Attachmate Acquisition: What does it mean for SUSE, openSUSE & open source?

The issue that bothers me the most about the patent sale is that it doesn't appear the patents were auctioned off to the highest bidder. This sale reeks of an insider deal that involves the executives at Novel selling to a specific group with the promise of future compensation to the exec's. It's concerning that they don't appear to have opened negotiations for any bidder to purchase as I believe there would have been several dozen patent collectives that would have chased the patents (including OIN).

It also bothers me that the largest shareholders don't appear to be concerned by this sale looking a bit like an inside deal. It's all too suspicious that a company that has sued MS a dozen times over these patents suddenly sold them all to a company at least partially owned by MS. The press releases only discuss the bidding for the assets Attachmate wants with no mention of any sort of shopping around on the patents. It's incredibly suspicious to me and points to an inside deal as this is typically how it's done, a key asset is shaved off the sale and sold to a specific entity (at a discount) with the promise of future quid-pro-quo.