Martin LaMonica from Cnet reports on an interview with Tom Robertson and Jean Paoli, two leaders of Microsoft’s interoperability efforts.

Microsoft views its string of deals with Linux vendors--the latest being Linspire, announced this week--as part of a broader companywide push to improve interoperability.
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Technology and legal pacts with open-source companies serve dual purposes, they said in an interview Thursday with CNET News.com.

First, such pacts establish a way for Microsoft to make its products work better with those from other vendors. They also create a legal structure for Microsoft--a strong proponent of patents and intellectual property protections--to operate in a world where open source is commonplace.

"It's an issue of coexistence in the marketplace," said Robertson. "We have to find a way to address intellectual property issues and interoperability issues."

Intellectual property pacts signal a convergence between disparate parts of the technology community. Consumers will benefit from different development models and innovative schemes coming together. Contrasts Microsoft’s approach with that of the Linux Foundation.

[referring to FOSS collaborations w/ Microsoft and IP pacts] "Guys: Be seekers of truth, not finders of contradiction," Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation... only half-jokingly told the 150 attendees of what is billed their "Collaboration Summit."

What?! Even though Zemlin was "half joking," his comments reflect a shortcoming of the FOSS movement. In the technology sector, there is no fine line between competitors and partners, nor do consumers care about differing ideologies of FOSS and proprietary firms. Whats important is innovation, and more innovation will result from divergent groups collaborating on what neither can alone achieve. But based on Zemlin's inability to consider this seriously, the FOSS movement's market share and industry presence in the coming years may itself be a half-joke.