Microsoft is embracing cancer to help ensure Windows survives server-room consolidation. The company has released 20,000 lines of Windows kernel code under version two of the GPL. Microsoft called the license it once hated "the community's preferred license". How things have changed.

Over two years ago, Microsoft and Novell signed an interoperability deal. Part of this agreement was a patent deal that suggested that Linux infringed on Microsoft's IP. Since then, Microsoft has signed a number more of these deals with various companies, but the Novell one is still the most famous.

Another day, another company developing Linux-based tech falls into line with Microsoft's intellectual property wonks. Japanese Flash maker I-O Data Device Inc has agreed to cough up an undisclosed sum of cash to Microsoft under a Linux software deal. This is the latest such agreement Microsoft has made with a tech company that uses Linux in its products.

"...On access to intellectual property and the much needed technology transfer that will permit to the Global South to deal with urgent mitigation and adaptation challenges, WBCSD representatives called it "completely unacceptable for industry" that a UN climate agreement would include compulsory licensing of patents.

Dell Latest News about Dell is developing consumer PCs that can run multiple versions of Microsoft's Latest News about Microsoft Windows Make the Mac a 1st Class Citizen in a Windows Shop and Linux software at the same time, the personal computer maker's chief technology officer, Kevin Kettler, has confirmed.

"Wednesday night’s Microsoft (MSFT) press release about open source software [OSS] began with one of the most loaded sentences in OSS history: “Today Microsoft Corp. and Linux desktop provider Linspire Inc. announced a broad interoperability, technical collaboration (sic) that also includes intellectual property [IP] assurances.”"

The Bordeaux Technology Group announces it has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with StormOS to develop and further commercialise Bordeaux for Unix operating systems.

Under the terms of the agreement, the developers at StormOS will develop the future Bordeaux (UI) User Interface and StormOS will receive an exclusive license to distribute all related intellectual property.

Microsoft touted its operating system interoperability partnership with Novell on Monday, saying that more than 500 customers have signed up since the program began more than three years ago.

"When Microsoft announced the first of its patent interoperability agreements with Novell in November 2006, one of the major claims made in favor of the patent covenant agreement was that it would give customers peace of mind and ensure that they didn’t have to worry about issues such as intellectual property infringement."