Microsoft Vs Novell

Microsoft and Novell made deal last week. Of the many things it included two things
1 > Microsoft will go ahead and distribute 350,000 licenses for SUSE Linux Eneterprise.
2 > Novell and Microsoft each promised not to sue the other's customers for patent infringement.
Then Mr. Steve Ballmer went ahead and claimed that Linux users owed Microsoft. ( I could not stop laughing at this). I could not believe he said it.

Ballmer did not provide details during his comments today. But he was adamant that Linux users, apart from those using SUSE, are taking advantage of Microsoft innovation, and that someone -- either Linux vendors or users -- would eventually have to pay up.

"Only customers that use SUSE have paid properly for intellectual property from Microsoft," he said. "We are willing to do a deal with Red Hat and other Linux distributors." The deal with SUSE Linux "is not exclusive," Ballmer added.

Why will a quality product like Linux steal IP from an old, badly written, non-standard, unsafe, fragile, shoddy OS like Windows. Linux is after all, open source, based on open standards. Go ahead Microsoft try to cook up some bad law suit and try slapping it on the community. BTW the Linux community has obviously been irked. Check this.
The day before Novell and Microsoft and Novell came out with an "open" letter to the community.

We disagree with the recent statements made by Microsoft on the topic of Linux and patents. Importantly, our agreement with Microsoft is in no way an acknowledgment that Linux infringes upon any Microsoft intellectual property. 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.

Back-stabbed and bruised Novell concluded well.

In closing, we wish to be extremely clear that Novell is committed to protecting, preserving and promoting freedom for free and open source software. We recognize that the community of open source developers is essential to all our activities in Linux, and we welcome dialog with the community as to how we can continue to work together toward these common goals.

The fact of the matter, what most people have failed to acknowledge, is that Novell is a good citizen of the Linux. It has toiled hard and contributed to the Linux community. It is a good win for Linux ( no not the agreement ), but the fact that "Linux is something Microsoft has to partner with", as put by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. Read more here.
Its only fault being trusting Microsoft too much.

Another reason why one should not trust Microsoft. Some old references.