Microsoft is regretting the way it handled the patent protection deal with Novell and other Linux vendors, according to open-source advocates.

On July 10, Microsoft announced that Asian Linux distributor Turbolinux is the latest Linux company to join its Ecma Open XML-Open Document Format Translator Project.

"TurboLinux has joined the Microsoft-funded but community-led Open XML-ODF (Open Document Format) translator project. Microsoft is enlisting Linux distributor TurboLinux to help translate documents between Open XML and ODF file formats for Japanese and Chinese users."

"Well what do you know? Microsoft seems to be gaining ground with their "patent protection" scheme. But what if they discover they've only bought a few bricks of fool's gold?"

Linux distributors Mandriva and Turbolinux have announced a development partnership resulting in the creation of a joint development lab, Manbo Labs, which will maintain a common base system to be shared between the two distributions. Work has been underway since October, and the common system will be used in future releases from both companies, including the forthcoming Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring.

Despite TurboLinux having an agreement with Microsoft regarding the use of some of its proprietary technology, this partnership has no implications in that area, and Mandriva's position on the issue of Microsoft technology remains unchanged from that expressed by Mandriva's CEO in his famous "We will not go to Canossa" post.

Microsoft says software that's licensed under GPLv3 isn't covered by the patent protection deal it recently signed with desktop Linux distributor Linspire.

Mandriva and TurboLinux this week announced their partnership to create Manbo-Labs, months after its inception. The partnership, which began last October but was only announced publicly this week after its first internal delivery, will see the two companies sharing resources and technology to produce a common base system for their Linux distros.

In response to criticism from some involved with OOXML, Microsoft is adding Office binary formats to a list of technologies that are protected from patent violation claims

Open-source pioneer and Novell Vice President Miguel de Icaza Thursday for the first time publicly slammed his company's cross-patent licensing agreement with Microsoft as he defended himself against lack of patent protection for third parties that distribute his company's Moonlight project, which ports Microsoft's Silverlight technology to Linux.