| Unlike Microsoft, Novell sticks with GPLv3 |
Jul. 11, 2007
Microsoft denies that it has anything to do with GPLv3 or vice versa. Novell, however, is making it clear that it will be supporting SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in the future, including any components, such as future versions of Samba, that are licensed under GPLv3.
In a blog by Novell's director of PR, Bruce Lowry, Lowry wrote, "Given the terms of GPLv3, we re-affirm Novell’s ability to include technologies licensed under GPLv2 or GPLv3 in SUSE Linux Enterprise, openSUSE, and other Novell offerings and to deliver these technologies to our customers. This is good news for our customers, who enjoy using the best engineered and most interoperable Linux platform for mission-critical computing. Novell welcomes and supports GPLv3, and intends to include code licensed under GPLv3 in its distribution."
So far, so good, as for Novell's partner Microsoft's claims that "Microsoft has decided that the Novell support certificates that we distribute to customers will not entitle the recipient to receive from Novell, or any other party, any subscription for support and updates that includes the receipt of any code licensed under GPLv3" are so much hogwash.
Lowry continued: "Microsoft’s current position, taken unilaterally, is intended to eliminate any perceived ambiguity about the applicability of GPLv3 to Microsoft. Nonetheless and independent of Microsoft’s position, we would like to make clear our commitment to our customers that Novell will continue to distribute SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with its full set of functionality and features, including those components that are licensed under GPLv3.
"For those customers who will obtain their Linux via a certificate from Microsoft, Novell will provide them with a regular SUSE Linux Enterprise Server subscription, regardless of the terms of the certificate provided by Microsoft. Customers who have already received SUSE Linux Enterprise certificates from Microsoft are not affected in any way by this, since their certificates were fully delivered and redeemed prior to the publication of the GPLv3. Novell will continue to put the needs of our customers first and ensure that they can take advantage of the latest version of SUSE Linux Enterprise to run their business."
In a note, Lowry expanded on this statement, "What Microsoft has said is that the certificates it distributes for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server will not entitle the customers to maintenance and support of GPL3 technologies. What we’ve said is that customers don’t need to worry about this, that we’ll cover them anyway. Novell will provide maintenance and support for whatever version of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server the customer is running, whether that contains GPL3 licensed components or not and whether they got the certificate from Microsoft or bought SUSE Linux Enterprise directly from us or another partner. So nothing changes for customers—they are fully supported."
As for the Microsoft/Novell patent covenant, "The covenant not to sue that Microsoft has granted to Novell customers cover all Novell products, both proprietary and open source. It doesn’t matter whether the license is GPL2 or GPL3," said Lowry.
Further, "Novell, as it always has, will fulfill the terms of the licenses of the technologies it ships in its Linux distribution. We fully intend to comply with GPL3 when GPL3 licensed technologies are introduced into SUSE Linux Enterprise. The agreement we have with Microsoft preceded implementation of GPL3, and is not prohibited by GPL3. The mutual covenants by Novell and Microsoft not to sue one another’s customers over patents remain in force."
While Novell certainly doesn't see eye to eye on GPLv3, Lowry added, "Novell and Microsoft plan to continue our technical collaboration efforts which include our joint development work on virtualization, standards-based systems management, identity interoperability and document format translators."
—Steven J. Vaughan Nichols
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