While the geek world seems obsessively distracted with the iPhone, an event of significance has taken place for the enteprise. Today is the day that the much anticipated GPLv3 was released.
As expected the license attempts to address the two most controversial issues: “Tivoization” is the term used for devices build on open software but which does not allow people to touch the code. For a good rundown on how that is tackled, see this story on Forbes.com.
A Computerworld article sums up how GPLv3 attempts to address the Microsoft/Novell issue
“The inclusion of language to address the controversial cross-licensing and co-development deal last November between Microsoft Corp. and Novell Inc.’s SUSE Linux division, when Novell agreed to pay Microsoft a percentage of revenues from open-source products, while Microsoft agreed to waive patent claims against users of SUSE Linux. The new GPLv3 language says that software companies that “make discriminatory patent deals…may not convey software under GPLv3. Novell is not prohibited from distributing this software because the patent protection [it] arranged with Microsoft last November can be turned against Microsoft to the community’s benefit,” according to a FSF statement”
But while it is good that the GPLv3 attempts to address controversial cross-licensing deals, by grandfathering in the Novell/Microsoft deal, v3 is too little too late. Sure, it is good that future such agreements are stopped, but there is no company but Microsoft that needed to craft such a deal, and it has one. Sure, maybe this could prevent future distro makers from signing up with Microsoft, but all the lines in the sand on that one have already been drawn, too.
Ultimately, the market is going to decide who the winners and losers are in the operating system wars. Disrutptive technologies like desktop virtualization and software-as-a-service will make such agreements moot points. In the meantime, Microsoft has what it wants. Novell has what it wants. And any Linux maker that wants to work with Microsoft will find its way to do so. Not sure that’s a bad thing.
