[link|http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1039523785796|Can't hurt]

Excerpt:

Matsushita and Sony have agreed to jointly develop the Linux operating system for digital consumer electronic products, in a highly unusual and cooperative deal between two of the fiercest rivals in the industry.

The deal is a major boost to Linux, an open operating system widely used for personal computers and servers, which is also gaining popularity for use in digital home devices.

The agreement between two of the largest consumer electronics makers in the world will represent a blow to Microsoft, which also has ambitions to expand its presence in the home devices market.

Matsushita and Sony would work together to develop an enhanced Linux platform for digital home electronic devices and make the fruits of the development openly available to the public in order to encourage its broader use in the industry, they said.

To that end, the two are aiming to establish a forum with other electronics companies, including Hitachi, IBM, NEC, Philips, Samsung and Sharp, that support the idea.