Collaboration to Benefit IT Segments
By Manjusha Morgaonkar
Mumbai, Aug 14, 2007

After Novell-Microsoft collaboration that took place on November 2, 2006, the agreement has further extended its reach to build, market, improve interoperability, and remove potential IP patent infringement risks for IT customers. The collaboration is expected to decrease the patent infringement risks for IT customers.

According to open-source experts, interoperability is based on open standards and open source is against such private agreements. However, customers are more likely to choose SUSE Linux, as a result of Novell's collaboration with Microsoft, and are also concerned about the potential intellectual property issues with Linux. The Red Hat users are also supportive of the agreement between Novell and Microsoft.

Prakash Advani, Linux practice head of Novell Indian subcontinent said, "With this agreement we aim to make customers work in a mixed environment where they use both Linux and Windows. It's essential that both operating systems work seamlessly."

The agreement focuses on 3 technical areas - such as virtualization, web services, and document format compatibility. According to Advani, this agreement will allow virtualization of servers, thereby reducing the number of physical platforms users would have to maintain. In turn it enables to reduce cost for maintenance, electricity, cooling and space, saving taxpayer dollars, and helping improve stewardship of the environment.

When asked about derogatory comments passed regarding this deal, Advani commented that a company is entitled to have its own opinion. However, to Novell, partners and customers' opinions matter more. The relationship with Microsoft was a result of what customers want.

The deal will cater to needs of customers, as they need flexibility, choice, and everything to work well with each other. It is about making Linux and Windows - the two important platforms - work together and provide enterprise support for the interoperability demanded by the customers.

As a part of the deal Microsoft will work with Novell and will contribute to several open- source software. It'll not assert its patent against individual non-commercial open-source developers, users, and individual contributors to openSUSE.org whose code is included in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Platform.

Novell will continue to promote Linux as the premier platform for core infrastructure and application services. At the same time it assures to reduce the customer pain points, thereby reducing barriers to adoption.

According to an open-source expert, the purpose of this deal is to gain profit. However, such deals don't affect most of the open-source community, as it is vigilant, careful about what it does, and doesn't appreciate such deals. This is for the fact that such private agreements do not ensure the protection of users. Furthermore, interoperability is acceptable but not privately, because open source believes on open standard agreements.

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