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Sometimes, several unrelated changes come to a head at the same time, with a result no one could have predicted. The PC market is at such a tipping point right now and the result will be millions of Linux-powered PCs in users' hands. The first change was the continued maturation of desktop Linux. Today, no one can argue with a straight face that people can't get their work done on Linux-powered PCs. Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS, MEPIS, OpenSUSE, Xandros, Linspire Mint, the list goes on and on of desktop Linuxes that PC owner can use without knowing a thing about Linux's technical...

Dell has shipped close to 40,000 systems pre-installed with the Ubuntu flavor of Linux, according to multiple sources. By most accounts, that's a heck of a total for what remains more or less a fringe operating system.

Use of the Linux operating system on desktop machines is continuing to grow with small and medium business showing the most enthusiasm for the open source software. The Linux Foundation annual survey really runs till the end of the month but entries are drying up, and they've already received 20,000 responses, so they've started crunching the numbers.

Linux users from around the world are filling out the Linux Foundation's desktop survey. But what John Cherry, the foundation's director of global Linux workgroups, wants to know is, "Where are the responses from the North America?"

Linux users want two things for their hardware: drivers; and easy access to those drivers. The first is finally happening; and now, thanks to a Dell Linux project called DKMS (Dynamic Kernel Module Support), the other is on its way. Spread the word: digg this story Dell and Linux distributors have been working on DKMS for about five years now. Its purpose is to create a framework where kernel-dependent module source can reside, so that it is very easy to rebuild modules. In turn, this enables Linux distributors and driver developers to create driver drops without having to wait for...

Companies like his privately held Canonical Inc, Red Hat Inc (RHT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Novell Inc (NOVL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) make money by selling standardized versions of Linux programs and support contracts to service them.

People used to think the very idea that a major PC vendor would offer desktop Linux was beyond a joke. HP will soon be joining Dell in offering at least one Linux desktop line in its SKU sales listing. Here's why I believe this. First, Dell successfully broke the Windows-only wall when it added Ubuntu Linux 7.04 to three systems in its consumer line in May. While Dell hasn't released any sales numbers, its Linux sales must be doing well. You don't start offering Ubuntu on another brand-new laptop line and announce that you'll soon be selling Ubuntu to SMBs...

When Dell first announced that it would be releasing Ubuntu Linux-powered consumer desktops and laptops, some people saw it as more of a stunt than a serious business move. They were wrong. Dell has already expanded its consumer Linux line, and now it has announced that it will soon be offering Ubuntu Linux systems outside of the United States and for new businesses.

"My guys are big advocates of Linux," says Martin High, director of IT at Valeo Behavioral Healthcare in Topeka, Kan. "We're taking a hard look at it on the desktop." Wait. On the desktop? For a business? That's right. And from a look at things, it shouldn't be as surprising as it might seem, for a number of reasons.

On August 4th, we found out that Lenovo Group, the company that has taken over IBM's Personal Computing Division, had made a deal with Novell Inc. to preload SLED 10 (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) on its ThinkPad T60p mobile workstation. For the first time, a major OEM (original equipment manufacturer) has committed to preloading a Linux desktop.

Normally, we expect new Linux desktop users to come from the ranks of disgruntled Windows users. After all, they're the ones who have to deal with high-prices and endless security problems. Now, it seems that some Mac gurus are also making the switch to Linux.

10) Freedom. In the end, it's all about freedom. And while OS X's core is based on the open source and libre Darwin Mach/BSD derivative, very little else is - there is very little freedom within the Mac space. It's either Apple's way or the bye-way. 4) Expanding the Comfort Zone. I can't prove it, but gut-feel tells me that any user who migrates from Windows to the Mac will be far more comfortable in subsequently migrating from an OS X interface to a Linux interface (KDE/Gnome). It's fairly self-obvious really: if you've discovered that a Windows interface isn't the...