Stories by Eric Lai

Banks slow to deposit Linux in data centers

KeyBank is an example that Linux proponents wish there were more of. The Cleveland-based bank is in the midst of a multiyear upgrade to Linux and expects the open-source operating system to be running on almost 15 percent of its servers, many with mission-critical applications, by 2008.

VMWare releases free beta of virtualization software

Shrugging off challenges from rival upstarts touting better technology, virtualization leader VMware on Friday released a free beta version of its software for creating multiple operating systems on a single machine.

Firefox browser use slips in January

The open-source Firefox Web browser continues to flirt with the 10 percent market share milestone, but Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) regained lost ground among Internet users last month -- apparently at the expense of Firefox and Apple Computer's Safari, according to NetApplications.com.

Red Hat commits to MIT's US$100 laptop

Fedora Core, a popular flavor of Linux being developed by the open-source community, is hardly hefty by Tuesday's operating system standards. But to fit the tight specs for the US$100 laptop being designed by MIT's One-Lap-Per-Child (OLPC) group, Fedora will need to go on a crash diet, concedes its overseer, Red Hat.

IBM Exec Sees Open-Source Interest Growing

Bob Sutor, IBM's vice president of standards and open-source, sees 2006 as the year when a number of industries will move to embrace open-source software -- and he expects IBM to play a role in many of those efforts. Sutor, who spoke with Computerworld Monday, also weighed in on the role of Linux and offered his thoughts on Massachusetts' OpenDocument plans.

Microsoft looks to test WinFX tools on live apps

Microsoft last week released what it described as "go live" beta versions of development tools for building Web services and workflow-enabled applications under the company's upcoming WinFX programming model.

Oracle, Sun tout alliance, slam rivals

Two of Silicon Valley's leading players, Oracle and Sun Microsystems, pledged a renewal of their on-again, off-again alliance Tuesday, while taking shots at common rivals such as Microsoft and IBM.

Mandriva targrets corporations with Linux

Mandriva, now the third-largest Linux distributor behind Red Hat and Novell, is pushing to move from its consumer and small-business market niches into the realm of enterprise IT.

Adoption of Linux for retail point-of-sale apps slows

The holiday shopping season is bringing tidings both comforting and not so comforting to Linux vendors that are looking to break into the Windows-dominated market for point-of-sale terminals used in retail stores.

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