Press and blogger coverage of Novell's acquisition by Attachmate has identified EMC VMware, previously a rumored Novell suitor, and possibly even Linux and open source in general as being hurt by the acquisition. That coverage has presented the acquisition as having a positive or -- at worst -- neutral impact on Microsoft's competitive position with both VMware and Linux. However, the truth is that Microsoft has lost more than it has won in its decision to pull together a consortium to buy some Novell patents to help raise funds for Attachmate's acquisition of Novell.
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