/215209&tid=150&tid=35&tid=22" title="newsforge.com">http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/0<nobr>8<wbr></nobr> /29/215209&tid=150&tid=35&tid=22</a newsforge.com>

There were at least 4-5 comments making fun of the article about this free sw for kids that had homebrew directions included. Not really a big deal, which made the removal odd, and is the reason i posted before.

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This matter has been brought to the attention of Robin Miller, OSTG's editor-in-chief. I can tell you that if a parent comment is deleted, say, for having a subject like of "what the f***" or "what the s***," then all comments attached to it are removed as well.

That may be what is causing the confusion over why comments are deleted.

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Welp, I lost all respect for Novell. SuSE should have stayed in Germany.

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Microsoft misses Xenix.

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Novell is going down hill as it is and I guess there partnership with MS might be a good thing as it can revive some oringial ideas that novell has had with microsofts experience.

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After the Q&A segment it was clear that the patent agreement was a defacto acknowledgement by Novell that Linux violates MS patents. Ballmer made it clear that the patent agreement protects ONLY users of SuSE Linux. When questioned about wether the patent agreement covered technology which will be developed or if it covers MS patents already existing in Linux the attorney made it clear that the agreement protects existing Linux in the form of SuSE.

So MS has found the big Linux vendor foolish enough to "legitimize" a patent claim on Linux by Microsoft. This makes it easier for MS to claim that Linux infringes their "IP" and claim that Novell recognized this "fact" and struck a deal.

Now it's only a matter of asserting claims against all distributors except Novell thereby thinning the herd and finally, deal with Novell SuSE last.

Nice going you Novell morons.

After using SuSE for years it looks like it's time for a change.

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