It's hard to keep a lid on a story where compelling relationships exist.

Just days after media outlets sniffed out the news, Sun said Google would offer its StarOffice collaboration software, the commercial version of the open-source OpenOffice.org suite, through its Google Pack software download service.

Given the October 2005 pact between Sun and Google to distribute and promote each other's software, the move is hardly a surprise.

Sun will benefit from Google's popular distribution channel as well as the Web search capabilities inherent in Google Pack. Google meanwhile is trying to align itself more closely with software distributors to further its own Google Apps cause. 

Sun has fostered a lot of good will in the open-source community, so Google can benefit from that. I look forward to deeper collaboration between the two companies as Google seeks to build out its Apps line. Along those lines, we should also be watching for conflicts of interest.

Will Sun fear Google is getting too powerful on the applications front? Will Google spurn Sun's help? So far, the strategies and cultures seem to be a good fit and the threat of Microsoft can make even the archest of enemies band together. But the relationship bears watching.