Virtual Linux Open source News - Microsoft, Novell ensure Linux, Windows compatibility

Early this month, Microsoft and Novell both announced an agreement that will ensure interoperability between Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise with Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will officially recommend SUSE Linux to their customers who want a mixed environment of Windows and Linux solutions. They will also distribute coupons for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server maintenance and support to Microsoft's customers.

The agreement doesn't stop there. As part of the agreement that will last till 2012, Novell and Microsoft are announcing three important commitments.

First, Microsoft will work with Novell and actively contribute to several open-source software projects, including projects focused on Office file formats and web services management.

Second, Microsoft will not assert its patents against individual noncommercial open source developers.

And third, Microsoft is promising not to assert its patents against individual contributors to OpenSUSE.org whose code is included in the SUSE Linux Enterprise platform, including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop.

In order to do so, Microsoft and Novell will create a joint research facility to create software solutions to ensure interoperability and manageability of their products.

With virtualization, users using SUSE Linux will be able to run Windows and Windows applications on top of Linux and vice versa -- Windows users will also be able to run Linux and Linux applications in Windows.

Of course, server management solutions works much the same way -- you can now manage both Windows and SUSE Linux servers, both physical and virtual whether they are running on Linux or Windows.

"Customers continually ask us how they can consolidate servers with multiple operating systems through virtualization. By working together, Novell and Microsoft enable customers to choose the operating system that best fits their application and business needs, " said Jeff Jaffe, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Novell.

"We're excited to work with Novell, whose strengths include its heritage as a mixed-source company. Resolving our patent issues enables a combined focus on virtualization and Web services management to create new opportunities for our companies and our customers," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft.

He also noted, "I recognize that Linux plays an important role in the IT infrastructure for a number of our customers, and will continue to play an important role."

The cooperation to support and better ensure interoperability between Office document formats also works both ways -- Microsoft Office will better support OpenDo*****ent standards such as formats used by the OpenOffice productivity suite and OpenOffice through Novell's contribution will have better support for Office document formats, including the newly released Office 2007.

Both Microsoft and Novell didn't offer information about the financial aspects of the agreement, but the press release materials mention payments for each other's patented intellectual property, with a net balancing payment from Microsoft to Novell and Novell will make running royalty payments based on a percentage of its revenues from open-source products.

Undoubtedly, the agreement caused pros and cons throughout the entire open-source community from which Linux was originally conceived.

Conspiracy and conjecture aside, in the end users of both Windows and Linux win. "Today's announcement by Microsoft and Novell marks a significant milestone in the adoption of Linux," said Stuart Cohen, CEO of Open Source Development Labs.

"By choosing a course of cooperation and competition, Microsoft acknowledges the critical role that open source plays today in an enterprise IT infrastructure.

"We appreciate the role Novell is playing to help bridge the gap between Microsoft and the open-source community. We are glad to see these two companies collaborating to further diminish the legal threat posed to developers and customers by patent assertions. This is good for customer confidence in Linux, the open-source community and the broader IT ecosystem."

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