The VAR Guy

Sure, Microsoft expects Windows’ installed base to top 1 billion licenses by the end of this year. But in the shadow of Windows Vista, a rather remarkable trend — known as an InstallFest — continues to transform Linux from a fringe desktop option into a mainstream Windows alternative. Here’s the scoop.

Who are the world’s top Ubuntu Linux partners? The VAR Guy wants to know. And so do his readers. Our resident blogger has launched a global survey that will identify 100 of the world’s top Ubuntu integrators, solutions providers, VARs and channel partners. What’s in it for Ubuntu partners and what does it take to participate? Glad you asked.

A few years from now, open source pundits may consider February 2008 the tipping point for Linux laptops. Why is that? Glad you asked. The open source world is buzzing right now about Everex’s CloudBook, an “ultraportable” Linux laptop available from Wal-Mart and several leading Web sites. Officially, the tiny $399 laptop isn’t available until February 21. But it’s already generating big sales, according to several sources in the know. Simply put, CloudBook’s arrival is a defining moment — a critical milestone — for Linux on desktops and laptops.

The VAR Guy will be all ears when Canonical’s Jono Bacon (pictured) delivers his keynote today at the Southern California Linux Expo here in Los Angeles. Bacon will discuss the future of Linux on the desktop. If you’re not here at the event, you can watch his 10 a.m. Pacific keynote online. Here’s how.

Yes, Sun is acquiring MySQL for $1 billion. But Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz isn’t done modernizing his company. Not by a long shot. The VAR Guy isn’t ready to predict which company Sun will acquire next, but he has noticed Schwartz getting pretty darn cozy with two fast-growing open source businesses.

Brace yourself for a rare event: The VAR Guy is about to eat crow. Last fall, he dumped Microsoft Office for an open source suite. Now, he’s making the leap back into Microsoft’s arms. What went wrong with our resident blogger’s open source experiment? Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy is a fly on the wall this morning at Nine Lives Media Inc., the startup company that operates this site. As he bangs away this blog entry, he’s please to hear the first executive decision from the Nine Lives team: “We’re standardizing on Macs.”

Time for The VAR Guy to stir up a little controversy, this time in the Linux desktop market. He thinks a small desktop setback at Red Hat could lead to more PC momentum for Ubuntu Linux. Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy received a rude greeting when he returned home from a business trip last night. His Ubuntu PC from Dell was dead. Fried. Done. Well, not entirely. But things were bad. The PC was displaying a bunch of errors and never fully booted up. But this sad story has a happy ending for The VAR Guy and Ubuntu.

Yes, you can purchase a $200 Linux PC from Wal-Mart this holiday season. That’s great news for consumers and the open source movement. But a lot of bloggers, including The VAR Guy, need to remind readers that it might be wiser to look elsewhere for affordable, reliable Linux PCs. One prime stop should be ZaReason.com. Here’s why.