In a coup for Linux, Palo Alto, CA-based Trolltech Software – the world's biggest producer of Linux software for mobile devices – just hired two execs very closely associated with Linux's nemesis, Microsoft, according to a Reuters report. Trolltech is readying itself for an IPO.

Tod Nielsen (right) with SOA / Web Services Journal editor Sean Rhody during a visit to SYS-CON offices.

The two execs concerned, who will be joining the Trolltech board as non-executive directors, are Tod Nielsen and Juha Christensen (pictured center with SYS-CON Media group publisher Jeremy Geelan and Anup Murarka, while both Murarka and Christensen were on the Macromedia Mobile and Devices team) and Tod Nielsen.

Juha Christensen (center) with SYS-CON group publisher Jeremy Geelan and Anup Murarka at SYS-CON headquarters. At the time of this photo both Murarka and Christensen were on the Macromedia Mobile and Devices team.

While at Microsoft, Christensen brought to market the Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and Smartphone, in addition to Mobile Information Server and Server ActiveSync. He was also responsible for Microsoft's participation in several worldwide wireless standards bodies and developed the strategy for company-wide mobility solutions and scenarios.

Tod Nielsen, currently senior vice president of technology marketing at Oracle Corporation,  also once held senior management positions at Microsoft, in roles such as vice president, Platform Group and vice president, Developer Relations.

Before joining Microsoft, Christensen co-founded Symbian Ltd., a joint venture between Nokia, Ericsson, Sony-Ericsson, Matsushita, Samsung, Siemens, and Psion, whose cross-vendor operating system is emerging as an industry standard. Previously Juha worked at Psion Plc., bringing out some of the first PDAs in the industry. Presently Danish-born Christensen is CEO of Sonopia, a start-up currently operating in 'stealth mode' and focused on enabling micro-segmentation in the mobile industry.
 
"Juha and Tod bring a wealth of expertise to Trolltech's board that is directly related to our core markets," said Eirik Chambe-Eng, Trolltech president. "Juha's broad perspective on the mobile industry will help guide our Qtopia embedded business, and Tod's ability to engage the developer community is an invaluable resource. We are extremely pleased to have executives of their caliber on the board as we meet new opportunities for development software in the exploding embedded Linux industry and the cross-platform software market."

Their joint defection to Trolltech, makers of the Qt application development framework used by KDE and the Qtopia application development platform for embedded Linux devices, is certain to cause a stir. Adoption of Windows Mobile OS software is slow going compared to the surge of Linux in both the embeded space and in terms of carrier-grade Linux.

When the head honcho of your mobile devices division jumps ship, first for Macromedia and then for a Linux company, it's time to start wondering whether he knows something about Microsoft's mobile expertise that he's not telling. And voting with his feet!

• Mobile Executive Christensen Leaves MS
• Tod Nielsen to Leave BEA This Week
• Tod Nielsen Appointed COO of VMware
• VMware Fights Fire with Fire