Drivel:  I purchased VMware Workstation last year and have not had a good reason to use it until recently in testing different web browsers on Windows 98.  In the process, I learned how to configure X-windows to run under VMware, which was the main reason I purchased it.  I have found myself gradually spending more and more time in Linux.  8:59:35 PM   comments ()  

Drivel:  I cannot imagine the difficulty this company is going to have migrating their data.  I would hate to be the IT Manager responsible for this project.

## Red Hat wins over Windows convert. The Linux seller says its new customer will move from Microsoft Windows to its open-source software for database systems--a tougher proposition than a Unix-to-Linux switch. [CNET News.com]

2:27:25 PM   comments ()  

Drivel:  This is an interesting letter as it so acutely illustrates the fundamental shift that has occurred on the Internet in the past two years from free to for fee, or advertising sponsored, services.  Email and hosting services such as those provided by Sourceforge.net are not free, despite how they are offered to the users of the service.  This is also a great illustration of the infamous battle between the developer and the businessman.  The developer thinks that if I don't like what my "free" service is doing I can just switch.  OK, sure, but at what cost?  The cost of switching can be calculated by totally the time it takes to perform the switch and multiplying by the person's hourly rate of compensation.  If the person performs the switch on his or her "own time" then they decided to do the switch instead of something else, which also has a monetary value.  The businessman understands this plods forward.  This is economics 101, which, after almost eight years, the Internet community as a whole is just starting to grasp even after the down turn.  Everything operates according to some basic rule set that can not be changed; economics, law, and programming are not as different as one might think at their core.  This letter is like reverse of Dilbert in that Dilbert is asking the less intelligent question and the end user has the answer.  In a sense, we are all Dilbert from our own perspectives.

##Open Letter to SourceForge. Upset by some SourceForge advertising policies, David Sugar, Bayonne Project leader, writes an open letter to the SourceForge staff and receives a response. [Linux Journal]  11:30:54 PM   comments ()  

Drivel:  A very interesting partnership in the making here.  It looks like IBM is getting tired of Red Hat and may be looking for another horse to bet on.

IBM and SuSE: Worldwide Alliance Provides Linux Support for Corporate Users. The two companies partner on enterprise-level support and services. [Linux Journal]  10:21:01 AM   comments ()  

Drivel:  While this articles isn't entirely interesting, it does bring up an interesting point of Microsoft not being able to move software due to falling prices of hardware.  In this scenario, hardware manufacturers will no longer be able to absorb the price of Microsoft's software because it will represent too large of a percentage of the total unit price.  I think we are close to seeing this happen today.  For example, Gateway is offering a $599 computer with a 1.2GHz Celeron chip, 128MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, and a CD-RW drive with Windows XP pre-installed.  All of the software on this machine represents about $100 of the total price.  That's 16.7% of the total price.  This has to be eating into the per unit margins.  I would guess that as this percentage gets closer to 20% you will see the computer makers begin to adopt other strategies.  This is pure economics.  They have to do something.  All of the legal battles with Microsoft are only buying them some additional time.

Tiemann Takes the Stand. The big guys are trying to end the bullying of the biggest guy, but perhaps Microsoft's undoing will be simple economic theory. [Linux Journal]  10:08:30 AM   comments ()  

Drivel:  StarOffice is gaining momentum.  It is nearly feature compatible with Microsoft Office and even supports saving and importing in most MS Office file formats.  I have used it, though not extensively.  The only thing it is lacking is huge install base, which will come as Linux gains momentum on the desktop.

StarOffice goes commercial, and stays open-source [IDG InfoWorld]  12:19:21 AM   comments ()  

Drivel:  Another win for Linux.

Lindows wins first round [Geeknews]  12:16:38 AM   comments ()  

Drivel:  With job losses minimal and in a non-critical area of their business, Red Hat is fairing rather well while competition folds or takes deep cuts.

Red Hat restructures, signs big customers. In reporting its fourth-quarter results, which meet analyst estimates, the Linux seller says it has restructured to focus on big customers, cutting some jobs. [CNET News.com]  10:11:00 PM   comments ()