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Novell/Apple patent covers digital profile 'clones' to spoof profiling
If you don't want your true identity to be discovered online, one way to stay hidden is to muddle your online profile with tweaked names, different birth dates, made-up preferences and other false information. Some professionals who can't present as themselves in social media contexts (teachers, therapists & the like) use this strategy to hide from inquiring administrators and searching students/patients. This approach isn't unique to individuals, however -- a similar type of profile polluting is detailed in a patent that Apple recently obtained from Novell, says an Information Week report. Patent number 8,205,265 was originally awarded to Novell in April 2007 as patent number 20070094738 and describes "techniques to pollute electronic profiling." According to The Atlantic, one on-device method includes cloning a user's digital identity multiple times and inserting fake information along with the real information. This new composite identity is employed when a user ventures out onto the Internet. The technology described in the patent is meant to stymie "eavesdroppers monitoring the network." The patent was assigned to Apple on June 19, 2012 and was obtained in a recent patent purchase from Novell. [Via The Atlantic and MacDailyNews]
Google addresses Microsoft's 'patent attack' response, says it didn't fall for its offer (update: Microsoft responds, again)
Apple may still be staying out of the fray, but it looks like we now have a full-on back and forth between Google and Microsoft, following the former's blog post yesterday that alleged a "hostile, organized campaign" against Android on the part of Microsoft, Apple, Oracle and others. The latest word comes once again from Google's SVP and Chief Legal Officer, David Drummond, who has updated his original post with a response to what he calls Microsoft's "false gotcha." As you'll recall from late yesterday, Microsoft brought up the fact that it had offered Google the opportunity to bid jointly with it on the Novell patents, and that Google turned it down. According to Drummond, however, such a joint acquisition would have "eliminated any protection these patents could offer to Android against attacks from Microsoft and its bidding partners," and that it "didn't fall for it." He further goes on to note that the Justice Department's eventual intervention in the acquisition -- which required the winning group to provide a license to the open source community -- only backed up Google's case, and reaffirmed its original point that its "competitors are waging a patent war on Android and working together to keep us from getting patents that would help balance the scales." Still no response from Microsoft on that, but we'd recommend staying tuned. Update: Well, once again, Frank Shaw, lead corporate communications for Microsoft, has taken to Twitter to tell Redmond's side of the story. In several tweets he reiterates that Google rebuffed Microsoft's offer to tag team the patent-bidding process and claims that El Goog wanted Novell's IP all to itself -- so that it could sue others instead of using the portfolio to reduce patent-liability for all. We don't know if that was Google's true intention, but we do enjoy seeing these two tech titans duke it out in a public forum. Keep it up, guys.
Microsoft renews alliance with SUSE, throws $100 million in pocket change at Linux
Microsoft and Linux haven't always had the friendliest of rapports but, a few years back, the folks at Redmond decided to cozy up to Novell and the enterprise-focused distro SUSE. The German arm of the company even wished Tux a happy 20th birthday last week, in an attempt to further thaw their notoriously chilly relationship. Now the Windows crew have decided to renew their partnership with SUSE and have committed to purchasing $100 million in technical support for Microsoft Enterprise customers who also happen to be running Linux boxes as part of their operations. It's not about to stop claiming that the open source OS violates several of its patents, but at least they've learned to get along with out suing each other into oblivion... unlike some other companies we could name. Cough. Check out the full PR after the break.
Novell's Mono tools let devs create .NET apps for Android devices
If app developers have a pattern of going after the iPhone first and Android second, well, the same is apparently true of the folks who write software for the code monkeys. Novell just announced Mono for Android, the first set of tools that lets devs write .NET and C# apps for Android phones and tablets. Novell already lets developers do the same for Linux, iOS, and Mac OS X and, as always, lets coders continue to use Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 to write applications -- if that's the testing software they're used to. In addition to the Visual Studio plug-in, you get bindings for native Android APIs and the core Mono runtime. It's available now, starting at $99 for students (minus the ability to, you know, send finished apps to Android Market) and $399 for everybody else. Already developing for the iPhone? Prove that you own MonoTouch (essentially, the same Novell product for iOS devices) and get 50 percent off an Android tool kit.
Apple, others withdraw filing for Novell patent purchase
CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of companies which include Microsoft, Apple, EMC and Oracle, has withdrawn its filing to purchase 882 patents originally held by Novell. In December, the group submitted a plan to the German government's anti-trust authority notifying them of their plan to purchase these patents for $450 million. These patents were offered as part of Attachmate's deal to buy Novell. The purchase of these patents by CPTN was opposed by open source organizations, including the Open Source Initiative and the Free Software Foundation Europe. Both open source groups filed complaints against this transaction with German regulators. In its complaint, the Open Source Initiative noted, "The founders and leaders of CPTN have a long history of opposing and misrepresenting the value of open source software, which is at the heart of Web infrastructure and of many of the most widely used software products and services. The sole or leading competition for several products from the CPTN principals are open source." Despite the withdrawal of this application, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that CPTN still plans to purchase these Novell patents. Instead of a change of heart, this decision may have been a procedural step that would let CPTN modify its filing. According to this theory, CPTN could make changes that would ease the concerns of open source groups and allow the purchase to proceed more smoothly.
Apple, Microsoft, others acquire Novell patents for $450 million
Software company Novell recently had to reorganize after an acquisition by Attachmate, and as a result, a number of patents held by the company went up the air for grabs. Apple has decided to team with Microsoft, and picked up the patents along with a few other partners for $450 million. It's not quite known what will happen with these, but the company formed by the partnership, CPTN Holdings LLC, now owns 882 patents originally filed by Novell. Filing papers show that this company was "a consortium organized by Microsoft," so presumably the patents will simply be held by the company to protect certain technologies if necessary, or Microsoft and its partners (including Apple) will split them up according to some agreement. This isn't the only chunk of patents that Apple is looking to pick up -- the bankrupt Nortel Networks is also trying to sell off a swath of 4,000 patents worth over $1 billion all together, and Apple is reportedly interested in buying at least a few of those. Microsoft and Google are also aiming to pick up some of Nortel's patents. And all of these patents are just more ammo in a few different ongoing lawsuits, between Apple and other cell phone manufacturers. At this point, we're getting into a level of abstraction that seems pretty far removed from the reason patents were invented in the first place. But as long as Apple can gain an advantage by patenting as many technologies as possible and buying as many patents as it can, it'll play the system as much as is legal. [via Macrumors]
Wave officially finds a home with the Apache Software Foundation
It's official, Wave fans: the Apache Software Foundation has accepted Wave for its incubator program. What's this mean? Well, the group will oversee future development of the Wave Federation protocols and the Wave In A Box product -- and those of you who absolutely cannot live without your Waves won't be left out in the cold. Rounding out support from Apache and Google are representatives from Solute, Novell, SESI, University Duisburg-Essen, and Wikileaks (OK, we made that last one up). Best of luck to ya!
HP Mini 'Classmate PC' reveals itself at Computex (video)
Even though school's just getting out in most places around the world, the bulk of companies start announcing their back to school laptops just about... now! And we'd bet you that this 10-inch Mini Classmate netbook (the final name is still TBD) is what HP has in store for the kiddies come this fall. Unlike the Mini 5102, which has previously aimed at the younger set, this here netbook is quite chunky and reminds us of the original Intel Classmate PC -- it's made entirely of plastic and has a handle on its back. The one on display was covered in a pretty unattractive marshmallow-ish white, but our wildest fantasies have HP offering it in a slew of colors. Other than that, it boasted a grey-colored chiclet keyboard, was running SuSE Linux 11 -- it was actually on display at the Novell booth -- and had an Intel Atom processor. That's all we know for now, though we're assuming there are a bunch of child-proof features that aren't evident to the naked eye. Head on past the break for a brief hands-on video of this heretofore unannounced mini machine. %Gallery-94392%
MSI rolls out U135 netbook pre-loaded with SUSE Moblin
Dell may have been the first to experiment with Moblin on an Atom-based netbook for developers, but it looks like MSI is the first to actually get one intended for regular consumers out the door, with it now announcing that it's shipping a version of its U135 netbook pre-loaded with Novell's SUSE Moblin OS (version 2.1, of course). Apart from that, the netbook itself apparently remains the same as the U135 we got our hands on last month, which packed a 10-inch screen, a 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive. No word on any difference in price just yet, but it should be available sometime next month.
IP Innovation sues Red Hat, Novell for patent infringement
Well, would you look at this. Not even a week after Steve Ballmer insinuated that Red Hat users owe Microsoft money for using its patents, IP Innovation has filed a lawsuit against the firm (along with Novell) in the accurately nicknamed "patent troll magnet state (that'd be Texas)." The firm, which also threw a lawsuit Apple's way earlier this year, is claiming that both entities have infringed on the very same patent. As if that weren't enough, Groklaw's digging found that the plaintiff is actually a subsidiary of Acacia, which just so happened to hire on two prior Microsoft execs in the months leading up to this filing. If you're interested in feeding your desire to conjure up some sensational conspiracy theory even further, feel free to grab your coffee and hit the read link.[Via Digg, thanks Ziemowit P.]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLI: Sun's James Eagleton says Microsoft guilty of "patent terrorism"
In the most recent round of the Microsoft vs. Linux debate, Sun's systems product manager James Eagleton lobs the latest volley, stating that the Redmond-based software giant's business tactics amount to "patent terrorism," and that the current climate it's created is akin to a "cold war." Eagleton goes on to offer that Sun and even IBM have much fairer approaches to patent protection which don't go against "the spirit of innovation," in the way he claims Microsoft's policies do. If the dubious arrangements Microsoft has agreed upon with Novell and Linspire didn't convince you that something was rotten in the state of Washington, comments like sour-grapes-Eagleton's should at least make you take pause.[Via The Inquirer]
Microsoft says it's not bound by GPL v3
It's been a week since version 3 of the GPL was released, and the ripple effect is starting to make some pretty big waves: Microsoft -- which has been essentially selling Novell's SUSE Linux since last year -- released a terse statement today claiming that neither it nor its customers are parties to any terms of the revised license. Furthermore, "to avoid any doubt or legal debate on this issue," Microsoft will decline to support any GPL v3 code that might be distributed with SUSE. Microsoft does have a point: since Linux remains under GPL v2 (and probably will for the foreseeable future), there's very little binding them to the terms of GPL v3 -- specifically, the patent protection terms that would essentially undo the major element of the whole MS / Novell agreement. How the inclusion of GPL v3 code with SUSE affects the overall license is another matter entirely -- one that will result in a lot of legal chest-pounding until the GPL finally gets tested in an American court.Disclaimer: While the author of this post is a copyright attorney, its contents are not meant to constitute legal advice or analysis.[Via CNET]
Ubuntu, Red Hat, and Microsoft: not really buddies
If you keep abreast of technology news (and we know you do!) then you've surely been following the latest chapter of the Microsoft vs. Linux struggle, wherein Microsoft gets Novell, Linspire and Xandros to put pen to paper on shadowy and vaguely suspicious agreements concerning "interoperability" and "indemnification", more than likely stemming from the 235 undisclosed patents Redmond claims Linux infringes upon. While some have bent to the will of Ballmer and Co., Red Hat and Canonical (makers of Ubuntu) are holding their ground. Red Hat says it will not pay "innovation tax" to Microsoft, while Canonical's Mark Shuttleworth more poetically describes the aforementioned deals as, "Trinkets in exchange for air kisses." As far as we can tell, that's the kind of talk that immediately precedes a bar brawl.[Via Digg]
Dell joins the Microsoft-Novell alliance, hopes for Windows / Linux harmony
The adoration for Linux that has been flowing from Round Rock of late is both refreshing and curious, and Dell has just taken its respect for the open-source OS to another level by signing on with Microsoft and Novell. While Linux users have long griped (and protested) about Microsoft, it's been no secret that Michael Dell has a thing for Ubuntu, and now it sounds like Dell will be "buying SUSE Linux Enterprise Server certificates from Microsoft," and moreover, "will be setting up a services and marketing program aimed at getting users of open-source platforms to switch to the new SUSE Linux offering." With the agreement inked, the Texas Powerhouse becomes the "first major systems provider to align with Microsoft and Novell in the collaboration," and judging by all the other recent Linux happenings in the Dell arena, we'd say this deal aligns perfectly with its current strategy.
Novell releases Get a Mac spoofs
Apple's Get a Mac ads have inarguably struck a chord with both the advertising and our culture. People clearly either love 'em, hate 'em or wanna spoof 'em, and one only needs to comb our archives or check YouTube to see what we mean. Recently, Novell (yea, the Linux guys) tossed their hand into the mix with their own spoofs which debuted at their BrainShare conference (which you can attend virtually). The first video, linked here at YouTube, plays off the Win/Mac rivalry and pokes fun at how the industry often ignores Linux and its surprising (to some) user base size. The second video, embedded in this post, is arguably funnier, as it does a great job of poking fun at the way Microsoft and Apple market their products while pointing out open source software's advantage of being a community effort. They're both good for a chuckle and a nice effort from Novell, or whoever actually put them together.Thanks, geezer.
Will it blend? Novell's IT smoothie mixes Vista, SUSE and Apple to gruesome effect
We enjoy a good "Will it blend?" episode just as much as the next YouTube addict, and this one takes the meme to new heights. Tom Dickson is on the scene to entertain Novell BrainShare attendees with an IT infrastructure smoothie. Naturally, this involves a copy of Vista from Novell's best buddy, a SUSE figurine, Apple Mighty Mouse and a can of Red Bull. The addition of "blades" adds a bit of suspense, but the end result seem to match IRL interoperability quite nicely -- we keed, we keed! Peep the video after the break.[Via Digg]
Novell could be banned from Linux sales after dirty M$ dealings
Novell and Microsoft might be oh-so-proud of their unholy union, with Novell reaping reams of cash and a newfound notoriety from the deal, and Microsoft gaining some control of its Linux competition -- along with a bit more cred to its patent claims. It's that last part that has Linux types a bit wary of the deal: "The community of people wants to do anything they can to interfere with this deal and all deals like it. They have every reason to be deeply concerned that this is the beginning of a significant patent aggression by Microsoft," said Eben Moglen, of the Free Software Foundation. The Foundation has put Novell's right to sell new versions of Linux up for review, and expects a ruling within two weeks. Were the ban to be approved, Novell would have to commit serious resources to developing its own soon-to-be-outdated branch of the OS which accounts for 5 percent of its revenue. While the fear of cross-licensing IP with Microsoft does indeed sound like something that could warrant such a ban, it does seem a tad bit hypocritical for the FSF to punish Novell just for trying to make some cash while making it easier for users to use Windows and Linux side-by-side. Novell didn't want to comment on the ongoing decision, but we suppose we'll be checking back in a few weeks to see how this one turns out.[Thanks, Nathan M.]Update: This story was mis-reported all over the interwebs, and it looks like we got duped too. Under the GPL, the FSF has no power over Novell's distribution of Linux. The FSF is working on GPLv3, which would ban such deals, but thanks to the GPLv3's anti-DRM stance and other restrictions, Linux being moved to that license is quite unlikely. GPLv3 is also in its early infancy at the moment, so such Novell-impacting conjectures were especially irresponsible. Thanks Adam for the heads up.
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XVII - Ballmer to Linux users: You owe us
While Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was taking a break from dealing with cranky users still waiting for Vista, he went ahead and told the entire Linux community that they owe him a big thank-you. Yes, yes he did. In a Q&A session at the Professional Association for SQL Server conference, Ballmer (sans sweat) said that Microsoft signed a deal with SUSE Linux distributor Novell in order to get some money back for its "intellectual property." Among other transactions, the one in question sends $40 million to Microsoft in exchange for Microsoft's promise not to sue Novell over possible patent violations. As to whether or not the SUSE Linux distribution actually infringes upon any patents, Novell's payment appears to be some sort of admission fee, and, according to Ballmer, Linux users owe him a big "thanks." After all, he was just assuring that Microsoft gets the "appropriate economic return for our shareholders from our innovation." Meanwhile, Red Hat called the whole thing an "innovation tax" and plans to protect its customers against any infringement claims by Microsoft, asking Ballmer to go ahead and show us all what part of the Linux kernel infringes upon Redmond's patents. So while Ballmer pens his report, get to it, open-source community -- start writing your thank-you notes. [Thanks, Neonez]
Microsoft supports Linux via Novell; Satan phones Gates regarding temperature
It's not exactly official just yet, but the latest word from "people familiar with the companies" being printed up by The Wall Street Journal is sensational enough to run even if we overheard a couple of bums whispering about it on the street. Apparently Microsoft has reached an agreement with Novell, wherein Microsoft will provide sales support to Novell's SUSE Linux operating system. We kid you not. The two lovebirds have also agreed to develop technologies to make dual-boot systems easier to operate, and Microsoft has promised not to assert patent rights over software technology that might show up in SUSE. Quite an interesting development, given Microsoft's heretofore complete disgust for anything Linux related, and made even more miraculous in light of the specifically bad blood between these two companies -- remember that $536 million antitrust settlement a couple years back? Either Microsoft is starting to feel the Linux heat, or they decided "stop asserting their patent rights" to get themselves out of any more antitrust trouble. Or maybe, just maybe, Microsoft and Novell just want to get along for the kids. Steve Ballmer is expected to make the official announcement of this hell-freezing agreement in San Francisco this afternoon.
Lenovo teams up with Novell for new, pricey Linux ThinkPads
If Linux is your thing, and you've got a good bit of cash to spare, Lenovo has just released a couple of attractive new options to their T60p line with Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 pre-installed. Linux and ThinkPads have always seemed a natural fit, and there is plenty of community support out there if you'd like to roll your own install, but a Lenovo-supported install should be nice for users who just want things to work out of the box. Unfortunately, that convenience comes at quite a cost, since the 14-inch "workstation" goes for $3100, while the 15-incher hits $3200. The laptops are pretty well specced, with a 2.33 GHz Core Duo T2700, 1GB of RAM, 100GB HDD, 256MB ATI FireGL V5200 graphics, DVD burning, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, a fingerprint reader and a 9-cell lithium-ion battery, but a similarly configured 14-inch T60p running Windows goes for a mere $2360. Quite a premium for convenience indeed.UPDATE: If comments are any indication, Lenovo is already going to have a hard time convincing consumers of the value on these things. Well, the news just gets worse: according to LinuxPlanet, Lenovo isn't even going to pre-load SUSE. The laptop will ship with a blank hard drive, and the necessary drivers will be downloadable. Sure, they're throwing in some nifty unlimited phone support, but we're really not so sure this is going to fly. Thanks, Vasicila for the heads-up.
