Microsoft + Novell

[Tywais]

"SAN FRANCISCO--In an unusual partnership, old foes Microsoft and Novell have joined forces to work on harmonizing their products.

The companies said Thursday they will collaborate on development of specific technologies, for example to help Microsoft's Windows, a proprietary operating system, work with Novell's Suse Linux, which is based on open-source code. On the business side, they will promote each other's products. "

Source: Zdnet News

[Richard-BKK]

I’m confident that Microsoft also sees the market changes, Microsoft must be thinking if we cannot win, then join them.

Most of us will know about the Microsoft's proxy war on Linux via SCO Corp. which is finally coming to its endgame. And no one, probably not even in SCO's own offices, believes that SCO will win. Even if they now win they still lose.

Also the cards on the table changed as Novell seems now to be the right full owner of the copyrights involved the SCO Unix code versus Linux law-suite.

Also SCO Corp., who is almost bankrupt, has to pay Novell Corp. by court order 2 to 3 times what SCO Corp. is worth or what they have of cash available. Some belief that Novell is out to take over SCO Corp..

Microsoft, who backed SCO with some financial promises, sees them now in an unusual situation. Novell is back in the market, stronger then ever before, with huge amount of cash and a portfolio of patents.

What is the future of computers and the operating system they will run? I belief a quote of what CTO Jeff Jaffe from Novell had to say about it. During the press conference in San Francisco announcing this deal, “Novell CTO said that the end result will be to enable Windows to run on top of Linux”

However, while the press conference centered on web services, it's clear that the two are also working on making it easy to manage mixed Windows and SUSE Linux Enterprise environments. In particular, the unlikely bedfellows will work on ways to confederate Microsoft Active Directory with Novell eDirectory, and vice-versa.

The two are also working together to bridge the gap between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org's document formats.

[sunstate]

Two very signifigant stories in the news this week regarding Open Source Software;

The first regarding a deal between Microsoft and Novell (The makers of SUSE Linux)

http://www.informationweek.com/software/sh...ion=Open+Source

The second involves Oracle and Red Hat.

http://www.cbronline.com/article_feature.a...5B-55951775179D

It really has been a very busy week in the area of Open Source Software. The Big boys are certainly up to something, I'm just not sure what it all means. One thing is for very certain and that is the tacit acknowledgement that Linux is a threat in both the the Server and Desktop markets.

I really don't see a change in Microsoft's fundamental attitude and am concerned that it will use commercial tactics to destroy the Linux threat rather than embracing a new business model!

Oracle and Red Hat? This also could destroy the Open Source Model at least as we know it.

[Cyberstar]

What is the future of computers and the operating system they will run? I belief a quote of what CTO Jeff Jaffe from Novell had to say about it. During the press conference in San Francisco announcing this deal, “Novell CTO said that the end result will be to enable Windows to run on top of Linux”

This sound more like a "war' against Wine and CrossOver. Who would want OS Windows on top of OS Linux for other reasons than running Windows applications on a Linux platform.

[Richard-BKK]

Microsoft will make two payments totaling $348 million to the Novell Corporation under an agreement to allow Novell’s open-source Linux software to work with Windows.

Microsoft will pay Novell $240 million upfront in subscription fees to use the Linux software and an additional $108 million in upfront payments for use of patents, Novell said in a filing yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Microsoft and Novell, longtime rivals, announced last week that they had entered into a broad set of business and technological agreements.