Just like the press puts it

The best acquisition strategy is one which maximises damage to rivals (or coversely -- maximises benefits to self). Microsoft has such a strategy figured out and it is related to -- if not includes -- a patent deals strategy. Consider Citrix/XenSource as an example. The acquisition has just been approved (press release). Here is an article that omits the promotional pitch.

Citrix has completed its $US500 million acquisition of XenSource, the company founded by the original developers of the open source Zen virtualisation software.

Watch the picture at the top of the following new article because it says a lot about the future direction of the Xen hypervisor.

Citrix's virtualization strategy is based on a partnership with Microsoft and a commitment to continued innovation on the Windows platform. The two companies share a strategic relationship in server and desktop virtualization aimed at interoperability between Citrix's products and the upcoming Microsoft Windows hypervisor, code named "Viridian," according to Citrix officials.

See our past writings about XenSource to find out more about the reasons for such developments. Also remember that Microsoft plans 20 (potentially open source) acquisitions per year and it has just signed another patent (or so-called 'collaboration') deal with Turbolinux. The ambitions here are to buy out the threat, subvert its agenda, and have its community dissipated.

Oracle, by the way, isn't better off. It has its share of questionable and self-serving plans for RHEL.

First, let's make this clear. Oracle Unbreakable Linux was, is now and is for the foreseeable future going to be based on Red Hat's Red Hat Enterprise Linux codebase. It is not, however, going to be simply RHEL's twin in every way.

On the brighter side of things, Oracle gives high market presence to Linux and it even joined OIN. Oracle's relationship with Linux could even evolve to become that of a guardian in an age of patent madness.

Oracle may have no commitment to Red Hat, but it has future stakes in Linux (not so with Free software in general, e.g. MySQL).