Well, we were told to wait for it, and here it is - the Microsoft-Novell deal roadmap, this is what will let customers see the benefits they will reap from the Microvell deal.

I reread this release twice, and learned nothing. Granted, perhaps not everyone has been as engrossed in this deal as we have here, but this provides nothing new and nothing specific.

REDMOND, Wash., and WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL) today unveiled more details about their joint technical roadmap and the benefits customers can expect from the collaboration. Microsoft and Novell are engaged in joint development on four areas of technology that address significant problems faced by enterprise customers today: virtualization, Web services for managing physical and virtual servers, directory and identity interoperability, and document format compatibility. "With this first installment of the Microsoft-Novell development roadmap, we see that both companies are building on this relationship to develop real, product-specific solutions to deliver on the promises made to customers," said Al Gillen, research vice president, System Software, for IDC. "The great potential of the November announcement between Microsoft and Novell could have been disappointing without a product-specific roadmap to execute against. With the roadmap, the technology benefits customers can expect will be tangible and delivered on a predictable basis."

Afterwards, the release basically lists each of the technical aspects of the deal that we have heard about repeatedly in the past few months: Virtualization, Web Services-Based Management, Directory and Identity Interoperability, Document Format Compatibility and a quick blurb for each promising some non-specific products and translators to be released "throughout 2007".