Can someone exlain this in plain English for the people who cant wrap there heads around an article filled with buzzwords.

 

 

Thanks

I think that it's an agreement to promote each other's technologies (SUSE and Windows). They have overlapping markets, but they are significantly different that a deal like this could benefit both of them. But I think the big this is trying to make the two operating systems more compatible.

 

There's been a lot of hate between proprietary and open source software/operating system makers. Microsoft engineers put in a memo the goals for the new software surrounding the networking in Windows Vista, one of them being "F*** with Samba" (Jeremy Allison on FLOSS Weekly episode 14). Samba being the open source networking program. Maybe this is an agreement for the proprietary side to stop "f***ing" with the open source side, and the open source side try to be more compatible and supporting of the proprietary software and operating system.

 

I'm not sure though. It's a somewhat nebulous agreement. I know it involves a "joint research facility". It has a lot to do with the compatibility between Microsoft word and Open Office, and being able to run virtual machines of one operating system on the other (virtual windows machine in SUSE, or visa versa).

 

I get the idea that Microsoft is getting something, and Novell is not getting sued for some patent infringement problem. Maybe they feel that Linux somehow copied something from windows, I'm not sure. Or possible Microsoft is trying to avoid an antitrust suit. It also feels like Microsoft might back off from the server market and let Novel market it's Linux servers (servers should be Linux anyway ).

 

Anyway, it'll be cool to see how it pans out. SUSE is only one Distro, and if it sells out to Microsoft it's no big deal (I don't think). But I think it'll be a good thing.

 

Edit:

 

Here's what Novell says:

 

http://www.novell.com/linux/microsoft/faq.html