For the past few months, if not years, people have discussed the possibility of Microsoft picking a BSD (or even Linux) kernel, then (re-)building their operating system using software like Wine. With the recent release of Windows Vista, which leads to many backward compatibility issues, prospects of such crazy decisions are disturbingly convenient to grasp.

Microsoft's deal with Novell brought back to mind such fantasies (or "nighmare scenarios", depending on your point of view). I wish to present two new essays which touch on the subject.

Windows Software Installation by Novell

As an Ubuntu user, I found myself looking for the angle as Novell has long since lost my trust after giving Microsoft the keys to their front door (in the virtual sense). And as this whole thing felt more and more suspicious as to their future motive for such a move, it all started to make sense:

"One of our future goals is to even make packages for Windows at some point in time," Holger Dyroff, vice president of outbound product management for SUSE Linux Enterprise at Novell, told internetnews.com. "It's still a research project that is ongoing but we are not limited to just RPM."

Combining Linux Kernel with Windows

Microsoft would be lying if they tried to convince any of us that the thought had never entered their mind, even if it was nothing more than a stomachache causing a nightmare with some key developers. After all, in many respects, Linux is considered the forbidden fruit that most closed source developers are afraid to touch.

But what would be wild in a totally fictional, never going to happen kind of world, would be to see Microsoft acquiring Novell and begin using SLED (SuSE Enterprise) to push cash cows, such as Microsoft Office, among other Microsoft applications.