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Apps & Software

Crime And Punishment: Novell Angers The Linux Gods

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By Douglas A. McIntyre Published
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The groups that controls Linux open source software is thinking of preventing Novell (NOVL) from using the newest versions of the Linux OS because the company has teamed with Microsoft (MSFT) to offer it along side Windows. The non-profit development organization is worried that Redmond is using its deal with Novell as a Trojan Horse to move against Linux on patent violation issues. Microsoft will protect the Novell versions of Linux from legal actions, but could go after potential IP violations in other versions. If the move were to be successful, Microsoft would have divided and conquered the open source OS world.

Novell could continue to develop its own versions of Linux. It would just cost the company money.

Linux does not want to have Microsoft pairing up with one of its major distributors, Novell. But, the Linux crowd is being a little too cute. Either its software violates Microsoft patents or not. If so, it should be treated like any other entity that misuses IP. If not, it has nothing to fear.

Depriving Novell of the newest versions of the open source software merely makes the issue of IP ownership in OS software a more immediate one.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.

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