2006年NPR美国国家公共电台十一月-Microsoft to Work with Novell's Linux(在线收听

And let's catch up on some other business news this morning, a couple of bitter business rivals have tried to become a little more compatible. Microsoft has reached an agreement that will allow its Windows Operating system, with which so many of us are familiar, to work with the open source Linux System used by its rival Novell. NPR's Laura Sydell reports this should make companies that use both systems happy.

Novell's Linux-based operating system and the Windows operating system don't communicate, at times that's made life rough for business customers, says Rob Enderlin, an analyst with Enderlin Group. Supposing an employee is putting in data, and "the data you are entering, it doesn't seem to be going any place, and it might actually look like a system freeze to you, and might have nothing to do with what's going on in your desktop, it has everything to do with what's going on on the servers. ”

The deal between Novell and Microsoft will open communication between the operating systems and should make the servers work more smoothly.

You have two belief principles on both sides, coming to get in a Kumbaya Moment.

At a press conference in San Francisco where the two companies announced the agreement, there wasn't any singing. A pragmatic Microsoft Chief Steve Ballmer said it was a response to unhappy customers.

This is a set of agreements that really, I think will greatly enhance inter-operability between Linux and Windows and give customers greater flexibility in ways that they had certainly been asking.

And while software for the companies may now be in harmony, it's not all sweet music between Microsoft and Novell. The deal does not affect an anti-trust suit brought by Novell that's already cost Microsoft more than 500 million dollars.

Laura Sydell, NPR News, San Francisco.

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/NPR2006/40925.html