I would think it's quite obvious - it's a double standard. Either it's OK to
be involved with microsoft, or it's not. You can't have it both ways.
Are you saying that if you use SUSE or Linux, then you are automatically against Microsoft? Total horse rubbish. Using Linux or SUSE does not automatically make you anything other than a Linux of SUSE user. It has nothing to do with advocacy or anti-Microsoft campaining. Being anti-Microsoft has nothing to do with your prefered OS. For example, some scientists is universities use *nix because they have specialty apps they run that only are made for the Unix environment.
> I personally use SUSE as my main work desktop at work. But I also use an
> XP desktop so I can actually troubleshoot first hand the apps in the OS
> environment that 99% of the users use. There is no shame in that.
>
> No one at work could care less what I personally use as long as I get
> the job done. I have also never heard of a place where the IT guy can
> tell the CIO what the company should buy and what they should deploy.
That means you feel it's OK to be involved with microsoft. So, if you feel you
should have the freedom to be involved with microsoft, why do you condemn
Novell for dealing with microsoft?
You will be very hard pressed to find a job in IT these days, and if you decide to filter out everyone except Linux only companies, you are in for a real, real REAL long job hunt (At least here in North America. I can't speak for EU, but I bet you have better chances working is a SUSE only shop in Germany). Most really large companies are windows shops or a mix with a small linux component. I think academia are the only guys that have major *nix deployments and most of those guys use BSD I think.
Anyways, there is a really good reason why the companies are windows shops and it has nothing to do with loving Microsoft or hating Linux. Is has to do with apps. Most everyday joe staff are windows users at home and they like to use windows and MS office in the workplace. A lot of companies run managed systems so you don't have IT guys walking around manually installing apps and patches like monkeys all day long. Centrally managing and deploying apps and patches and configs is a big deal for them. and what better way to deploy windows apps and configs to windows OS's than to use a windows backend (
i.e. windows server and AD).
We used to run NetWare and ZENworks but like everyone else in the industry we migrated away from NetWare becuase Novell are run but a bunch of idiots who like to screw over their best products.