Of course, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) demonstrated the huge value of owning a pervasive operating system.

But what about the OS for mobile? Microsoft has been building its own alternative. Moreover, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has Android.

However, the winner may actually be the handset maker, Nokia (NYSE: NOK). This week, the company announced it is purchasing Symbian, which has about 60% of the global market for the mobile OS. The offer comes to about $409.8 million (to grab the 52% that Nokia doesn't already own).

But, unlike Microsoft, Nokia isn't taking a proprietary approach. Instead, Symbian is going to be open source.

True, this is likely to take some time (say several years), but in the meantime, Nokia can leverage its massive global platform by using Symbian's 1,200 programmers. The upshot should be improved innovation and faster product launches (oh, and there will be no need to pay licensing fees to Symbian).

OK, so what about rival handset makers that rely on Symbian, such as Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Sony Ericsson Mobile and Samsung? Might they be worried?

Perhaps, but then again, they realize the importance of having standardization. And by being open source, the handset makers have the leeway to add their own capabilities.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.