“Before the dust whipped up by Linux executive Chris Stone’s
departure from Novell had begun to settle, the company announced
today’s $536 million settlement payment from Microsoft regarding
Novell’s NetWare. Industry insiders believe the timing of these two
events–which happened within four days of each other–is curious,
to say the least.“Coincidence? That remains largely uncertain, but the two events
nonetheless have become cause of discussion for some industry
analysts, including Yankee Group senior analyst Dana Gardner and
Gartner Group’s John Enck…”