Admittedly, the headline is a bit of a stretch. But The VAR Guy believes Intel has reached a key inflection point: Even as the chip maker works to promote Windows Vista, Intel continues to expand its relationship with Red Hat.  A decade ago, Intel would have never announced big-time partnerships with Microsoft rivals during a major Windows product launch. But these days, Intel–and its customers–are much more “open” to alternatives.

In fact, Intel and Red Hat today announced a new reseller program that allows Intel Channel Partner Program members to rapidly enter the Linux solutions marketplace. Named the Global Channel Acceleration Program, this reseller program provides participants with a fast method to sell supported pre-certified solutions that combine Red Hat’s portfolio of solutions on Intel platforms, according to both companies.

According to The VAR Guy, that’s a fancy way of saying: “Move over, Wintel. We know the market is ready for Lintel.”