Microsoft and Sun Microsystems have proved that if two bitter rivals like India and Pakistan can use a gentlemanly series of cricket matches to help mend their differences, it shouldn't be too hard for a couple of technology antagonists to find common ground.
All it took was $2 billion on Microsoft's part. Now, how hard was that?
The breathtaking settlement at the end of last week broke down like this: Microsoft paid Sun $700 million to clear up antitrust issues, $900 million to settle patent disputes -- and Redmond threw in $350 million to license some Sun technology. Done deal.
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