The other shoe drops!

The Geek.com story reads:
"Novell may lose access to new Linux versions The Free Software Foundation not happy over partnership with Microsoft."
http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2007Feb/gee20070205002259.htm

The whole concept that FSF foundation could stop Novell from selling future distro's of Linux is while ludicrous, still troubling. Being the cynic I am , I can't help but wonder why did the Redmond mafia sell out and cut a deal with Novell. True it's a sweet deal for Novell 1/2 a billion isn't anything to sneeze at. But that doesn't explain what Microsoft was up to. I think this weekend we got the wake up call on what they were after. The Real idea is to cause a schism, a split, a parting of the ways.
Oh wait, like there isn't one already between the FSF(Free Software Foundation)and the Linux camp. The design is gifted, the Linux camp and the FSF are social organizations facing a techno Goliath in Microsoft. Yes this means the Linux and Free Software foundations FSF communities are being played off on each other. The tools of this is their own ego's and their own self denial. It also dawns on me that this plays into Microsoft's hand, personally I think the schism will work for Microsoft for a short time, as there are many like me, who understand that Microsoft only enters these deals like it did with Sun some years back, until it's apparent it won't help them anymore. Then Bill Gates or Steve Balmer will announce it was swell while it lasted but c'ya. I also think this will back fire in the long term. In short if you just ignore it, Microsoft will go away, but if the lawyers start in serving paper work then like a cagey fisherman Microsoft will know it's got a fish on the hook.

Also, I'll remind everyone Linux isn't under the FSF umbrella, so it won't be Richard Stallman or Eben Moglen who decides who can or can't sell Linux in a corporate environment. It'll be Linus Torvalds who wrote the original kernel and he's still holding the line, (last I heard) that Linux won't move to GPL-V#3 in fact he intends to stay with the GPL-V#2, this is where the schism was initiated and I believe that Microsoft's idea is to exploit this as far as it will go, tying up critical Linux cash assets from the major Linux players in legal activity they other wise wouldn't have to endure. Operations like Red hat, Novell & possibly Ubuntu will all eventually, become legally entwined one way or another, splitting the playing field with legal crossed swords and legal briefs all accusing each other of being the Linux sell outs that they all will become. This in the end is a divide and conquer strategy. And if this is Redmonds agenda then it is pretty easy to set the players on each other, after all, all they had to do is cut a deal.

Personally I'm waiting to see what happens next, If the Free software Foundation and the Linux Camp do not play their respective hand's close to their chests they may well be completely marginalized in what could be an end game for Linux and the free software foundation, if in fact Microsoft actually has this as an agenda. I truly hope that doesn't happen. I also hope this isn't a Microsoft machination but you have to be open to the possibility, after all its only, prudent.

So I guess the moral to the story is, for both camps, swallow your pride and stand together, or you most certainly will stand alone.