Microsoft has announced that it will start on a new path, one in which Windows Vista, Vista Service Pack 1, Windows 7 as well as Windows Server 2008, and in fact all current and future versions of the Windows client and server opperating systems will embrace open source solutions. The move comes as the company has geared both its high-volume products and business practices toward interoperability.

In this context, the Redmond company indicated that it would launch the "Open Source Interoperability Initiative - to promote and enable more interoperability between commercial and community-based open source technologies and Microsoft products, this initiative will provide resources, facilities and events, including labs, plug fests, technical content and opportunities for ongoing cooperative development," Microsoft said.

But until Microsoft's plan to increase interoperability and openness of its products, as well as to start the sharing of proprietary technologies, will come into full swing, the fastest way to bridge Windows and Linux together is virtualization. Case in point: andLinux. Via andLinux users can run a full version of the Ubuntu distribution of Linux into a variety of Windows operating systems including Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista, however, only the 32-bit versions of the platforms are supported.

andLinux would not be possible without virtualization technology, this because it relies heavily on CoLinux, with the official description of the product revealing that Cooperative Linux is actually situated at the core of the solution. Users of Ubuntu via andLinux on Windows will be able to tap a fully functional Linux operating system with the adjacent functionality, capabilities and programs.

Both Windows and Ubuntu in andLinux can be used simultaneously, as well as the applications installed in each operating system. But the two platforms will have to share the Windows desktop with Ubuntu present either as a second panel or as a second start menu in the system tray.