Microsoft, Novell stressing China's Linux market, Apr 24, 2008

Novell Inc. and Microsoft Corp., trying to expand the reach of their unusual alliance, say they plan to put a bigger emphasis on the Chinese market.

Microsoft made headlines yesterday for its overtures to the open-source software community, including some that practically cast the move as a surrender by the company. "Microsoft to Open Source: You Win," declared the Web Worker Daily blog.

Asustek Computers Inc. went ahead and broke the rules with the Eee PC. And we should all be thankful.

The mobile wireless routers on board the company's "Connector" employee bus system, made by Seattle-based Junxion Inc., use the open-source Linux operating system

A new study says past delays in Microsoft Corp.'s products are causing some businesses to think twice about renewing the long-term service agreements that include rights to upgrade to future versions of its programs.

Microsoft this morning announced a collaboration agreement with Linux vendor Xandros that's similar, in some respects, to the Novell deal. But not in others.

All of this giving away coupons activity by Microsoft is meaningless and useless. The coupons have no expiration date, and Microsoft can be sure that some coupons will be turned into Novell in return for software after the effective date of GPL 3.

Dell plans to start offering Ubuntu as an option on selected consumer PCs in the coming weeks, said Jeremy Bolen, a Dell spokesman. Ubuntu is free, and machines pre-installed with it will be less expensive than PCs of the same configuration that come with Windows, Bolen said

A lawsuit alleges that Microsoft Corp. engaged in deceptive practices by letting PC makers promote computers as "Windows Vista Capable" even if they couldn't run the new operating system's "signature" features.

On the subject of Linux, one reader recently asked whether Paul Allen's new FlipStart miniature computer had been tested for use with the open-source operating system.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday that it signed up to use Novell's Suse Enterprise Linux Server as a result of the pact between the software vendors. Wal-Mart, a big user of Microsoft software, is also a customer of Novell rival Red Hat Inc.

Microsoft Corp., which has agreed with Novell Inc. to make Linux and Windows compatible, opened the door Thursday to a similar alliance with Red Hat Inc.

It didn't get as much attention as the Linux-related provisions of the Microsoft-Novell deal, but it's worth noting that the open-source Mono project is among the technologies protected under the patent agreements between the companies.

... the chief executive of software vendor Linspire says he's eager for Windows Vista's debut -- especially after what happened last week

European Union regulators are "studying" a consumer complaint that Microsoft Corp. forces computer makers to sell machines that are preloaded with Windows, excluding other operating systems such as Linux.

Negroponte hailed Gates' generosity to poor people but said Gates couldn't bring himself to praise a computer system that isn't dependent on Microsoft software.

The yearlong campaign for Microsoft's business-related software will take aim at a market where the company's main rival is IBM Corp.

People attending an industry conference staged by Microsoft wouldn't ordinarily go to a session that touts programs for the rival Linux operating system. But that's what happened here this week.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took written questions from the audience of partners and customers during yesterday's Business Summit on the company's Redmond campus. One of questions wasn't the type you'd ordinarily expect from such a crowd: "How should we think about Linux in our long-term IT strategy?"

Spotting the Microsoft contingent at last week's LinuxWorld was as easy as singling out Darth Vader and two Stormtroopers -- literally.