Linux News: Business

Startup, Know Thyself: Q&A With Sierra Ventures Managing Director Tim Guleri
January 29, 2010

In this business climate, the road to striking a venture capital deal is difficult for both funder and fundee. Small startups with big ideas obviously have a harder time finding VC firms willing to take a chance on them, but those VC firms themselves are under added pressure to make the correct decisions regarding where to put their limited resources.

Report: Linux Gains Ground, Windows Stumbles
January 26, 2010

Linux inched ahead in the operating-system arena during the final month of 2009, even as Windows and Mac gave up some ground. That's according to research firm Net Applications, which recently released its Market Share report covering operating systems in December. Linux accounted for 1.02 percent of the market in December, up from an even 1 percent the month before.

Europe Lets Oracle Add Sun to Its Empire
January 21, 2010

After strenuous deliberations, the European Union's antitrust regulatory authority is giving Oracle's proposed $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems a green light. The EU's approval is the culmination of a months-long dispute between Oracle and Europe that threatened the deal's survival.

The Web's Next Layer of Innovation: Q&A With Creative Commons CEO Joi Ito
January 15, 2010

Web surfers, whether hardcore business professionals or amateur Web site creators, frequently find images online either through search engines or Web page browsing. However, in most cases, these images are not free to use. Maybe the photographer who created the image would be open to selling rights for a small fee; perhaps he or she only wants attribution but no pay.

Shuttleworth Reboots Canonical Leadership
December 17, 2009

Mark Shuttleworth, founder and CEO of Ubuntu commercial sponsor Canonical, announced on Thursday that he is stepping aside to develop cloud products and begin new partnerships. He named Chief Operating Officer Jane Silber to take his place as CEO of Canonical. The change in management will begin immediately but will not be fully implemented until March 1, he said.

Oracle Crosses Its Heart and Hopes to Buy
December 14, 2009

Oracle has pledged it will not assert copyright claims over MySQL and that it will extend terms and conditions of existing commercial licenses of the database for five years in the hope that the European Commission will approve its $7.4 billion pending acquisition of Sun Microsystems.

Microsoft FOSSifies .Net Micro Framework
November 18, 2009

The latest version of Microsoft's .Net Micro framework is now in the hands of the FOSS community. Microsoft announced at its Professional Developer Conference on Tuesday the release of version 4.0 under the Apache 2.0 license. The license transfer makes good on a longstanding promise from Redmond that it would make the popular .Net code base available as open source.

IT Needs Its Darth Vaders
November 17, 2009

If there were a psychiatrist seated across the room from us, and we were to present to her our feelings about information technology as a force in our lives, her diagnosis would be simple and immediate: We have an obsession. Maybe having nothing to do with technology itself at all, we're obsessed with the notion of a nemesis with an unfair advantage influencing the decisions we make.

Microsoft Goof - One Small Snag in a Code-Licensing Quagmire
November 17, 2009

Microsoft will soon release the source code and binaries for a Windows 7 tool that was recently found to contain code licensed under the GNU General Public License. The tool in question is the company's free Windows 7 USB / DVD Download Tool, which enables consumers to create bootable USB drives or DVD backup media from the electronic software edition of Windows 7 that comes in an ISO format.

Microsoft's Patently Absurd 'Sudo Patent'
November 16, 2009

There's just never a dull moment here in the world of FOSS. One minute, we're busy exclaiming our disbelief at the notion of a Microsoft version of Linux. The next minute -- on *Friday the 13th*, no less -- we learn that Redmond has acquired Teamprise, and will soon be shipping the company's Linux tools as part of its upcoming Visual Studio 2010 release.

Going Microsoft-Free, Saying Buh-Bye to McBride
October 26, 2009

There was a lot of news in the FOSS world last week, and it seems fair to say that the overall atmosphere was positive. First came word that a Microsoft-free desktop package is available for companies in the U.S. from IBM and Canonical. Then, from the ding-dong-the-witch-is-dead department, came news that SCO has fired its wildly litigious CEO Darl McBride.

Weighing Windows 7's Wallop
October 23, 2009

So how's your head after that wild Windows 7 launch party with the Stepford crew? Still got the spins? OK, if you really did throw or attend an official Windows 7 launch party, then that's ... interesting. I sincerely hope you had a good time. For the rest of us, the official introduction of Windows 7 was a pretty austere affair.

Oracle's Acquisition of Ailing Sun Stuck in Mire
October 21, 2009

Oracle's $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems appears threatened by recent developments, starting with difficulties in gaining regulatory approval in the EU and ending with a startlingly decline at Sun Microsystems -- a company that was on a downward trajectory long before Oracle made its play for it.

SCO Tosses McBride Overboard, Continues Flying Lawsuit Flag
October 21, 2009

Unix software firm SCO Group announced a corporate restructuring plan Monday to sever ties with CEO Darl McBride and reduced the company's workforce. The restructuring was designed by the firm's Chapter 11 bankruptcy trustee, Edward Cahn. These moves and other corporate adjustments will help the company continue its longstanding court battle.

Is Big Blue a Desktop Linux Friend or Foe?
October 12, 2009

Perhaps it was sheer exhaustion after all the arguments of late, but Linux bloggers have been relatively quiet over the past few days. IBM, oddly enough, seemed to be the topic of most frequent conversation recently, and on several fronts. "Bob Sutor, IBM's VP of open source, seemed to once again throw desktop Linux under the bus this week at LinuxCon," was how Carla Schroder began her post.

The Curious Case of the OIN Patent Coup
September 14, 2009

One of the best things about being part of the Linux community is that things are never boring. Take last week, for example, when some anti-Linux screenshots were leaked from a Microsoft ExpertZone training course for Windows 7 retail salespeople. Money just can't buy entertainment like that.