Microsoft is going all gung-ho about using open source software more. They're even willing to pay for it. Yesterday , Microsoft announced that they will be forking over a total of $384 Million to Novell for usage of their distro and patents. With last week's partnership of sorts, the two companies will be working more closely together to provide seamless products. Aside from paying the money, Microsoft also is agreeing only to use Novell's products for at least three years, giving Novell a significant advantage over other Linux companies. The apparent aim is to enable Windows and Linux products on the business end to work together more easily.
In turn, Novell will also be paying Microsoft for usage of their patents. Strange stuff.