A unique Microsoft/Novell lovefest, which they even brag about over the Internet, was mentioned at the end of last year and we more recently saw it promoted using gifts, which still failed to attract a crowd. Those two partners, which some opine might be destined to become just one, are on the face of it starting to share staff. This workforce swap is not exactly new, but it marks a progression of this special relationship. Scroll down a bit to see the portion about Microsoft/Novell, along with screenshots.

It does read: "Contact a representative from Novell and Microsoft" — which means that you contact one person working for both Novell and Microsoft at the same time!

Someone should have told me that Microsoft and Novell are a joint venture!

One person that just seemingly wears a dual hat appears to be Justin Steinman, who spoke about his day and night jobs. Miguel de Novell [sic] appears to be spending a lot of his time in the Microsoft campus as well. How about those staff swaps and this high-level Novell figure, which recently defected from Novell to Microsoft?

At this pace of increased affinity and intersection, the vision of a joined-by-the-hip Novell and Microsoft is hardly far fetched. Never say never after the Yahoo bid, so it's only sensible to prepare for the worst and not give any power and influence to Microsoft's "chosen one". Watch Novell's declining market cap: now just 2.10 billion. ⬆