You may be aware that Microsoft and Novell signed and agreement (and Microsoft signed a US$300mi check too) so as to settle some patent disputes and to make Windows and Novel’s Lunix (SUSE) more interoperable: http://news.com.com/Microsoft+and+Novells+bridge+to+Linux/2009-1016_3-6132329.html.
 
One may interpret this as good new for the IT industry in general. As much as Microsoft would rather Linux to go away, it won’t anytime soon. Windows and Linux will have to coexist for many, many years. So it’s better to have them coexist pacifically and make our jobs as developers and IT people easier, right?
 
Also, this may be seen as a victory for the Linux camp because it’s a clear recognition by Microsoft that Linux is here to stay. Well, that’s not what the good folks from Samba, an Open Source outfit, are saying: http://news.samba.org/announcements/team_to_novell/. They are denouncing Novell as a promoter of “commercial software” and that “they have no right to make self serving deals”. Wow! Those damned capitalists!
 
Those die-hard Open Source ideologues cannot see beyond they “free-love” ideology. The big problem about the free love ideology in general is who is going to take care of the babies that end up being created. Grown-ups have to think about taking care of the children and that requires – arghhh – money!

Microsoft released today the first edition of the “original” MSDN Magazine in several languages: French, German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian and…Brazilian Portuguese.

 

This is not the Brazilian “MSDN Magazine” in witch I write a column. It’s a different magazine, more technically advanced, but an interesting development anyway. Check the first Portuguese edition at http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/06/11/default.aspx?loc=pt.

 

The translation leaves something to be desired, but it’s definitely human-reviewed. It’s exciting news for my language-challenged Brazilian friends. Not that they read this blog, but please pass on the news to your friends.

Microsoft has machine-translated the MSDN contents into Portuguese and set up a Wiki so as people can edit its contents.

 

I’ve been involved in this project since its inception, gave many suggestions, helped translate the glossary etc.

 

Last week the “pt-BR” traffic became #2, right after the English contents. I don’t know if I have cheer or to desperate because I’ve been promoted to be one of the editors.

 

For my Brazilian friends: if you want to take a look (and maybe contribute) it’s located at http://www.microsoft.com/brasil/msdn/Wiki/Wiki.mspx.

 

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