The code covers drivers for virtualizing Linux on Windows. It’s all thanks to Novell, with a strangely bitter PR release, check out the last bit:

Today’s announcement is further vindication of our partnership and is great news for Linux, open source and especially for customers.

At least Novell acknowledges the partnership needs “vindication”.  I wouldn’t have put it like that if I were the PR man on point for this, myself. Yes, dude, everyone hates your company. You might as well change your name to Judas Microsystems, but no need to point that out in your own press releases!

Don’t get all excited up in here, though. This isn’t anything at all more “Open” or “Free” about Microsoft.

Why they did it

Novell and Microsoft have long stated that virtualization is one of the goals they are working together on. Microsoft wants you to use Windows; but, if you must use Linux, at least run it on top of Windows. So, they are releasing this code to help make that happen.

Customers have told us that they would like to standardize on one virtualization platform, and the Linux device drivers will help customers who are running Linux to consolidate their Linux and Windows servers on a single virtualization platform.

Nothing altruistic here – if one must use Linux (or Open Source in general), Microsoft certainly wants it running on Windows. Of course, you can’t have a truly Free system running on top of Windows; but in general corporations are not interested in Freedom (until they are stormed by the BSA), so they aren’t looking at things that way.

Why they used the GPL

Because they had no option. If they hope to get it close to the kernel, it must be GPL. It’s not like Microsoft chose the GPL, there was no choice about it at all.

Compare and Contrast

As a humorous exercise, actually read the Microsoft press release and compare with say the reaction on Groklaw.

Microsoft:

The OSTC has a deep technical expertise in Linux, UNIX and open source technologies, along with strong social connections into open source communities.

First Groklaw comment:

Rules to live by:
Rule #1: Don’t deal with Microsoft
Rule #2: See Rule #1

Microsoft has “strong social connections” alright, so long as you consider large cash payments “strong social connections”. I suppose disgust and distrust are “strong social connections” as well, when you get right down to it.

Anyway, not really much to see here: Microsoft contributes some code to Linux to help Windows in the server market, where it is not doing near as well as it is on the desktop. Nothing shocking. The value will come at watching the spin fly: those who portray this as some sort of victory for Linux, or express wide-eyed surprise, or point to it as some proof of a new direction for Microsoft reveal ignorance or dishonesty. There’s some value in knowing who not to trust, I suppose.

It is just getting started, so it is too soon to tell how it will shape up.

One of the things I have often heard (from both sides) is that non-patent lawyers can not fairly assess a patent. I have a list of patents I think mono might violate, but I also realize I don’t have the technical ability to speak to the issue. To be perfectly honest, I am going very slow on bringing out individual patents, because I don’t want to make an ass out of myself pointing to a patent and being way off base.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the Linux Patents blog and seeing how things develop. I think “one-a-day” is too ambitious – I’m not sure that’s enough time for people to discuss what they are reading. I have read a lot of Microsoft patents. It ain’t Dick and Jane in there, I’ll tell you that.