Does GNOME co-founder Miguel de Icaza's backflip over the Novell-Microsoft deal a few days ago mean that he has finally been convinced that he is on a one-way path to nowhere?

OK, so sometimes I'm wrong. Miguel de Icaza called out an error I made in criticizing Novell for its open-source strategy. I admit that I find it hard to see beyond Novell's patent pact with Microsoft but, as Miguel pointed out in a string of emails between us today (which he graciously allowed me to cite), this leaves out a lot that Novell does well.

Miguel says that he's doing this to bring the proprietary world into the open-source camp. It's not working, Miguel. You don't convince by capitulating. You convince by winning, though I'd like to think that open source can win on its own terms - terms that include collaboration and a non-zero sum game.

Miguel de Icaza: "We could refresh the look and feel of the entire desktop with Moonlight"

Translation: We'll try to make the whole desktop dependent on a MS standard.

Mono leader criticizes double standards when it comes to the open web and talks about future developments and the increasing openness at Microsoft

Quite a bit of talk has arisen today over two of Microsoft's competitors (Google and IBM) offering free office suites in an attempt to supplant Microsoft as the office king. And now that this is happened, some are wondering if Microsoft will finally face reality and offer its own Office product for free so it can compete.

I saw a forum post where someone said "Icaza himself says that OOXML is superb". Well, first I was amazed, then I shrugged, and wrote it off as a troll, and continued with my other tasks. Two hours later I remembered again.

Miguel de Icaza's path from programmer to free software evangelist to Novell Inc. vice president has unfolded like the lives of many luminaries -- he fell into it by chance and seized the opportunities.

As the title says, clear your computer of Miguel's crap