Sam Varghese
Monday, 30 March 2009 07:33
Opinion and Analysis
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SUSE Linux 11 has been out less than 10 days but already there are comparisons of the distribution to Windows - all of which are being accepted as compliments.
It has to be noted that some of the positive press is coming from those who are close to Novell - to the extent that they receive software well in advance of the public release.
Interoperability seems to be the buzzword of the moment and the fact that SUSE can play well with the various "standards" that Microsoft has established is being interpreted as a plus point.
Since it signed a patent deal with Microsoft in November 2006, Novell has been trying to sell SUSE based on the slogan "we play better with Windows."
If that had worked, you would expect to see some better Linux sales figures from Novell. Such is not the case; Novell is a distant second to Red Hat and its figures are not getting any better.
(It's pertinent to note than even in these difficult economic times, Red Hat seems to be going
from strength to strength; the latest set of figures indicates that total annual revenue has grown by 25 per cent.)
If one had to choose between an Exchange clone and Exchange itself, which one would you pick?
If there was a choice between a word processor that had Office compatibility and the real thing, why would you opt for a pretender?
If one needed to use Silverlight, then why opt for the clone that is always lagging behind in terms of full compliance?
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