Red Hat releases software for Windows, Linux management, May 08, 2008

In an effort to scale middleware from its $420 million JBoss buyout upward to the enterprise, Red Hat this week released its JBoss Operations Network (JBoss ON) 2.0 management platform for applications running on Linux and other clients.

Linux and Unix software from Microsoft? That will be one of the upshots of Microsoft's proposed buyout of Fast Search & Transfer, Microsoft officials said today. But that doesn't mean you'll see Microsoft software shifting platforms.

A pint-sized, multi-functional Linux server small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, was released this week into the North American market by Japan-based Plat'Home.

While Linux remains popular among enthusiasts, its adoption among casual PC users lacks the power to really threaten Microsoft Windows. However a small handful of groups still create operating systems designed to make the transition over to Linux a little bit easier and less intimidating.

Copies of Microsoft's former flagship operating system will be placed on XO laptops as part of a limited field trial. As a result, for the first time in a long while, it finds itself in the role of PC hardware tester.

As the date draws near for the first round of discussions before the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on the topic of adopting Microsoft's Office Open XML format, allegations have arisen that Microsoft may have used influential tactics to sway the outcomes of recommendation votes in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

Just as the automobile can co-exist with the airplane, ODF and Open XML can and should co-exist, the team writes. They go on to imply that standards agencies should not place themselves in a role similar to restricting transportation solely to the ground level.

In an op-ed piece published by BusinessWeek today, Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin stated his organization will be ready to fund the legal efforts of anyone who produces Linux software who's threatened with - or sued on account of - patent infringement. If necessary, Zemlin writes, the foundation will use its own patent portfolio to mount countersuits.

Novell's global public relations director Bruce Lowry told BetaNews this afternoon that his company interprets its cooperation agreement with Microsoft as mutual decision not to press the issue of whose code appears in whose operating system.

Marking what could have been a summer-long hiatus in its "Get the Facts" campaign, Microsoft is re-igniting the flames on the argument over whether enterprises spend less to manage Windows systems than Linux systems.

VMware on Wednesday released the final version of its VMware Server virtualization product, the successor to GSX Server. Just like the beta release that debuted in February, VMware is making the software available free of charge, much like Microsoft has done with Virtual Server 2005 R2

In a surprise move, Microsoft is bending to pressure from governments and will sponsor an open source project to build tools that enable conversion between its Open XML formats in Office 2007 and OpenDocument (ODF).

AOL on Monday expanded its Open AIM initiative, adding support for PC-to-PC calling and new operating systems including Mac OS X and Linux. The Open AIM program provides a platform for developers to build plug-ins and custom clients that take advantage of AOL's instant messaging network.

One Laptop Per Child founder Nicholas Negroponte used the Wall Street Journal's D Conference in Southern California Wednesday to show off a prototype of the much-anticipated $100 laptop for emerging markets. However, he acknowledged that the device will initially be priced around $130 to $140 USD.

Computer maker Hewlett-Packard plans to sell PCs running Linux across 37 countries in Latin America, and has selected Mandriva to provide the open source operating system.

Nokia's Internet Tablet has been delayed due to software issues, the mobile phone maker told the Reuters on Wednesday.

"We've learned from Apache," acknowledged Bill Staples, product unit manager for IIS. Version 7.0 takes the IIS feature set and breaks it down into individual components, or modules, that can be loaded on an as-needed basis. The result is a Web server with much less overhead.

The second beta of OpenOffice.org 2.0 was released on Monday, available in 11 languages for Windows, Linux and Solaris platforms. The project says more languages and platforms will be made available shortly.

The founder and former chief architect of Gentoo Linux, a so-called meta-distribution of Linux known for its adaptability, has joined the ranks at Redmond.

It is difficult to ascribe any rational explanation to the vitriolic responses that descend on any reporter, analyst, rival vendor or industry observer that dares to voice any criticism of Linux or open source, no matter how constructive, logical or accurate.