Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss Path: bga.com!news.sprintlink.net!demon!uknet!festival!dcs.ed.ac.uk!pdc From: p...@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Paul Crowley) Subject: Novell's Linux-based OS Message-ID: <CqEKyp.1An@dcs.ed.ac.uk> Sender: cn...@dcs.ed.ac.uk (UseNet News Admin) Organization: Edinburgh University References: <BURLEY.94May20021958@mole.gnu.ai.mit.edu> <peterd.769636495@merlin.dev.cdx.mot.com> <2rqmgb$a9b@apollo.west.oic.com> Date: Thu, 26 May 1994 09:28:00 GMT Lines: 10 Can anyone confirm that Novell does *not* plan to release their Linux-based operating system under the GPL? Because the rumour I heard said they did. And if they do, I doubt they'll have any problems making a profit on it. If I were a business and Novell said they'd sell me Linux, with support and printed documentation, for $200, I'd buy it immediately. __ _____ \/ o\ Paul.Crow...@ed.ac.uk \\ // 42A47697 54144EA4 BACFA9FD C9433347 /\__/ Entomography consultant. \X/ WWW: http://tardis.ed.ac.uk/%7Epdc/
Path: bga.com!news.sprintlink.net!rtp.vnet.net!news1.digex.net!news.intercon.com! howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!sunic!news.funet.fi!news.csc.fi!news.helsinki.fi! not-for-mail From: torva...@cc.Helsinki.FI (Linus Torvalds) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Re: Novell's Linux-based OS Date: 31 May 1994 13:29:17 +0300 Organization: University of Helsinki Lines: 38 Message-ID: <2sf3ht$2ii@klaava.Helsinki.FI> References: <BURLEY.94May20021958@mole.gnu.ai.mit.edu> <peterd.769636495@merlin.dev.cdx.mot.com> <2rqmgb$a9b@apollo.west.oic.com> <CqEKyp.1An@dcs.ed.ac.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: klaava.helsinki.fi In article <CqEKyp....@dcs.ed.ac.uk>, Paul Crowley <p...@dcs.ed.ac.uk> wrote: >Can anyone confirm that Novell does *not* plan to release their >Linux-based operating system under the GPL? Because the rumour I heard >said they did. Note: I know no more about it than you do, but this discussion has gone on for so long that I might as well get my feet wet too.. I don't see any way Novell would want to do a non-GPL kernel: they have enough proprietary value-added stuff (if the reports are true) that keeping the kernel GPL'd should be no problem at all for them. The kernel would be a very miniscule part of the CD-ROM after all. I seriously doubt Novell wants to get even a hint of copyright problems when/if doing the release. The major reasons I can see for Novell using linux (apart from the technical ones, of course :-), is (a) make money, and (b) get a wedge into the PC marketplace with UNIX. To do both they'll need to sell a rather large amount of CD's (frankly, I'd think that (b) is more important to them: they can't expect to make huge amount of money off a $99 CD-ROM, but they'd probably enjoy making UNIX PR which then makes money indirectly through larger installations). And in order to sell huge amounts of CD-ROMs, the last thing Novell probably wants is a lot of people running about and wondering if what they do is legal. Quite the reverse, I'd assume: by using a free kernel Novell probably expects to get some goodwill and more room in the PC rags.. Caveat: I obviously have no head for economics at all (why would I still be a poor student if I had), so anybody taking my views as anything but wild guesses should probably have their head examined. Personal opinion: I may be a blue-eyed optimist, but I think a Novell distribution would probably be just a good thing. I'd certainly like to see looking-glass and windows emulation myself (and I'd expect a complimentary copy if they ship, so nyaah... :^). Linus