Well, this should get interesting... Novell sold for 2.2B; Microsoft benefits

[Edvard]

Novell sold for 2.2 Billion:

As Microsoft-led consortium sweeps up 882 Novell patents.

Microsoft's intellectual property vault has been bolstered with some 882 more software patents after open source vendor Novell was acquired for US$2.2 billion (AU$2.2 billion) late yesterday.

What's Microsoft's role in the Novell-Attachmate deal?

Seattle-based Attachmate Corp. is buying Novell for $2.2 billion, the companies announced on November 22. At the same time, Novell announced the “concurrent sale of certain intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of technology companies organized by Microsoft Corporation, for $450 million in cash.”

Microsoft refuses to specify what it bought from Novell

Microsoft issued a formal statement today that confirms its deal with Novell but sheds no light on what exactly it purchased.

Every.
Damn.
Time.

[Renegade]

Some good news:


http://twitter.com/#!/migueldeicaza/status/6732038669340672

[zridling]

I had been actively writing the folks at Google to drop the dime and just buy Novell, but I didn't realize that after 15 years of acquisitions all over the tech map, Novell had become a Frankenstein of a company, making it difficult to sell as a whole. Google, et al. had only wanted the SUSE/openSUSE piece of the business, not all the unrelated other components they had no use for. It's surprising how cheap you can buy some companies if you're willing to drop a couple of billion.

[Renegade]

I'm somewhat saddened to see it. But I hope that things work out. It would be nice to see SuSe pushed more and made more popular.

As for MS buying up parts... Not sure what to think at the moment. I hope they do some good with it all.

[40hz]

Microsoft's business strategy of Embrace, Engulf, Extinguish lives on!

The only difference is that it now comes with a $2B price tag attached.

[Renegade]

Microsoft's business strategy of Embrace, Engulf, Extinguish lives on!

The only difference is that it now comes with a $2B price tag attached.

I hope not...

MS needs some better direction. They're relying too much on past achievements. This gives them an opportunity to extend, embrace, and edify instead. I hope they take the opportunity and use it well.

[Edvard]

Not gonna happen.
Their actions speak clearly here.
They led the consortium to buy out the only tangible link they have to the Open Source community, acquired 882 patents and refuse to reveal details about what they got.
Those are not exactly trust-inspiring actions...

[40hz]

Oh look! Vultures in three-piece suits are circling over the offices of FSF, Canonical, the Apache Foundation, and Libre Office...  

-----

I can't shake this feeling that, somewhere deep in the bowels of Microsoft's headquarters, there's this 100-person legal/technical team whose sole task is to acquire and analyze software patents looking for that "one insurmountable thing" that can be used to legally kill GNU/Linux once and for all.

(Sure hope I'm wrong about that too.   )

[zridling]

I can't shake this feeling that, somewhere deep in the bowels of Microsoft's headquarters, there's this 100-person legal/technical team whose sole task is to acquire and analyze software patents looking for that "one insurmountable thing" that can be used to legally kill GNU/Linux once and for all.

But why? Microsoft has provided us their "research" that shows that running Windows Servers are cheaper than Linux, right? 

Tangent: As long as Ballmer is running Redmond, it will be all over the map, good and bad. The company just needs some fresh air after umpteen years of him.

[40hz]

+1 for new blood.

Ballmer's big problem is his need to show he is just as important to Microsoft as Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Ray Ozzie and the rest of the "usual suspects" are/were. He desperately needs something to hang his hat, or lift his leg on, and call "his own."

It was supposed to be Zune which was late to the party after the iPod pretty much had the market sewn up. Now it's supposed to be the WinPhone, which is once again late to the party and hoping to unseat the iPhone by hook, or Android by (legal) crook.

I think his greatest contribution to Microsoft will be when he retires.  

Sorry to sound so harsh, but what has he really ever brought to the party - other than embarrassment?

[Darwin]

It was supposed to be Zune which was late to the party after the iPod pretty much had the market sewn up. Now it's supposed to be the WinPhone, which is once again late to the party and hoping to unseat the iPhone by hook, or Android by (legal) crook.

I can't see this happening. At best I think MS can hope to become a player in the Smartphone market but I don't think they'll ever dominate. Still, I'd love to see the iPhone/iPod hegemony given a run for its money (don't think it's going to happen, though).

I own a WP7 phone and love it but reactions to it are mixed. Some people are really impressed when I show it to them but others give it only the most passing glance and continue talking about how awesome the iPhone is... '

Regarding the Zune and the iPod, AFAICT everyone other than Apple is pretty much fighting over scraps. In small markets like Canada, most of the players pulled out several years ago. Today it is dominated by Apple with Sony, Sandisk, Archos, and Coby vying for the 0.5% of the market that is left to them. It's REALLY crazy and I hate it. HATE it. What I can't stand is not having much choice when I go out shopping.

Anyway, back to the Zune, I'm hoping the MS is going to start aggressively marketing them in Canada again (the ZuneHD is only available here on-line and isn't officially available) because the Zune looks really good and I'm sick of hearing about the iPod Touch.

Rant over...  

[Edvard]

I think Steve Ballmer would make a really good "deeply psychotic inside, sickenly sweet outside" character in a horror/thriller movie.
Sometimes I can imagine him wholesale replacing John Lithgow in 'Buckaroo Banzai' yelling "INSTALL MY OVERTHRUSTER!!!".

If you can't see it, imagine a wildly gesticulating Mr. Lithgow in Dr. Emilio Lizardo character shouting "INSTALL MY OFFICE SUITE!!!" while pacing a stage with a Powerpoint screen in the background...

[Stoic Joker]

Sometimes I can imagine him wholesale replacing John Lithgow in 'Buckaroo Banzai' yelling "INSTALL MY OVERTHRUSTER!!!".

Damn! ...Now that (oddly catchy) theme music will be stuck in my head for a week.