In an attempt to turn this blog into a gossip rag, I'm going to "start" posting unsubstantiated (Meaning, true or almost certainly true but with sources that I can't reveal) rumors. Fiction is always more fun. :-)
In this case, however, it's the truth. First in line to acquire SUSE back in the day was...Red Hat. Matthew Szulik decided to pass on the opportunity and, well, the rest is history. Ironic, isn't it? With whom would Microsoft have done its patent deal had Novell not been around? Would Ubuntu have started sooner to fill the competitive Linux void?
We'll never know....