Microsoft "endorses" Linux?
Come on, Novell, I can see touting SAP's seal of approval on SUSE Linux, but Microsoft? I found this banner on Novell's page today (while looking for a logo for an earlier post), and I laughed as I read, "A quick and easy way to certify..." and then this:
(Credit:
Novell)
Bravo for interoperability. But Microsoft gets paid to put Novell, Red Hat, etc. out of business. That is its fiduciary duty. The minute Novell starts cutting into Microsoft's profits is the minute that Microsoft's "endorsement" disappears.
It may be momentarily good marketing (and I actually doubt that), but I don't think it's a good long-term strategy. Microsoft has a cash cow (Windows) to defend. Everything it does is designed to boost Windows to the hurt of competitors like Linux. Yes, even SUSE Linux. This feels like playing with fire....
Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay. 
