Wednesday 6 June 2007, 6:15 PM
Is Microsoft lending credibility to Novell through its Linux tie-up?
One ZDNet.co.uk reader, mariomiy, raises the issue that potential customers might think Novell is superior now that it has Microsoft's backing. Well, it's a kind of backing, given there's been a catfight or two along the way.
Valid point, mariomiy. We know RedHat were rather stung by the partnership, much as it might boldly argue otherwise. But does the partnership make Novell credible, and RedHat not? Of course not.
It is interesting to see Microsoft extend its Linux partnerships, now taking the smaller distributor Xandros under its wing. Is the software giant starting to take over the open source world, critics are beginning to ask.
I also wanted to come back on mariomiy's other point, about the sales of Dell PCs with pre-loaded Ubuntu. We know that some systems have been sold, our reader says, though we will soon see the figures.
That's true, although I can predict the sales for the UK exactly. And it will be zero.
And it will stay zero until Dell bothers to launch them here.
Valid point, mariomiy. We know RedHat were rather stung by the partnership, much as it might boldly argue otherwise. But does the partnership make Novell credible, and RedHat not? Of course not.
It is interesting to see Microsoft extend its Linux partnerships, now taking the smaller distributor Xandros under its wing. Is the software giant starting to take over the open source world, critics are beginning to ask.
I also wanted to come back on mariomiy's other point, about the sales of Dell PCs with pre-loaded Ubuntu. We know that some systems have been sold, our reader says, though we will soon see the figures.
That's true, although I can predict the sales for the UK exactly. And it will be zero.
And it will stay zero until Dell bothers to launch them here.


