The VAR Guy

The grand experiment is over. Wal-Mart has locked Linux out of its stores. The retail giant has stopped selling Linux-based PCs — though Walmart.com will continue selling the so-called Green gPC from Everex, according to the Associated Press. What does this mean for the open source desktop movement in the consumer market? Here are some thoughts from The VAR Guy.

It’s time for The VAR Guy to eat a little more crow. Last week, he suggested nobody really cared about Lotusphere anymore. Boy was he wrong. Turns out IBM and the Lotus team unveiled some major partnerships at the event. Here are the top six highlights from Lotusphere, and the potential benefits for VARs.

The VAR Guy is eating a bit of humble pie today. Our resident blogger has openly questioned whether Lenovo could build a successful global PC business. After some hit-and-miss financial results, Lenovo finally showed some strength today with its latest quarterly earnings. Plus, the company shedding the IBM moniker from its PC lineup two years ahead of schedule.

If you’re a Lenovo reseller, membership will soon have its privileges. The PC giant has rolled our Club Lenovo, a new loyalty rewards program for Lenovo SMB resellers in the U.S. and Canada. Beginning in October, the program rewards solutions providers and their sales force for selling Lenovo PCs, monitors, peripherals and services. Hmmm. The VAR Guy is in the market for a Linux-based PC. Is it time for him to get in on the Lenovo action?