The recent Microsoft / Novell patent cooperation deal has a lot of people confused, including Microsoft and Novell. But Ars Technica sorts it out - with pictures ;P

"As the controversy has unfolded, the debate has become increasingly antagonistic and confrontational," says Ryan Paul.

"From dubious intellectual property claims to accusations of appeasement, corporate executives have succeeded in obscuring the facts and reducing the entire debate into a cheap PR conflict."

However, not to worry.

"For your edification and amusement, we have translated the entire debate into the colorful patois of the average Internet message board and produced an informative visual guide that will illuminate the facts and show you what our favorite confrontational corporate executives are really saying," he states in a great pictorial run-down.

And at the end:

I don't object to criticism of the deal, because frankly, it seems obvious that Ballmer vindicated the critics, and in retrospect, trusting Microsoft was not wise. I'm not passing judgement on the opportunism of the executives who used criticism of the deal as a means of promoting their own corporate agenda. It's human nature and commonplace. The point I'm making here is that, in the end, the mutual criticism and petty bickering doesn't further the interests of the Linux community and that the negative consequences of the Microsoft/Novell deal will continue to escalate as long as it serves as a catalyst for distrust within the Linux community.

Good one.

. Slashdot it!

Also See:
Ars Technica - A visual timeline of the Microsoft-Novell controversy, January 28, 2007