LinuxWorld: Corel’s Linux VP on the Microsoft deal

“LinuxWorld managed to collar Rene Schmidt, executive VP of
Corel’s Linux product group, and ask him a few questions about the
impact of the announced investment by Microsoft in Corel on Corel’s
Linux plans.”

“LinuxWorld: With the recent investment by
Microsoft, many people in the Linux community are concerned about
your various Linux projects getting derailed. What effect will
there be on your Linux ambitions?

Rene Schmidt: Essentially, with Linux, we are
very committed to it. And the agreement, or partnership, or
alliance, whatever you want to call it, with Microsoft is not
anti-Linux or anything. It is really about .Net. It is really about
the Web…. [Linux is] not really any different than any other
platform, whether it is a Macintosh platform or a Windows platform
that provides services through the application. So from our point
of view it is not something that hampers what we are doing on
Linux. In fact, it provides new opportunities in Linux.”

“LinuxWorld: Will Corel be the first to
bring Linux to the .Net platform?

Rene Schmidt: Well, if I have anything to
do with it, I think I would like to, for sure. We all have
those kind of aspirations to bring the best of services through the
Web to our customers and .Net is definitely, from our point of
view, one of the best ways to go. So if we can do it through .Net,
that will be a goal for us.”

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