The VAR Guy

One of desktop Linux’s chief selling points is its near-immunity to malware. Whether this superiority is due to the Unix security measures that Windows lacks, or to the mere fact that comparatively few people use Linux on desktop computers, it makes Linux attractive in an era when all manner of nasty things can be done to computer users by exploiting bugs in the software they run.While Linux may not suffer from the software vulnerabilities of Windows, however, its users are still threatened by attacks that employ social-engineering—that is, those that dupe users into compromising their systems by running code or installing software without understanding the consequences.

For years, free-software advocates have asserted that Linux is ready for the mainstream desktop. Critics have responded that, sure, Linux has come a long way since 1991, but it’s still not for ‘average users’. Until grandmothers can get an Ubuntu system up and running without having to hack a wireless driver or an xorg.conf file, we’re told, the Linux user base will remain limited.

As part of a holiday promotion in US newspapers, Dell today advertised Netbooks running Ubuntu Linux at the starting price of $299. WorksWithU’s sister site, The VAR Guy, has all the details here.

Attention Ubuntu Linux shoppers: Dell in newspapers today advertised Inspiron Mini 9 netbooks running Ubuntu for the bargain basement starting price of $299. Even The VAR Guy is opening his wallet and buying one. Dell’s actions reinforce Ubuntu’s growing momentum in the consumer and mobile business market. Here’s the scoop, and a look at the Dell advertisement…

Cisco is offering $100,000 in prize money to Linux application developers that help the networking giant defeat Microsoft in the unified communications market. The initiative focuses on network-aware applications written for Cisco’s AXP (Application Extension Platform) and Integrated Services Routers (ISRs). Here’s the scoop, from The VAR guy.

Talk about a market disruption. In some scenarios, GroundWork Open Source says the company’s IT monitoring software costs 82-percent less than Hewlett-Packard Operations Manager and Network Node Manager. Apparently, Hewlett-Packard is fuming mad over the price comparison.

Xavier is the latest K-12 school to move Ubuntu Linux to the head of the class. In fact, the school has deployed more than 600 Ubuntu desktops, according to Pierre Tagle, Xavier’s consulting IT director. During a recent email exchange with WorksWithU, Tagle described why the San Juan, Phillipines-based school has fallen for Ubuntu.

“Our large-scale deployment of Ubuntu began last April 2008,” writes Tagle. “The reason to choose Ubuntu started due to cost issues brought about by Microsoft’s base licenses and subscription licenses.  The choice of Ubuntu is due to its ease of use as a desktop OS and the availability of Edubuntu.”

Still, Ubuntu has not made the leap from Xavier‘s desktops to servers. “Our servers are mostly Linux-based, though most of the run Red Hat or CentOS.  Red Hat is required by IBM for a supported installation of Lotus Notes.”

Meanwhile, the school also has a 50-computer mobile lab, which is standardized on Ubuntu. “Aside from this, we have another 120+ MacOS desktops and 100+ MacBook laptops used by our faculty members,” writes Tagle.

In the months ahead, WorksWithU will take a closer look at Ubuntu in the K-12 and higher education markets. Also, we continue to amass the WorksWithU 1000 — a fast-growing list of Ubuntu deployments across the globe.

Even as the economy went into a nosedive, Wyse Technology Inc.’s thin client sales continued to climb higher. In fact, Wyse — which increasingly promotes Linux-based solutions through channel partners — says the company generated record revenue in October. How is that possible? Here’s the scoop.

From Best Buy to Wal-Mart, big companies use business intelligence (BI) software to drive new revenue and market opportunities. Now, those high-end market solutions seem to be pushing down — through the IT channel — into small and midsize businesses. Skeptical? Check out this anecdotal information from SAS Institute.

Novell today claimed to have more certified software partners than rival Linux providers. The chest pumping represents Novell’s latest thinly veiled attack against Red Hat. But take a closer look at Novell’s claims and you’ll see why Red Hat may take issue with some of Novell’s statements.

If you want to learn what’s next in the ERP (enterprise resource planning) software market, visit Boston College, Georgetown University or the University of Arizona. All three schools — and plenty of additional colleges — are embracing Kuali, an open source ERP platform. And the deployments frequently involve rSmart, a solutions provider that specializes in open source ERP. Here’s the scoop.

Which open source companies are truly committed to VARs, solutions providers and managed service providers? You’ll find out in December when The VAR Guy unveils The Open Source 50: the top companies — from across the world — building the open source channel. To potentially have your company listed in The Open Source 50 report, fill out this quick survey.

I was delighted to discover yesterday that Adobe has finally released a 64-bit plugin to play flash in Firefox. This should make the lives of a lot of 64-bit Linux users much easier. It also represents a bit of a turn-around in the relations between Adobe and the free-software community.

As a regular participant in support threads on ubuntuforums.org, I’m exposed frequently to people who might be fairly characterized as ‘dissatisfied customers’ of the Ubuntu experience. Something doesn’t work as well as it’s supposed to—no out-of-the-box wireless or dual-monitor support are two of the most popular complaints—and these new users condemn Ubuntu and Linux in their entirety as a result. But are these charges justified, and how should Ubuntu respond?

At first glance, IBM has won a massive $873 million outsourcing contract with the State of Georgia. But The VAR Guy took a closer look and discovered Dell Managed Services will also cash in on the engagement. A trusted source says the contract ranks as one of Dell’s largest managed services and Software as a Service (SaaS) deals to date.

During the dot-com implosion, Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers took an unusual step that set the tone for appropriate, responsible executive leadership during bad economic times. Now, the executive leadership at Ford, General Motors and Chrysler should follow the example Chambers set back in  2002. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy’s sister site — MSPmentor — offers non-stop coverage of the managed services market, where more and more VARs are generating recurring monthly revenue from customers. Here’s a look at the top 10 stories making headlines on MSPmentor this week.

Repeat after The VAR Guy: Old software strategies — developed in the 1980s and 1990s — DO work in the emerging IT channel for open source solutions. Skeptical? Here are 250 ways Red Hat successfully pushed beyond Linux to promote open source middleware to customers.

On desktops and Netbooks, it has been a stellar year for Canonical’s Ubuntu Linux distribution. But on the server, Ubuntu continues to face long-term challenges in terms of application and vendor support. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

Time for a surprising reality check from The VAR Guy. Conventional wisdom says there’s no margin left for VARs in hardware sales. But Pulse Inc. — a $10 million solutions provider that works closely with ADTRAN Inc. — strongly disagrees. Here’s why.

It’s no secret that Digium (the poster child for Asterisk) has multiple employees who previously worked at ADTRAN, a neighboring networking company in Huntsville, Alabama. Are ADTRAN and Digium rivals or partners? The answer: A little of both.

The VAR Guy is impressed with Tom Perry. As the head of IT for the Huntsville (Alabama) airport, Perry made a strategic decision. Instead of launching a paid WiFi service, he built a free WiFi network for travelers. Here’s why.

Quick, describe ADTRAN CEO Tom Stanton (pictured). Chances are you’re silent. The VAR Guy has spent nearly two decades covering the networking industry. He knows quite a bit about ADTRAN and its SMB networking strategy. But our resident blogger must concede: He’s never met Stanton — until today. Here’s the scoop from Stanton, and his vision for ADTRAN partners.