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Xandros is a New York based company, specialized in developing of open source software for server and desktop computers. It is a very small company compared to major Linux vendor companies Red Hat and Novell.
The agreement says Xandros will license Microsoft's server code and will develop software, which will work with Windows operating system. The companies are also planning to develop translation tools between patent protected OpenXML and open source Open Document Format document formats.
"We work with industry partners to ensure that when customers want to use open-source software, they can do so with the knowledge and security that the software offers all the licenses and rights that the software requires," said Bob Muglia, senior vice president in charge of Microsoft's server and tools business.
Microsoft will provide open source software users with permission to use its intellectual property and will not sue them for patent infringement. So the open source software users will not be afraid of being punished by Microsoft.
Microsoft has entered into a similar deal last November with Novell, one of the largest Linux distributing companies. The agreement was to protect Novell's clients from being accused of software patent infringement.
"Microsoft has been and will remain focused on building a bridge between the worlds of proprietary and open source software," said Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's vice president of Intellectual Property and Licensing.
These agreements show Microsoft's strategy to enter into partnership with open source vendors, so that the users have a wide choice of software. Nowadays there are lots of corporate and home users, who want to have open source and patent protected software working together without any single conflict. By Ruzan Harutyunyan for HULIQ
Posted June 5th, 2007 by ruzik_tuzik
