Very good openDemocracy piece by Felix Cohen and Becky Hogge on the implications of the deal between Microsoft and Novell (memorably summarised by Dana Gardner at ZDNet in the headline “Fox marries chicken, both move into henhouse”)…

On 2 November, Novell and Microsoft announced a “broad collaboration on Windows and Linux interoperability and support”. The main aim was to provide reassurance and support to companies that required Linux and Windows to operate on the same hardware, in so-called “virtualisation” environments. But the small print revealed a patent licensing agreement and mutual covenant not to sue over patent infringements. This, many feared, would give Microsoft vital fresh ammunition for its steady fire of unsubstantiated claims that Linux infringes Microsoft’s patents. In effect, Microsoft had asked Novell the classic loaded question “when did you stop beating your wife?”, and Novell had unwisely attempted an answer…