It's not exactly official just yet, but the latest word from "people
familiar with the companies" being printed up by The Wall Street
Journal is sensational enough to run even if we overheard a couple of
bums whispering about it on the street. Apparently Microsoft has
reached an agreement with Novell, wherein Microsoft will provide sales
support to Novell's SUSE Linux operating system. We kid you not. The
two lovebirds have also agreed to develop technologies to make dual-
boot systems easier to operate, and Microsoft has promised not to
assert patent rights over software technology that might show up in
SUSE. Quite an interesting development, given Microsoft's heretofore
complete disgust for anything Linux related, and made even more
miraculous in light of the specifically bad blood between these two
companies -- remember that $536 million antitrust settlement a couple
years back? Either Microsoft is starting to feel the Linux heat, or
they decided "stop asserting their patent rights" to get themselves out
of any more antitrust trouble. Or maybe, just maybe, Microsoft and
Novell just want to get along for the kids. Steve Ballmer is expected
to make the official announcement of this hell-freezing agreement in
San Francisco this afternoon.