Novell Partners Again; This Time with Red Hat and Mozilla

It started with just Novell and Microsoft. If you haven't been reading along, the two companies recently joined forces in order to root out the many programming issues lying between Linux and Microsoft Windows.

And although that relationship has had some rocky moments (mostly as a result of MS' patent infringement allegations), Novell is bridging out once, again. This time it's joining forces with Red Hat and Mozilla programmers in an attempt to avoid problematic technical boundaries between Firefox and Linux.

Some Red Hat programmers have gone so far as to refer to the stability of Linux as a "sad state of affairs," where some serious technical leaps are more than necessary. In fact, the mass released version of the new Firefox browser won't run very well at all on the most recent edition of Linux, Fedora Core 6 (launched in October). (source: steelgryphon.com)

Novell's involvement in the partnership gives programmers at Mozilla the chance to predict how Linux might react to Firefox releases. Mozilla also plans to take up the task of recommending a few different versions of Firefox based on user specs.

Although a necessary move, it might be a surprising one considering Novell's new relationship with Microsoft. Of course, that particular partnership doesn't obstruct Novell from seeking a more constructive relationship with Mozilla, owners of the web's fastest growing browser.

The changes should be mutually beneficial. Mozilla programmer Chris Connor believes the new relationship will allow for "a bigger focus on creating a better Linux user experience for everyone". (source: news.com)