There's not enough here for firm conclusions, but this brief
article says Microsoft "would provide technical assistance to
Ximian Inc in its work on the Mono Project." Ximian couldn't be
reached for comment, and the "would" probably ought to be read as
"is willing to," as opposed to "will":
"...Microsoft told ComputerWire it would provide
technical assistance to Ximian Inc in its work on the Mono Project,
to develop a version of .NET for Linux and Unix using open source
development. Boston, Massachusetts-based Ximian announced the Mono
Project last week.
David Stutz, group program manager for the shared source
implementation of Microsoft's Common Language Infrastructure (CLI)
told ComputerWire: "We have talked informally with Ximian, and will
determine with Ximian whether technical assistance would be
appropriate." Ximian was unable to be contacted.
Stutz said that Microsoft supports Ximian's work, which he
called a "testament to the openness and viability" of the .NET
platform. He said that Ximian's work potentially gives developers a
choice of .NET platforms - Microsoft or Mono."