What about SuSE? [LWN.net]

What about SuSE?

Posted Dec 22, 2006 14:53 UTC (Fri) by Duncan (guest, #6647)
In reply to: What about Nat Friedman? by BrucePerens
Parent article: Jeremy Allison Has Resigned from Novell to Protest MS Patent Deal (Groklaw)

> [E]asing up on Novell to avoid hurting SuSE would
> make SuSE into Novell's "human shield", and would
> send a signal that more companies should repudiate
> their promises to GPL developers.

Perhaps you or someone else can answer this question for me.

I've nothing against SuSE other than the herein stated, but honest
question, what's the big deal with hurting them, since the licensing on
much of their own software was unfree anyway, before Novell bought them.
Someone mentions not seeing a reason to leave SuSE after 10 years... well,
SuSE was never all that great a free software supporter anyway, Novell in
fact made them far freer than they had been, by GPLing YaST and the like.
It's not hard to see how anyone comfortable with the pre-Novell SuSE would
have no problem with staying with it now, either, since they obviously
didn't have a problem with unfree at that point so why should they now.
(Source was available for things like YaST, but it wasn't free code due to
restrictions, sort of like source available but patent encumbered code,
eh?)

In fact, it would seem until this anyway, Novell has been pretty good to
the free software community since they got involved with Linux, anyway.
They've provided a pay check for many FLOSS developers. They've bought
out and freed a fair amount of code and companies, GPLing things like YaST
that was formerly source available but unfree due to a restricted license.
And they've done a lot to destroy the SCO attacks. Until now, their
recent record had been pretty good in fact.

That isn't to excuse this action, as the language had to be deliberately
engineered to subvert the clear intent of the GPLv2, so there's no getting
around a direct intent to do so, and that simply can't be excused.
However, one is left wondering exactly where Novell is headed. Do they
intend to become the next SCO, using the same "assets" they say they never
handed over to SCO? Were they simply blinded by the $$ and didn't realize
the implications? Are they entering a period where much like Sun, they
seem to have multiple personality disorder in their behavior toward the
FLOSS community (just as Sun is hinting they are finally serious about
FLOSS, what with the GPLing of Java and favorable hints toward the GPLv3,
and might actually mean it this time)?

Duncan

(Log in to post comments)

Management shifts

Posted Dec 23, 2006 4:14 UTC (Sat) by socket (guest, #43) [Link]

Not long ago, someone (I can't remember who) noted that the top of the food chain at Novell has gone through some significant shifts recently. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the new people in charge aren't so friendly towards free software.

Even if a company has the right idea, it almost seems like wishful thinking to expect that such a state of affairs would persist through major shifts in management.

Is it too cynical to simply not trust companies, in general? I'm not even convinced that they even act in their own "self-interest," supposing such a concept could exist without lots of contradictions and proofs-by-assertion.

I guess the question is: what should we expect out of companies who do business with free software? I don't have a good answer for that, even rhetorically.

Management shifts

Posted Dec 25, 2006 22:41 UTC (Mon) by Duncan (guest, #6647) [Link]

Good point about the management changes. That's what got SCO all turned
around too, unfortunately.

Well, the shareholders /did/ complain and pretty much oust the previous
management in ordered to put these guys in place, so however it goes,
it's definitely shareholder action that triggered it on this one.

One influential kernel hacker employed by Novell/SuSE I've not seen weigh
in is Greg KH. Given his outspokenness on binary kernel modules among
other things, I'd be very interested in reading his opinion. Has he been
keeping uncharacteristically low profile on this or have I just not seen
what he's put out on it?

The weird thing is, all the suits seem to like this thing, even tho the
protection is basically MS saying "We won't sue, unless we /really/ feel
like it", which means there's not really any protection at all.

Time will tell, but it does seem there's always something interesting
going on, often a couple somethings.

Duncan