trancekr in the wonderland

Microsoft Gives Linux a Boost Through Partnership With Novell

By ROBERT A. GUTH

November 2, 2006 5:40 p.m.


Microsoft Corp. is entering into an unusual partnership with Novell Inc. that gives a boost to the Linux operating system, a rival to the software giant's Windows software.

Under the pact, Microsoft will offer sales support of Suse Linux, a version of the operating system sold by Novell. The two companies have also agreed to develop technologies to make it easier for users to run both Suse Linux and Microsoft's Windows on their computers.

The two companies announced details of their plan Thursday at a press conference in San Francisco.

In addition, Microsoft won't assert rights over patents over software technology that may be incorporated into Suse Linux. Businesses that use Linux have long worried that Microsoft would one day file patent infringement suits against sellers of the rival software.

The pact marks an unusual level of cooperation between two longtime rivals. Microsoft has been battling all versions of Linux, but has faced pressure to assure that customers can run both Windows and Linux without problems.

By forging a peace pact with one seller of Linux, Microsoft could raise pressure on Red Hat Inc., the leading provider of Linux, and a Novell rival. Last week, Oracle Corp. announced that it would start selling its own support for Red Hat's version of Linux, a plan that undercuts Red Hat's own business, which is based on providing support and maintenance. Red Hat's shares fell sharply after that announcement.

Novell, originally known for a network operating system called NetWare, has also scrapped with Microsoft over sales of desktop application programs after Novell bought Wordperfect Corp. and rights to the Quattro Pro spreadsheet for more than $1.4 billion. Partly because of stiff competition from Microsoft, Novell later sold those products for about $170 million; it filed an antitrust suit in 2004 against Microsoft, seeking damages related to the tactics Microsoft used in the applications-software market.