Business

The speculation is over. Sun is set to release a new version of its Solaris operating system today, and Solaris 10, the newest version of its Unix-based operating system, will soon be available for the first time ever as a free open-source product. Sun spent billions of dollars developing the code, ...

Desperately seeking their future, African countries that virtually no Western commercial software vendors have cared about in the past are turning to free and open software. They are doing so at a pace just quick enough to alarm some commercial software vendors, who fear the prospect of an entire co...

Hewlett-Packard and JBoss announced a deal today in which HP will support JBoss' open-source application server and use its Services division to help clients migrate to JBoss' platform. With the arrangement, HP becomes the first big Linux vendor to certify JBoss. "Most of the Linux firms are pretty ...

In a move to tap into the demand for low-cost software in developing markets, Red Hat announced yesterday it would open its first office in Beijing, China this week. The company said it is working with partners such as HP, IBM, Intel and Oracle to help the Chinese market learn more about open source...

In a move to diffuse Microsoft's "Get the Facts" campaign that openly slams open source, Novell has launched a Web site bent on "unbending the truth." This comes at the same time that open-source advocate Chris Stone, Novell's vice chairman, office of the chief executive officer, unexpectedly left t...

Recent low-key efforts by Adobe Systems to bolster its presence in the Linux community makes good business sense, according to one analyst who covers the company. Adobe, which makes well-known software brands Acrobat, Illustrator and Photoshop, is keeping all its bases covered by expanding its Linux...

It's not clear whether or not industry watchers were holding their breath for the SCO Group's planned November 1 launch of its legal information site to counter the popular Groklaw.net site. But if they were, they may be blue in the face before they see the site that was supposed to chronicle SCO's ...

Computers are becoming pervasive learning tools in K-12 education, whether in individual classrooms or in a shared media center. Both Apple and Microsoft have donated millions of dollars worth of equipment to schools in order to aid education and spread their doctrine. But what about the growing inf...

Linux could be poised to take another big step into the public sector overseas, thanks to a new report from the UK Office of Government Commerce (OCG). The OCG study concluded that open-source operating systems such as Linux are "viable" and could "generate significant savings." The UK joins other E...

The world's largest distributor of Linux expects 50 percent of its revenues to be coming from overseas sales within the next year -- a revelation one analyst sees as a bit of a capitulation. "It's our goal that within the next 12 months, 50 percent of our revenues be from sales outside the United St...

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has made courting Linux users and those considering the open-source option a top priority and said the sheer volume of innovation that Longhorn development efforts are producing will make the next version of Windows worth the wait. Ballmer commented on a range of topics d...

Unisys has joined forces with the SAS Institute to make Linux enterprise-ready for business intelligence in a move that demonstrates the server maker's commitment to meeting customer interest in open-source software and services. The effort is aimed at helping organizations migrate from the propriet...

Sun Microsystems announced today that Orange SA, a London-based international mobile phone company, has chosen the Java Enterprise System to replace its current Sun software in Europe. Orange has operations in Benelux, and other western Europe regions. Orange has 22,000 employees and is a London-bas...

Hoping to position itself to deliver its perspective on the epic legal battle over the future of Linux, the SCO Group said it would launch its own legal-defense Web site. The site, called Prosco.net, appears to be a direct reaction to the popular Groklaw.net site, which offers extensive analysis of ...

Sun Microsystems has settled its long-fought patent infringement case with Eastman Kodak, heading off a jury decision on the penalty. Faced with the prospect of paying damages of more than US$1 billion in federal court, the software giant reached an out-of-court agreement late last night, according ...