Free Software Group May Bar Novell From New Code

Vikingod · Mar 29, 2007, 07:25 PM

Source: InformationWeek
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A nonprofit software group said Wednesday it may ban Linux software distributor Novell Inc. from using new versions of its computer code to punish the company for signing a patent deal with Microsoft Corp.

The move by the Free Software Foundation would apply to a group of programs known as the GNU operating system, which comprise the bulk of the code at the heart of the popular Linux software system and surround a separately controlled group of code known as the Linux kernel.

Linux is a rival to Microsoft Windows and is distributed by Novell and dozens of competitors. It is the most popular version of free, or open-source, software, which users can obtain at no cost and which developers can download and modify as long as they share changes with the public.

Mar 29, 2007, 07:25 PM	#1
Vikingod Int'l Fish Liaison Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: By the light of lamp I sit and type... Posts: 16,197 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Free Software Group May Bar Novell From New Code Source: InformationWeek ___________ A nonprofit software group said Wednesday it may ban Linux software distributor Novell Inc. from using new versions of its computer code to punish the company for signing a patent deal with Microsoft Corp. The move by the Free Software Foundation would apply to a group of programs known as the GNU operating system, which comprise the bulk of the code at the heart of the popular Linux software system and surround a separately controlled group of code known as the Linux kernel. Linux is a rival to Microsoft Windows and is distributed by Novell and dozens of competitors. It is the most popular version of free, or open-source, software, which users can obtain at no cost and which developers can download and modify as long as they share changes with the public.