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By Frank J. Ohlhorst & Edward F. Moltzen, 2:07 PM EDT Fri. Jun. 09, 2006 Microsoft's delay with the release of Windows Vista has left enough wiggle room for other players to pursue the desktop operating system market. An old Microsoft rival, Novell, is angling to seize the day with the release of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, a desktop OS geared to beat Vista in cost, manageability and features. But here's the real question: Is the channel ready for a Linux desktop as a replacement for Windows? Or better yet, is a Linux desktop ready for the channel? Novell...

ARMONK, NY, Jul 10, 2006 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- IBM today announced the availability of IBM Lotus(R) Notes(R) on Linux(R), the industry's first business-grade collaboration software to support Linux on the desktop. Lotus Notes on Linux now provides millions of Lotus Notes users worldwide with software that enables an open desktop alternative to proprietary desktop operating systems. The openness and flexibility of the Linux desktop combined with widespread availability of server software running on Linux has increased demand for tested and market-proven, desktop applications such as Lotus Notes. For the first time, IBM is delivering business-grade e-mail, group scheduling...

"There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come." Victor Hugo. So states a report from the Department of Defense's Advanced Systems and Concepts Office, which recommends that the DoD move to a roadmap to adopt open source and open standards, maintaining that such a move is not only in the US national interest, but in the interests of US national security. The 79-page report proposes that the DoD adopt what it calls "open technology development," which incorporates open source methodologies and open standards, but also takes into...

I've tried various flavors of Linux (on live cd) on both desktop and on 3 laptop computers, to wit: Ubuntu 6.06Knoppix 5.01Damn Small Linux 3.0 (Knoppix hack) Overclockix 3.79 (Knoppix hack) By and large none of these Linux versions have any trouble finding the cable modem router & internet when run on desktop PCs. But none of them seem to be able to find the internet on the 3 laptop PCs running either Linksys PCMCIA 802.11g wireless network cards or Broadcomm internal 802.11 b/g wireless network card. Linux can't seem to find the Broadcomm internal 802.11 b/g wireless network card...

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SCO Group Inc has willfully failed to comply with the orders of the court hearing its breach of contact and copyright case against IBM Corp, according to the Magistrate Judge, who has declared the company's failure to detail its evidence against IBM 'inexcusable'.... "Given the amount of code that SCO has received in discovery the court finds it inexcusable that SCO is in essence still not placing all the details on the table," wrote Judge Wells. "Certainly if an individual was stopped and accused of shoplifting after walking out of Neiman Marcus they would expect to be eventually told what...

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.

Linux isn't a threat to Windows on the desktop and is losing steam on the server as customers separate the operating system from the development model, according to Microsoft's chief platform strategist. Bill Hilf, general manager of competitive strategy at Microsoft, said pundits have predicted for years that Linux will gain momentum on the desktop, but that won't happen because of the complexity involved in delivering a tightly integrated and tested desktop product.

Like Apple, Microsoft is also acting upon competitive pressures -- but Apple is going after Goliath while Microsoft is trying to protect its flank. It feels threatened by open source software, such as Linux. Linux and programs that run under it are also typically much less expensive than Windows and Windows programs. "Warning: Flying Pig Sighted" and "Hell Freezes Over" were among the many headlines of computer publication articles and online posts about two recent even s that have shaken the computer world. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) , Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) , and the Linux community, longtime adversaries offering largely incompatible...

Hewlett-Packard has no plans to preload versions of the upcoming Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) 10 on PCs but will certify the operating system. Plans call for HP to certify SLED 10 for select notebooks--including the nx6310, nx6320, nc6320, nc2400, nx6315 and nx6325 models--before the year's end, a spokeswoman for HP said in response to questions from CRN.

I am a bit speechless. SCO's conference today was to say Unix developers can make some money if only they'll develop for SCO again. If they pay you a $1000 then will you at least take a look? Will you code for them for a BMW? As for SCO's anti-Linux litigation scorched earth policy... well, it's never mind about all that. I have to ask, though. What happens if you look at their UNIX code? Does your brain belong to SCO forever more? What if you later wanted to contribute to GNU/Linux? Oh. I think I get it. It's really...

Excerpt - Martin Taylor, a key adviser to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, has left the software maker. Taylor, a 13-year company veteran who led Microsoft's "Get the Facts" anti-Linux crusade for several years, was named in March as a corporate vice president overseeing the marketing push for Windows Live services. ~ snip ~ "We've made the difficult decision to part ways with Martin, but we don't comment on personnel matters," Microsoft said in a statement. "We appreciate Martin's contributions at Microsoft over the past 13 years." ~ snip ~

as I stood in the Apple store last weekend and drooled over the beautiful, beautiful hardware, all I could think was how much work it would take to twiddle with the default settings, install third-party software, and hide all the commercial tie-ins so I could pretend I was in control of my own computer.

A group of top mobile phone makers and operators are launching a foundation to create an open Linux-based software platform for mobile devices, they said on Thursday. The companies, including Motorola, Vodafone Group, NTT DoCoMo, Samsung Electronics, NEC and Panasonic Mobile Communications, plan to focus on the development and marketing of an application program interface (API) specification, architecture and source reference. The group hopes to create a collaborative environment to build a mobile Linux development ecosystem and work to minimize fragmentation in the market. Initially, the founders plan to be responsible for the reference implementation of the mobile operating platform...

Beginning today, you can download a brand new version, Google Earth 4. Running on OS X? Feel the love. Prefer Linux? Ditto. Yes, we're releasing simultaneously for PC, Mac (universal binary for full performance on both Intel and PowerPC based Macs) and for the first time ever, native support for popular Linux distributions.

OSvids.com, a new site launched last week, is a twist on the traditional Linux screenshot gallery. It provides video views of dozens of distributions, giving potential Linux users a glimpse of open source desktops in action. Jonathan Buys started Osvids.com as an "offshoot" of his technology blog. He's been testing Linux distributions since 2000, beginning with Mandrake. "I've seen Linux advance by leaps and bounds over the years," he says. "I've lost count of how many distros I've tested. I figured that since I was loading the distros anyway, I might as well share my experiences on my site." OSvids.com...

This is not a gripe against windows. I use windows on a daily basis and I know how to get the most out of the experience. With a little work, it’s a highly polished and reliable OS. But how much “a little work” can we expect of an inexperienced new computer user. I have also recently installed the latest release of Ubuntu Linux and have found that its ease of use is second to no other OS I’ve used as of yet. What this is, is a gripe against the mainstream OS and computer manufacturing business. Mainly, new computer users...

Unix's Slow Death Still Gives Life To IBM Chris Kraeuter It's hard to get attention for something as dull as Unix computers when Web companies snag all the headlines for advancements in digital media. But an important development is happening at IBM that bears watching. The company, which will announce its third-quarter results Oct. 17, has been the prime beneficiary of a consolidation in the Unix market that has vexed rivals Sun Microsystems (nasdaq: SUNW - news - people ) and Hewlett-Packard (nyse: HPQ - news - people ). IBM (nyse: IBM - news - people ) captured the top...

Linux now forms a quarter of Dell's server business and is growing fast, the company says. Should Microsoft be worried? Long hailed as the provider of choice for companies looking for PC solutions based on Intel hardware and Microsoft software, Dell says that Linux now makes up 25 percent of its enterprise market. The company also claims to have made inroads in the Linux services market and to have reached a comfort level with Linux systems where it can now solve over 90 percent of Red Hat Linux service calls without need to involve Red Hat. The figures were revealed...

Yet more stupid lawyer tricks from our good friends at SCO: Long after the deadline for disclosing its allegations, SCO seeks by indirection to change them. In three of its eight expert reports, SCO alleges the misuse of material nowhere identified in the Final Disclosures, the very purpose of which was to fix the parties' allegations once and for all last year. Indeed, with respect to its allegation that Linux infringes SCO's alleged UNIX copyrights, SCO proffers expert testimony that has no support in the Final Disclosures and, if allowed, would reinvent the case at the eleventh hour. SCO's attempt...