Drivers, patents and other threats, yawn, May 25, 2007

I'm attempting to remember a time when something about Linux didn't draw criticism. I'm also attempting to remember a time when Windows didn't draw criticism. What about when my Mac crashed a dozen times a day?

VA Software has folded its software division and changed its name to Sourceforge. The former Linux vendor will focus its business entirely on the web.

Dell's plans to sell consumer Linux PCs could hit a snag after the company admitted that the machines will not run popular video formats and might not work with cheaper printers.

What most people don't realize is that the story really isn't about patents at all—it's about a rational actor trying to protect its privileged position.

On May 24, the rumors and speculation came to an end. Dell officially unveiled its three consumer systems -- the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops, and the Inspiron E1505n notebook -- that come with the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux distribution factory installed.

In a surprise announcement earlier today at the Open Source Business Conference, Novell and the Electronic Frontier Foundation said that Novell would be contributing to the EFF's Patent Busting project.

Linux appears to be making inroads among Japanese consumer electronics vendors, and to be gradually taking marketshare away from iTron, long the top Japanese embedded operating system.

Ever since I wrote "Why people really don't switch to Linux," I've been getting email and forum messages about why I'm right or why I'm wrong. One thing I didn't mention, though, was that really, in 2007, we're all already Linux users.

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