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Microsoft has quietly hired Tom Hanrahan, formerly the Linux Foundations director of engineering, to become its Director of Linux Interoperability. As part of his responsibilities, Hanrahan will manage the Microsoft/Novell Interoperability Lab that Microsoft began staffing up earlier this year.
Hanrahan began his Linux career at IBMs Linux Technology Center in Beaverton, Oregon, where he served as senior program manager in charge of software development and testing.
In this position, he oversaw the work of many of IBMs leading Linux kernel developers and sub-maintainers. In September of 2003, he moved to the OSDL (Open Source Development Labs) where he served as director of Linux engineering. After the OSDL merged with the Free Standards Group to form the Linux Foundation, he continued to serve in the role of director of Linux engineering.
The Microsoft and Novell Interoperability Lab, according to Sam Ramji, Microsofts director of platform technology strategy, “will focus on interoperable virtualization between Windows and SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server). This lab will be part of the product engineering teams for both companies.”
In particular, it will work on “Virtualization, Office OpenXML/ODF interoperability, WS-Management interoperability, and directory federation.”
A Microsoft spokesperson told Linux-Watch that “Tom will head up the new Microsoft/Novell Interoperability Lab, announced last fall as part of Microsoft and Novells historic agreement [related story]. As outlined, the two companies are working together to create a joint development facility at which Microsoft and Novell technical experts will architect and test new software solutions and will work with customers and the community to build and support these technologies.”