The VAR Guy

Google Chrome, the browser that spun off the sensation of Chrome OS and more, is now coming to that other ubiquitous Google platform, Android. Why? How? What? It’s not that complicated, it’s just a browser. Here’s what Android devices can look forward to.

Until quite recently, the Linux world had, for the most part, only two major desktop environments: GNOME 2 and KDE. Fast forward to the present, however, and there’s an immense litany of different choices, all vying to become the new face of your open source operating system. To me, this shift signals a new paradigm in the world of free software — a turn that could have major consequences throughout the channel. Here’s why.

More evidence is building that Google will likely use Motorola Mobility as its personal manufacturing arm, once the acquisition is complete. The latest clue is the rumor that Nikesh Arora, senior VP and chief business officer at Google, will eventually head up Motorola Mobility. If it’s true, such a move would be quite telling of Google’s plans.

ownCloud, Inc., which went commercial fewer than two months ago, may be young, but it’s already pumping out innovative new features for the ownCloud open source framework, including some interesting potential revenue streams. Here’s a look at the latest updates in version 3, out this week.

We often look at Ubuntu, Unity and GNOME, but what about KDE? KDE has not only been a constant companion and competitor to other Linux window management systems, but a KDE tablet offshoot is building a presence on to the open source scene. If you’re looking to support KDE, while also looking to buy a 7-inch tablet, the Spark tablet could be perfect for you. Read on for the details …

When it comes to branding, the open source world is rarely at the front of the pack. Free software hackers tend to be much better at writing code than they are at designing logos, inventing names and developing elegant color schemes. But Canonical has long stood out as an exception, and its latest stride — a new website devoted to helping the community adhere to Ubuntu branding conventions — is no exception. Here’s a look.

The VAR Guy just got a call from HR double-checking a help-wanted ad for a freelance website manager. Yes indeed, our resident blogger’s alleged media empire needs to find additional talent to fuel more growth. But even before more help arrives, web traffic continues to grow. Here are the nine most read technology news and channel partner stories from our blog network — The VAR Guy, MSPmentor and Talkin’ Cloud — for the week ending Jan. 27, 2012.

Just when I thought Ubuntu developers were going to take a break from reinventing the user interface to focus on other pursuits, such as Ubuntu TV, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth announced a new endeavor, the Head-Up Display, designed to replace window menus. Here’s a look at the plans and what they could mean for the Linux world.

HP has unveiled its roadmap to bring webOS to the open source community, with the whole process expected to be complete by September 2012. What’s in store for webOS as it makes this transition? Here’s the rundown …

HTC and IBM apparently have struck a deal to help HTC gain more Android enterprise love and IBM gain more mobile proliferation of its software. The duo teamed up at IBM’s latest Loutusphere conference and demoed HTC devices running IBM’s smart business applications. So what’s next?

We all have dirty secrets. Mine is this: Although I run Linux exclusively on all of my computers, I still use Microsoft Office. Why? Because LibreOffice — even if it’s through no fault of its own — doesn’t always get the job done for me. And sometimes I wonder if it ever will. Here’s why.

Dell’s OEM Solutions division today said it will offer customized SUSE Linux Enterprise servers to customers. But the far more interesting nugget of information for partners involves SUSE Studio, which Dell will use to build and deploy customized Linux application stacks. Here’s why.

Last week I wrote about spinoffs of Ubuntu, noting that some of the once popular ones have now gone dormant. But later, I realized something else interesting: No Ubuntu variant — not a single one — uses Unity as its default desktop interface. Keep reading for some thoughts on why this might be, and what it says about Ubuntu and Canonical.

By now you’ve probably heard Canonical’s big announcement out of CES 2012: Ubuntu is coming to your TV (or so Canonical hopes). But what’s received less attention amid all the fanfare is the role of Unity, the Linux desktop environment on which the new TV interface is based. Since Ubuntu TV could have important, if surprising, ramifications for Unity, here are some observations to keep in mind.

Red Hat has launched Enterprise Virtualization 3.0, packed with two partner surprises: First, there’s a “central hub” that allows RHEV partners to showcase products and applications certified for Red Hat’s virtualization platform. Second, a new certification called “Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization-Certified” will help partners to stand out in the crowd. With those bonus efforts, can Red Hat and its partners gain ground on VMware?

Even if you don’t run Linux, chances are good you’ve heard of Ubuntu. You’re probably also familiar with its official cousins: Kubuntu, Xubuntu and the like. But there’s another subset of the Ubuntu ecosystem that gets less play — namely, the medley of unofficial spinoffs built by third parties. Although little discussed, the trends surrounding these distributions that hide in Ubuntu’s shadow reveal a lot about the open source channel more broadly.

Most politicians probably don’t use Linux. After all, some of them have barely figured out computers at all. But since the American presidential campaigning season is once again upon us, I’ve been wondering to myself lately: If the candidates did run Linux, which distribution would they choose? At the risk of offending various groups of people, here are my answers, for better or for worse.

Maybe it’s just a sign that I’m getting old, but more and more often lately I’ve found myself thinking thoughts like, “Back in my day, Linux didn’t have X, Y and Z. We did without!” With these sentiments in mind, I decided to put together a list of a few major desktop Linux technologies that millions of users now take for granted, but which didn’t exist only a few years ago. Read on for a look.

The VAR Guy is ready to unplug for the weekend. But before our resident blogger heads home, here are the nine most read channel partner news stories from our blog network — The VAR Guy, MSPmentor and Talkin’ Cloud — for the week ending January 6, 2012.

It’s a new year, and LibreOffice — the office productivity suite forked from OpenOffice.org  — is the new face of open source productivity software. Or is it? And more importantly, will it remain so as OpenOffice is reborn under the Apache Foundation? Here are some thoughts on what to expect on this front in 2012.

Despite the challenging U.S. economy, Red Hat sure sounds optimistic. The open source company plans to hire roughly 1,000 people in 2012. And this isn’t a pure Linux strategy. Red Hat also continues to invest in virtualization, storage, middleware and cloud computing. Here’s where channel partners fit into the strategy.

At first glance, Zentyal seems to be making all the right moves — raising more than $1 million to promote Linux into the small business server market. Zentyal is building a partner network for VARs — striving to counter Microsoft Small Business Server along the way. But The VAR Guy wonders: Can Zentyal really succeed in the SMB server software market — where so many other Linux distributions have failed?

The “year in review” pieces that proliferate old and new media alike around this time of year get tedious pretty fast. But because I’ve yet to see a good compilation of the major developments — and there were plenty of them — that affected desktop Linux in 2011, I couldn’t think of any better topic for my last post of the month. That may make me a hypocrite, but if you can forgive a personal flaw, keep reading for a look at how the Linux world has evolved in the last 365 days or so.