The VAR Guy

Apple Computer is standing by CEO Steve Jobs amid a stock option controversy at the company. In an SEC filing today, Apple defends Jobs and says, “Although the investigation found that CEO Steve Jobs was aware or recommended the selection of some favorable grant dates, he did not receive or financially benefit from these grants or appreciate the accounting implications.”

Some Apple Watchers are asking if Steve Jobs is heading for jail amid allegations that the company falsified stock-option documents.

The VAR Guy has been waiting patiently at the end of his driveway, wondering if FedEX or UPS would deliver a Ferrari laptop with Windows Vista preinstalled. Microsoft has been sending the sporty new Vista laptops to bloggers in order to promote the operating system. Alas, The VAR Guy hasn’t received his.

If you’re a channel chief looking for a new opportunity, maybe it’s time to check out the open source market. The VAR Guy is hearing more and more buzz about open source companies hiring channel experts to help drive sales in 2007.

What if you could fire IT vendors that don’t meet your needs? What if you could simply stop recommending their hardware, software or services — and easily uninstall all of their products?

The VAR Guy has spent the past three years carrying around a Treo with mobile email support. During most holidays he frequently checked messages and was a slave to work.

The VAR Guy stumbled onto a stunning trend in the Linux market today. Ask Zimbra to name the most popular platforms for its open source email software, and the company provides a surprising reply.

Less than a year after Zimbra launched its open source email platform, more than 1,000 customers have deployed 5 million Zimbra inboxes.

Four Loop Technologies’ phone is ringing off the hook. The company, which develops an open source PBX called SwitchVox, is generating strong buzz in the reseller community.

All it takes is a misleading press release to get The VAR Guy up on his soapbox. Consider the latest PR materials from Microsoft and Novell, in which the companies claim more customer momentum around their Windows-Linux partnership.