Sun's Big Open-Source Bet, May 09, 2006

Jonathan Schwartz could upend the company's business model to one that's dependent on software. But he has some big changes to make first

From smartphones to servers, the open-source system is turning up in an ever-expanding variety of products. For consumers, that's good news

An effort to "pool" patents and get customers' input promises to head off the potential for legal problems down the road

But the romantic notion that Linux is the product of a freewheeling, loosely affiliated band of thousands of independent hackers collectively turning their backs on the status quo is no longer an accurate description of the Linux community -- and hasn't been the case for many years.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse: Instead of mortally wounding Linux, the litigation and threats only made it stronger.