After almost three decades of development, open source software has firmly crossed over into mainstream use. Companies understand the unique value derived from software developed through open communities and are welcoming its use in mission critical settings throughout the enterprise. Read more...

The Linux Foundation is holding its annual Collaboration Summit April 15-17 in San Francisco, Calif.  And now, the linuep of keynote speakers and other details about the meetup are in place. "Leaders from the Linux developer, industry and end-user communities will gather at the invitation-only Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit to advance the state-of-the-art of Linux and open source software," the announcement notes. Here are more details on what to expect at the conference, and details on complete video sessions from last year's Collaboration Summit. 

The White House has released a memorandum saying that the results of government-funded research must be made publicly available in a science journal twelve months after their first release...

Last week I gave you a historical perspective about Microsoft and pinpointed several areas for improvements. Today I will continue that discussion with more food for thought: Microsoft could create lots of magic by developing advanced social media software, which would be so user-friendly that even a dog could use it with ease. The leading product, Facebook, lacks a good user interface; while it connects you, it basically sucks. Its value lies in its huge user base, the vast computer network it needs to function, and the ease with which it attracts immense amounts of advertising dollars.