Linux software vendor Novell Inc. of Waltham is expanding its alliance with Microsoft Corp. into China, in a bid to encourage Chinese companies to start paying for the software they use to run their businesses.

A Chinese Internet company has sued Microsoft for patent infringement over its use of RSS* in Windows Vista.

Microsoft demonstrates how much times have changed by reprising its 'Novell' type of caper in China.

Microsoft has seemed to be flying high in the Peoples Republic of China lately. Bill Gates spent several days in Beijing earlier this year in meetings with high-level officials, after hosting Chinese President Hu Jintao the spring before at Gate's own home.

“I am pleased to announce the younger sibling site, PCLinuxOS CN catering for Chinese users of PCLinuxOS. It’s main purpose is to provide Chinese users of PCLinuxOS a place they can be comfortable with in posting questions and problems with PCLinuxOS, a home for PCLinuxOS Chinese experts to help out, and a launchpad to any Chinese-related PCLinuxOS projects.

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. The companies say they will make an extra investment to sell more support subscriptions for Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system in China.

At first, it sounds like a good idea. Nanchang, the capital of China's eastern Jiangxi province, is requiring Internet cafe operators to replace pirated server software with legal copies of Red Flag Linux or Windows Server. What's not to like? It's estimated that China has an 82% software piracy rate. Getting businesses to go legal with a native Chinese Linux sounded like a win to me.

Almost 10 months ago, I wrote the post, "Dear China, Microsoft Wants to Charge You for Air Too" and now Novell follows up with its own plan to charge China for air. The Chinese assume that since Linux is open source that it means that it is less capitalistic and less money driven.

Who remembers Red Flag Linux?