In a move that surprised many, Microsoft and Novell signed a pact to work together to build products that would work on both OS. This announcement does come a win to the open source community and as a recognition to the growth of the open source community and the users. Finally we would get some good products to work with and perhaps it will increase the Linux adoption rate in enterprises and homes. It seems that Microsoft has finally decided that the only way forward is... together. It cannot go on dominating the IT world indefinitely given the choices that are available in the market.

Or does it really??

I was also very happy to read this the first time, though skeptical. I remember the Microsoft - IBM partnership of the early 1990s to create a single OS with DOS and OS/2. Frankly speaking Microsoft scuttled the relationship and in turn OS/2 and went ahead alone with creating Windows 3.x and the product family of Windows as we know it today. That deal effectively killed OS/2 which was decidedly a better product than MS-DOS and had it not for the deal, we would have a good competing product to Microsoft Windows in addition to Linux.

So is it that Microsoft has decided that it cannot beat Linux just by its products, so it has changed it strategy and trying to kill it (at least one distribution) by same tactics that worked so well with OS/2? Only time will tell. I am sorry if I sound too negative or overly critical of Microsoft. I stand to gain much if Microsoft does good as I make my living on Windows. But from my time in the industry, I have learnt to take anything and everything Microsoft says with a salt of grain.

I hope as much as anyone else that this deal works out as it will be WIN - WIN situation for everyone.