And So, It Begins… Microsoft FUD on the Novell Deal…

Microsoft is now saying that only Novell SUSE Linux customers are free from infringing on their intellectual property. Riiiight!

Novell disputes claim by Microsoft on patents

“In a twist that underscored the unlikely nature of their alliance, Novell Chief Executive Ron Hovsepian publicly distanced his company Monday from Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer’s statement last week that the open-source Linux operating system contains patented Microsoft technology. ‘Importantly, our agreement with Microsoft is in no way an acknowledgment that Linux infringes upon any Microsoft intellectual property,’ Hovsepian wrote in a letter to the open-source community, posted on Novell’s Web site. He added, ‘When we entered the patent-cooperation agreement with Microsoft, Novell did not agree or admit that Linux or any other Novell offering violates Microsoft patents.’ Responding to a question about the Novell deal at a conference in Seattle last week, Ballmer said that Linux ‘uses our patented intellectual property’ and that one result of the pact was to be ‘appropriately compensated’ for that intellectual property. Novell’s Suse Linux is one of many varieties of the open-source operating system, created by worldwide communities of programmers. In his remarks, Ballmer said that, because of the Novell deal, ‘only a customer who has Suse Linux actually has paid properly for the use of intellectual property from Microsoft.'”

FUD, or “Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt” is what Microsoft wants to spread about Linux, because they know it is their biggest true competitor. They are evil. Don’t be swayed.