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What the Microsoft/Xandros deal means for Linux (Linux-Watch)

Linux-Watch has quotes from various people regarding the MS/Xandros deal. "Now that the deal is in place, the question is, "What to make of it?" We do know that the partnership has not drawn even a tenth of the criticism that the Novell/Microsoft patent partnership drew. Nonetheless, some other Linux vendors have little good to say about the new Xandros partnership."

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Why comment on the insignificant?

Posted Jun 13, 2007 13:45 UTC (Wed) by AnswerGuy (guest, #1256) [Link] (1 responses)

I think the simple reason why the MS/Xandros deal as drawn so little
comment is simply because Xandros is completely insignificant in the
minds of most Linux community members.

Headline: Obscure, Proprietary Fork of Debian Makes Deal with Microsoft

Yawn!

For me the story is notable only from the Microsoft perspective. How about this:

Alternative Headline: Microsoft Scrapes Bottom of Linux Barrel for more Buy-in

I predict that allowing patent terms to creep into deals with Microsoft
will be considered one of the defining characteristics of a marginal
Linux company. Microsoft will try to slip these "free" patent
"covenants" into every deal they make with any company that's got even
the most tenuous relationship to the Linux community. The community
is sensitized to these terms and will recoil every time. (Though
we'll get less sensitive about it over time). Savvy companies will
reject those terms and demand that they be removed before setting
pen to dotted line.

Why comment on the insignificant?

Posted Jun 14, 2007 9:37 UTC (Thu) by Duncan (guest, #6647) [Link]

> Headline: Obscure, Proprietary Fork of Debian
> Makes Deal with Microsoft
>
> Yawn!

I had the same comment, but you beat me to it. Xandros is already on the
slaveryware side, if MS offered them some money or even perhaps if not,
why /wouldn't/ they sign such a deal? People that see nothing wrong with
slaveryware and did Xandros before aren't going to be turned off by this,
perhaps to the contrary if they've been toking the MS stash, and those
that do and refused Xandros before, have just one more reason on the list
to do so, so it's not going to change anything. Again, why /wouldn't/
they sign such a deal?

Nothing to see here. Please move along.

Duncan.


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