Walmart Linux Deal
I haven’t written much about technology lately…
I know this blog started out as a very technical, very geeky blog, but since a lot of what I do these days has gotten so tied to things like company policy and some other proprietary information, I haven’t been talking a lot of tech. Well, today, I’ve got something I think all Novell and Linux guys, like me, have been watching. Sometime back Novell bought SuSE, a German Linux distribution and support company. They then proceeded to move their entire line of products away from a DOS-based, proprietary kernel and onto the SuSE Linux kernel. Really, I think, a pretty smart move.
Then, last year, Novell entered into an unholy alliance with the evil empire, Microsoft. Basically, Microsoft gave Novell a bunch of money so that they’d work on software “stuff” that made SuSE Linux interface more easily and seamlessly with Microsoft’s line of server software. Oh, the hue and cry about that! Well, now, I think I see why they did it.
According to this story on News.com, Walmart has contracted with Microsoft to expand their on-line business using Windows Server and SuSE. Apparently, Walmart, who had been a Redhat customer, was hesitant about expanding because of concerns regarding the intellectual property rights of Linux, thanks to that old SCO lawsuit that should have been thrown out of court a long time ago. But, part of the deal with Microsoft and Novell is that Walmart can get support from both companies for whatever might go wrong and get indemnification against any copyright infringement suits regarding Linux.
Suddenly, that Microsoft/Novell deal doesn’t seem so crazy to me.
I still wonder, though, what the hell I should study up on next. Security maybe? I mean, no matter what operating system people run, they’ll still be worried about security. Besides, I already know Linux, Novell and Microsoft products fairly well. In fact, I have certifications in two of the three, not to mention way too much experience in all three areas. I just don’t know. The IT landscape of the future is getting pretty crowded and bumpy, not to mention shrouded in heavy fog. Any suggestions from the techies?
