Of course the net is buzzing with reactions to the Novell-Microsoft agreement of yesterday. Bruce Perens is very negative about it all: "What aren't they telling you? First, you can be sure that Microsoft's not out to help a competitor. This announcement paves the way for Microsoft to implement significant control over commercial customer's use of Free Software. And it has significant negative implications for Open Source in general." Eben Moglen of the FSF says about the possible GPL issues: "If you make an agreement which requires you to pay a royalty to anybody for the right to distribute GPL software, you may not distribute it under the GPL."
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Member since:2006-09-25
Member since:2006-06-19
I don't think it is over reacting.
It's like when a magazine publishes an article that a person doesn't like and then writes to the editor to "cancel my subscription" because of an article that someone doesn't agree with. That's shallow and small-minded.
No it is not like a magazine publishing a article you didn't like. It would be like a magazine whose focus was equality for all people, entering into a agreement/partnership with the Klan to include white robes with each magazine subscription.
It would be like PETA entering into a agreement/partnership with KFC to sell KFC chicken at all the PETA meetings.
It would be like novell selling out and cashing in, nomore and no less.
Member since:2006-04-21
Member since:2005-06-29
Your analogy is completely wrong. The article in the magazine is merely rhetoric. It doesn't affect anyone beyond how they let it affect them.
Law is something wholly different: You can be forced to be affected by it. This is legal, not opinion.
A better analogy would be writing your senator to tell him you'll never vote for him again because of the unconstitutional bill he just voted for.
Realistically the first articles on this will probably be blown way out of proportion. That is, afterall, the easiest way to get cheap marketing (pretend to do something horrible, yet slightly controversial). I don't know where this is going, but the pattern of things, in business, seems to say that it'll probably be mostly meaningless.
However, if I see Novell attempting to dismantle ODF efforts in favor of using Microsoft's latest format, then I'll be very upset (I really can't do anything to them, it's not like I even use any of their products other than Mono).
However, getting a plugin for Microsoft's format (that works) for their pay-only distribution wouldn't bother me at all. But when the lawyers come in and developers get sued, that's the time to boycott Novell. I really don't think they're that stupid though.
Member since:2005-07-27
However, if I see Novell attempting to dismantle ODF efforts in favor of using Microsoft's latest format, then I'll be very upset (I really can't do anything to them, it's not like I even use any of their products other than Mono).
However, getting a plugin for Microsoft's format (that works) for their pay-only distribution wouldn't bother me at all. But when the lawyers come in and developers get sued, that's the time to boycott Novell. I really don't think they're that stupid though.
We are the largest contributor to OpenOffice outside of Sun, and we have done more to enable collaboration with OpenOffice than any other organization.
But way before this agreement was even in dicsussion, about a year ago we started working on the ECMA TC45 group to improve the Office XML spec.
At the time, we saw one big limitation: we did not really know what the exact semantics for formulas and the actual functions on Excel were. To be compatible we needed this information.
The ODF specification completely sidesteps this issue, there is nothing on the subject, nothing that would help interop. So when Microsoft brought their own spec to ECMA, we took this opportunity to improve the spec and gain knowledge about this.
Read Michael Meeks' blog, where he talks about Jody Goldberg (Gnumeric's maintainer and OpenOffice hacker) participation on the ECMA meetings. At some point, Novell (through Michael and Jody) were the ones that raised the most issues on the spec.
At the time we did not have plans to implement an importer, although Jody wrote one for Gnumeric as a spare time activity on a plane flying back home, but it resulted in a lot of information that previously we did not know about to be released as part of ECMA.
The agreement will ensure that we implement a mechanism to interoperate with Microsoft's own format, and my guess is that this will be open sourced, and that we will present this contribution back to OpenOffice.org just like we do.
I can understand a fight between Emacs and Vi, and Java vs C#, but a fight over XML markups is something I have trouble grasping.
Miguel.
Member since:2005-10-02
It's like when a magazine publishes an article that a person doesn't like and then writes to the editor to "cancel my subscription" because of an article that someone doesn't agree with. That's shallow and small-minded.
There is nothing small-minded about that. The only small-minded thing here, would be the one who called the ex-subscriber for small-minded.
Subscribing to a magazine which publishes articles you don't like is out right stupid. It's like eating shit, because you know you don't like the taste.
Sooo.. You either chose a bad analogy or have a warped sense of being small-minded.
Member since:
2005-07-06
I think that is all an overreaction...but the concerns expressed all over the internet now are valid. But throwing everything out the day after an announcement?
I too have concerns about legal aspects, etc. But overall, as a consumer, I'll use what I think works best. SUSE has worked best for me in the past, and I'll give it the chance in the future. If it becomes even better because of this, then fine, I'll continue using it.
If this deal destroys Novell and/or Microsoft is truly has evil intentions it will become obvious before long. THEN we can throw everything away. I'm not jumping to conclusions.
It's like when a magazine publishes an article that a person doesn't like and then writes to the editor to "cancel my subscription" because of an article that someone doesn't agree with. That's shallow and small-minded.
I feel the same way about this, however I still am no fan of Microsoft...as I have been fighting them for years now.
Hmmmmm....just have to wait and think and see what happens.....because WE can't turn the clock back now....