Dell joins Microsoft-Novell alliance

Dell has become the first major player to the alliance between the patent-protected and open source OS developers inked last November. Dell will now buy SLES coupons from Microsoft and establish a services and marketing program to migrate existing business Linux users to SuSE.

Under the Microsoft-Novell pact, Microsoft began selling Novell's SuSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) coupons. The two companies also agreed to work on interoperability for SLES and Windows on virtualization, directories and file formats between Microsoft Office and Open Office.

The agreement will address what all three companies say is customer demand for greater interoperability and intellectual-property assurance between Windows and Linux.