What really happened to Stuart Cohen?

Bruce Perens says Stuart got the axe in part because he gave his blessing to the Microsoft-Novell deal, and some OSDL members didn’t like that. “It’s buying into a Microsoft FUD campaign that damages the business of many members,” Bruce writes via email. I don’t see how it’s FUD for Microsoft to claim the same thing that OSRM claimed 2 years ago (that Linux infringes on Microsoft patents.) Bruce says the difference is that OSRM (with which he’s been affiliated) isn’t trying to bully people with the patents. Money quote:

Novell had a friend “Big Mike” who was always getting in trouble with the law. Big Mike was making big noises, threatening to beat up Novell’s customers. So, Novell made a financial deal with Big Mike so that he’d promise not to beat up Novell’s customers, but would instead threaten the customers of all of Novell’s competitors. My insurance company, on the other hand, does not make a deal with the local burglars.

But how is Microsoft a “burglar” for seeking payment for its patents? Bruce’s answer: Patents aren’t legit. Seems a bit convenient that when laws don’t suit you, you simply claim the laws are illegitimate.

To my mind, Peter Yared’s recent take on this makes more sense. Peter basically says, Look, like it or not, Microsoft has these patents, and all Microsoft and Novell are doing is making a business deal that their customers wanted them to make.

Then again, Peter Yared and Bruce Perens swim in very different ends of the open source pool.