Linux

Microsoft may have a stranglehold on the PC market, but there are some worrying signs: At top online retailers the best-selling laptops are overwhelmingly Linux-based or Macs. And that could spell trouble for Microsoft down the road

No matter what browser you use -- whether it be Internet Explorer, Firefox 2, or any other -- you need to switch to Firefox 3. The most recent beta shows off a brower that's the best yet for customized browsing, better downloading, and faster surfing. I've got five reasons why you should switch.

The news from Eastern Europe yesterday was that the Cold War is heating up again – the Cold War between IBM and Microsoft. Big Blue is working with system-integrator partners to supply a "Microsoft-free" desktop PC to large customers like Aeroflot, the Russian state airline.

I've put the latest betas of Firefox 3 and IE8 to the test, and the results are clear: Firefox 3 is the superior browser. Its new features make browsing the Web easier, faster, safer, and easier to customize --- and the memory leak problem seems to have been fixed. IE8, on the other hand, offers some flashy new tools, but for everyday browsing, Firefox remains superior. I've got details and screenshots.

Microsoft's price cuts on Windows Vista last Thursday seem to be designed to make the most difference where it's the least important – to give the software giant bragging rights down the road without hurting – or improving – its bottom line.

It's IT Blogwatch: in which we spot Adobe's AIR platform for rich Internet applications, now out of beta. Not to mention plants that use Twitter. Adobe also released Flex 3, an open-source development tool set aimed at helping developers build RIAs ...

Heather Havenstein has this:

Adobe today announced the availability of its Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) cross-operating system for taking rich Internet applications (RIA) to the desktop ...

Those looking for an ulterior motive in Microsoft's big Open Source push should look no further than its Yahoo takeover bid --- some believe that may be the real reason for the company seeing the light.

Microsoft held out the peace pipe to the Open Source community today when the company announced that is offering free access to its most important APIs and formerly proprietary protocols, and will offer more support for open standards. Why has Microsoft seen the light? I have a one-word answer: Google.

MAIL FROM IT Blogwatch: in which The Mozilla Foundation spins off Mozilla Messaging, to rejuvenate the Thunderbird email client. Not to mention when GPS vehicle navigation turns bad...

Dan Nystedt reports:

The Mozilla Foundation Tuesday opened Mozilla Messaging, a new subsidiary focused on developing its free, open-source Thunderbird e-mail software. Mozilla Messaging will initially focus on developing Thunderbird 3, which aims at improving several aspects of the software ...

Kerio updates its MailServer so Mac and Linux users can collaborate with Windows colleagues, assuming they'd want to

Paul Kim, U.S. head of marketing at Everex, must be a very busy guy right now. But he found time to send me an update on CloudBook availability on Friday night. Here's the list:

As it promised, Everex's $399 mini-laptop is slowly trickling down to e-commerce stores, with Linux-focused ZaReason claiming to be first with the CloudBook. But the first Web reviews by Laptop magazine indicate that the would-be competitor to the Asus eee may have been pushed out too fast.

It's IT Blogwatch: in which the near-dead SCO celebrates a lifesaving offer of $100 million. Not to mention mainstream virtualization...

Todd R. Weiss reports:

Five months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a reorganization effort last September, The SCO Group Inc. today unveiled a potential $100 million cash infusion ... from Stephen Norris & Co. Capital Partners L.P. (SNCP) and partners in the Middle East ...

After last year's Mac hack (actually a Quicktime hack) at CanSecWest 2007, the organizers of CanSecWest 2008 are going to pit Leopard against Linux against Vista this year. LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

MsMobiles.com had a story yesterday headlined "Attract beautiful women using your Windows Mobile smartphone." It seemed like a stretch - isn't something like the $310,000 Vertu Cobra (encrusted with a pair of diamonds and 439 rubies) going to be a bigger hit at midnight in a skeazy nightclub?