One of the coolest things I get to do in this job is talk to the developers and business executives who are every day advancing the Linux operating system. Our Open Voices Podcast Series showcases some of the most influential people in the Linux and open source software community, including Linus Torvalds, Mark Shuttleworth, Mitchell Baker, and many more.

Today we posted our latest conversation in the Series. This one is with IBM’s Bob Sutor. Bob recently moved into a new position at IBM where he is focused on Linux and open source software. It’s an interesting time for him and IBM given the company’s 10-year anniversary this year of its commitment to Linux. The podcast sheds some light on the last 10 years for Linux, as well as what the future holds. This is just a taste of what I expect he will expand upon in his LinuxCon keynote later this year.

Hear what Bob has to say about the ODF debate, as well as some really thoughtful insights on desktop Linux and the cloud, among others topics.

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We don’t need to declare the year of the Linux desktop anymore. This week alone was pretty darn good. Having spent the week at Computex, the place where you see all the things that people are going to find in Bestbuy and Amazon 6 months from now, it is clear that Linux has a critical role in client computing. Here is a shortlist of this weeks developments.

Moblin Breaks Out

Acer announced it will support Moblin across all its product lines. Asus showed some new prototypes at the Moblin executive summit. Canonical, Linpus, Novell, Red Flag, and Xandros all announced they will deliver Moblin versions of their distributions. We even saw several Android applications installed on a netbook running Moblin 2.0 in a speech from Intel on Thursday making it clear that it isn’t necessarily and either or game between the two platforms.

Smartbook or Netbook; Common Denominator is Linux

Qualcom has dubbed the term “Smartbook” which is defined as combining features of a smartphone and a netbook. It is unclear if this category will stick but there is one thing that both netbooks and smartbooks have in common; Linux. Moblin, Android, and desktop Linux were in all of the preview devices on display behind the scenes and on the show floor at Computex.

“Instant on”runs on Linux

As I predicted last year, Linux is shipping with a huge number of the PC’s at Computex thanks to a flurry of activity in the “fast boot” segment. On display this year were Fastboot from bios giant Phoenix, Splashtop from DeviceVM, and Presto from Xandros. Clearly consumers are sick of waiting for Windows to boot and with sub five second boot times from each of these vendors using Linux you can access your e-mail or web browser in seconds.

Dell Introduces a Full Linux Notebook for $299.00

Dell introduced the Inspiron N notebook computer this week for $299.00. This is a full fledged notebook computer with a 15 inch screen, a dvd burner, 160 gig hard drive and more for $299.00. This is breakthrough pricing in a market that can’t be re categorized by Microsoft as a “low-cost small notebook PC” It is hard to see how Microsoft can maintain their usual margins which would represent 1/3 of the cost of this PC. Linux’s fundamental pricing advantage here could not be more compelling.

Better Audio and Video Support

RealNetworks Inc announced it is licensing its RealPlayer for Linux on x86 and ARM-based netbooks, as well as the three “instant-on” products mentioned above. Real is joining Fluendo who is already partnering with Ubuntu to offer multimedia support for Linux on Dell products.

Palm “Pre” makes a spash with a Linux based Smartphone

Palm started selling its ambitious new smartphone product this week to strong reviews. Palm has bet the company on the Pre and it shows. The device has tremendous potential with slick industrial design and a solid Linux based software platform.

Intel Buys Wind River

Finally, Intel surprised everyone this week by purchasing Linux and embedded systems giant Wind River. If anyone questioned Intel’s commitment to Linux and to expanding in the embedded and mobile market this certainly made it clear that Intel is going all in. This acquisition, which is Intel’s first major M&A activity since 2001, is certain to help all of their efforts in this arena from the Moblin project they are working on with us here at the Linux Foundation to better software enablement of future products in this space.

After this week I think the term “year of the desktop” is becoming obsolete. Heck, after this week of the Linux desktop if there wasn’t so much going on I might even take next week off.

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You say potato I say; are we really talking about this? At Computex this week we saw two new computing “categories” created. It has long been marketing 101 in the high tech world to try and define a category of computing based on metrics that favor your own particular market position of unique feature set. That is what is going on today in the great netbook/smartbook/low-cost small notebook PC debate. Let’s look at each of these and try and sort this out.

First, starting with “netbooks” you have what is essentially a “low-cost small notebook PC” but is much easier to say. Asus and Intel pioneered the use of this term in conjunction with the Eee PC and Atom processor respectively. Netbooks are generally a portable low cost PC with a smaller screen size used for accessing the internet and media consumption. Lately, however, most “netbooks” are considered fully functional PC’s capable of being a real productivity tool. My hunch is that the netbook name is the one that will stick. It is easy to remember and sounds so much better than “cheap PC.”

Secondly, this week Qualcomm came out with the term “Smartbook” referring to small low-cost notebook PC’s that have smart phone features such as always on 3G wireless, push e-mail, instantboot, etc. This is a clever term for Qualcomm to illustrate its strengths as they cross over from the wireless device market into the PC market place. Their marketing folks deserve full credit for a “smart” idea. We’ll see if the term catches on, but it is tough to be second in the category creation game and Qualcomm got beat to the punch by the netbook term over a year ago.

Finally you have poor Microsoft’s rejection of both categories in favor of the term, “low-cost small notebook PC.” No surprise since the netbook/smartbook market is terrible for their business. The last time they used the term “netbooks” was in an earnings announcement where they stated, “client revenue declined 8% as a result of PC market weakness and a continued shift to lower priced netbooks.”

Nick Mediati at PCWorld said it best, “by Microsoft’s logic, “smart phones” should be renamed “pocket-sized handheld computing devices” since smart phones today do so much more than make phone calls and handle your appointment calendars. And “game consoles”? More like “home theater multimedia playback and gameplay consoles.” To arbitrarily change a product category’s catchy, memorable name to something ridiculous and jargony seems to make no sense at all.”

Walking around Comptex there is was one point of common ground in the debate. Whether you say potato, potahto, Moblin or Android, with the cost of these PC’s trending toward less then a couple hundred bucks we all say goodbye to expensive OS licensing and hello to Linux.

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There was an interesting announcement from Eduardo Lima of the Canola project in his speech in Mozilla Maemo Danish Weekend yesterday in Brazil. The Canola project announced that they are going to license their project with additional permissions to GPLv3 in order to provide their code “in different kinds of business models and product offerings, especially in CE devices.” This is the first times that this particular permission is being used. The GPLv3 license is an important one and developers should be aware of the facts and motivations in this particular case.

What is the Canola project?

Canola is a media center like application for tablets. Canola was born as a finger oriented, portable media center that could allow consumers to play all of their media, both local and from the network. The main goal of the project is to provide an easy to user interface for Linux systems. Their work is used in tablets offered by companies like Nokia.

Why are they choosing the GPLv3 plus this additional permission?

According to the project, “We believe this additional permission enables wider use of Canola2 in different kinds of business models and product offerings, especially in CE devices. This additional permission combines the best parts of GPLv2 and GPLv3 experiences. We encourage other projects to consider use of this additional permission if they have similar needs.”

What is the specific permission language?

“The copyright holders grant you an additional permission under Section 7 of the GNU General Public License, version 3, exempting you from the requirement in Section 6 of the GNU General Public License, version 3, to accompany Corresponding Source with Installation Information for the Program or any work based on the Program. You are still required to comply with all other Section 6 requirements to provide Corresponding Source.”

What does this permission mean?

Basically it means what it says. It relieves the licensee from the obligation that it would otherwise have under section 6 of GPLv3 to include installation information along with corresponding source for the program in question or any work based on that program.

Is this permission compatible with GPLv3?

Yes. Section 7 of GPLv3 allows copyright holders to issue additional permissions and the experts that we have contacted tell us that this additional permission is compliant with section 7, and has been written according to the requirements of GPLv3.

Who else might use this permission language?

Developers who would like their code to be used in systems where the particular producer of those devices or systems might not use the software at all if it was required to provide installation information along with the source code.

Is that a good thing?

Some people favor the ability to provide additional permissions to GPLv3 and others do not. However, the drafters of the GPLv3 decided that it was appropriate to provide the freedom to include exceptions by including section 7 for this purpose.

Have other people looked at this language?

Members of the Linux Foundation have looked at this language and deem it to be legally acceptable and appropriate for this particular use.

What do they think about its substance?

The foundation and its members all believe that licensing choice is ultimately up to the developers and owners of a project. We are concerned, however, with whether the language of popular licenses is legally clear, and also with the fact that having too many licenses and license variations can become confusing.

Regardless of where you come down on the debate as to whether these permissions should be granted, it is clear that this language is effective and that its consistent use will be helpful for those projects and developers that DO wish to provide a similar exception to the GPLv3.

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Today, the Moblin project released Moblin v2.0 for Netbooks and Nettops to beta. If you haven’t seen the innovation present in Moblin, I urge you to watch this video that showcases the Moblin v2.0 Netbook UI experience.

What I find particularly compelling about Moblin is its understanding and expression of the way users actually use netbooks. Instead of the local, static form of computing of the past, netbook users want an experience centered on social network and media. Moblin fuels this transition through its visually rich user interface designed on Clutter technology. Moblin is an experience more than just a user interface.

With the new UI, the M-Zone becomes your home screen, giving you access to the live data you actually need. The M-Zone provides instant access to your synchronized calendar, tasks, appointments, recently used files and real time updates from your friends on social networking sites. A Moblin tool bar is also provided for easy navigation at the top of the screen, which remains hidden until you need it. Because Moblin has been designed from the ground up to be optimized for Internet content and media consumption, the platform reflects the live experience people are looking for in netbooks.

Moblin isn’t just about netbooks and nettops. Moblin is optimized for Intel Atom Processor-based devices including MIDs, netbooks, nettops, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), and embedded systems.

Developers and users who want to be a part of a new UI framework should check this out. Please see Moblin team member Imad Sousou’s blog with more detail on how you can get involved with the project and give feedback on this release.

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Today the Linux Foundation issued a joint letter with Microsoft to the American Law Institute regarding a draft of their Principles of the Law of Software Contracts.

Who is the American Law Institute (ALI)

The ALI is a hardworking group that engages legal experts around the country who write “restatements of the law” or legal treatises in hopes that judges will use them in deciding cases. In order to participate in this process you need to be a member. You have to pay a fee to access material, and there is no public review prior to publication. This is why we decided to participate in drafting this open letter.

Why is this important?

The principles outlined by the ALI interfere with the natural operation of open source licenses and commercial licenses as well by creating implied warranties that could result in a tremendous amount of unnecessary litigation, which would undermine the sharing of technology.

There are times when we can agree

Sam Ramji, Microsoft’s Senior Director of Open Source and Linux Strategy, recently attended the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit to participate in a panel titled, “Why we can’t all get along.” While Sam heard a lot from people in the Linux world about where we disagree, he also pointed out that there are areas where we can agree and work together for the betterment of users of technology. This is one of those cases.

As Horacio E. Gutiérrez, Microsoft Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel points out in his blog and the letter also states:

“Notwithstanding our varying approaches to the licensing and distribution of software, we share a common desire for a sound, effective commercial law framework for software contracts that reflects business and community realities. Such a framework will ultimately increase the variety and functionality of software available, benefitting both businesses and consumers.”

Today we are finding common ground with Microsoft and we look forward to potential collaboration in the future as well as to competing in the market and keeping each other honest.

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It’s no surprise that the executive director of the Linux Foundation would see good news for Linux in the unexpected announcement this morning of Oracle’s acquisition of Sun Microsystems, but I do feel it necessary to shed some light on how it may or may not affect Linux.

- Oracle is strategically aligned with Linux: Oracle is a Linux distributor, and all its products are developed and run on Linux. As Edward Screven, chief architect of Oracle, said in a keynote at our Collaboration Summit two weeks ago, “entering the Linux market was the right choice for Oracle.” They are also a major user: Oracle’s entire enterprise runs on Linux, and they are major contributors to the Linux kernel among other Linux projects.

- While Oracle specifically is calling out the software assets and upside in this deal, specially the acquisition of Java and Solaris, this does not mean they will lessen their support for Linux. In fact Oracle’s support for Linux is so crucial to the company, they felt it useful to say in the official press release that they will continue to be “committed as ever to Linux.”

- Oracle is first and foremost an applications and business software vendor, meaning they need to support the OS that the customer wishes to deploy their software on. Solaris has traditionally been a very popular OS choice for the Oracle DB. This acquisition makes a lot of sense for Oracle to fine tune Solaris for their products, but it certainly will not lessen the support or investment Oracle has in Linux. This isn’t a zero sum game. Much like IBM or HP who continue to build out their Linux businesses while sustaining their Unix investments, it’s about granting customers choice and making sure your software is optimized to run on the OS of their choice. In fact, Sun has an existing Linux business that has been growing in recent years.

- Oracle is a key supporter of open standards such as ODF and we believe this only strengthens that stance. This acquisition could prove fruitful for Open Office and ODF support in the enterprise. Both Oracle and Sun’s commitments to open standards based products and services that enable customer choice and effective integration amongst the variety of technology it takes to run a business is a win for technology consumers.

Both Sun and Oracle are members of the Linux Foundation, with Oracle a prominent supporter of the Foundation with its platinum membership. We look forward to working with the combined company to further the growth of open source, open standards, and Linux.

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In the last several days Microsoft has shown that despite claims of acquiring a newly found respect for open principles and technology, developers should be cautious in believing promises made by this “new” Microsoft. When it counts, it appears that Microsoft still actively seeks to undermine those technologies or standards that are truly open, especially when those technologies pose a significant threat to their business.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced with a formal press release a settlement of a nuisance patent case filed against a smaller company. Despite Microsoft’s protestations to the contrary, the press release makes it clear that the motivation behind this case was the fear, uncertainty and doubt Microsoft hoped the suit would create around the use of Linux. Linux is, not coincidentally, one of Microsoft’s strongest threats in the server, embedded and desktop computing arenas as evidenced in recent remarks make by its CEO Steve Ballmer.

But the settlement of this suit only proves two things. First, the software patent system in the US needs reform. The need for reform stems from why common functionality like this (which is neither innovative nor novel) was granted a patent in the first place.

Second, it proves that, even apart from this larger issue, this case is a non-event. The technology at the heart of this settlement is the FAT filesystem. As acknowledged by Microsoft in the press release, this file system is easily replaced with multiple technology alternatives. The Linux Foundation is here to assist interested parties in the technical coordination of removing the FAT filesystem from products that make use of it today.

There is another silver lining here. We read the outcome of this case as a testament to the power of a concerted and well-coordinated effort by the Linux industry and organizations such as the Open Invention Network, the SFLC and the Linux Foundation. This was not merely a typical David vs. Goliath story. This time David aligned itself with the multiple slingshots of the Linux community. Microsoft relented as soon as TomTom showed they were aligned with that community and ready to fight. The system is working.

There is one other fact clear from this case. Microsoft does not appear to be a leopard capable of changing its spots. Maybe it’s time developers go on a diet from Microsoft and get the FAT out of their products.

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The Wall St. Journal reported today that, “For months, Microsoft has jabbed at Apple with an, at times, baffling advertising campaign for Windows PCs. Now Microsoft may finally land a solid blow against its rival [with its new campaign].”

According to the article:

“For the commercials, Microsoft’s advertising agency, Crispin Porter + Boguksy, recruited prospective computer shoppers in the Los Angeles area through Craigslist and other sites, with a tantalizing offer to give them between $700 and $2,000 to purchase a new PC. According to Brad Brooks, corporate vice president for Windows consumer product marketing at Microsoft, the agency told recruits it was a market research firm and didn’t mention it was working with Microsoft. The recruits were told they could keep whatever money they didn’t spend on a PC so they had incentives to look for good values.”

The ad goes on to feature Lauren “at a Best Buy, ogling a bounty of Windows PCs, where she’s able to purchase a H-P Pavilion notebook with a 17-inch screen for $699.99, before sales tax. Brooks says that, off camera, Lauren spent about $900 total after also buying a printer. “I’m a PC, and I got just what I wanted,” Lauren says at the end of the ad.”

If Lauren had been really smart she would have taken the money, purchased a Dell Mini 9 running Ubuntu for $249.00 ($8.00 shipping to California and no taxes) and then went over to Bestbuy for a 42″ flat screen TV to give her that “big screen” she wanted.

Too bad when Lauren gets home she will discover she has to trudge back to Bestbuy to pick up a copy of Microsoft Office for at least $149.00 if she wants to create documents on that PC which would have broken her $1000 budget. But we already knew that the first cigarette is always free when it comes to Windows.

The Linux Foundation will be showing our Linux commercials at our Collaboration Summit in less than two weeks. Maybe we should come up with a last minute entry featuring some happy Linux shoppers keeping almost all their cash.

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Calm Down

Right now the Microsoft claim against Tom Tom is a private dispute between those two entities concerning GPS mapping software. We do not feel assumptions should be made about the scope or facts of this case and its inclusion, if any, of Linux-related technology. Any patent litigator will tell you that the path between asserting a claim under a patent and an actual, final determination that the patent is (1)valid and (2) that the claims of the patent are actually infringed is an extremely long road. If this case is in any way directed at Linux (in fact, Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing, has specifically stated that it isn’t), the Linux ecosystem has enormously sophisticated resources available to assist in the defense of any claim that is made against Linux.

Hope for the Best

It is our sincere hope that Microsoft will realize that cases like these only burden the software industry and do not serve their customers’ best interests. Instead of litigating, we believe customers prefer software companies to focus on building innovative products.

Plan for the Worst

The Linux Foundation is working closely with our partner the Open Invention Network, and our members, and is well prepared for any claims against Linux. We have great confidence in the foundation they have laid. Unfortunately, claims like these are a by-product of our business and legal system today. For now, we are closely watching the situation and will remain ready to mount a Linux’s defense, should the need arise.

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I’ve written on Red Hat before and the confidence I feel in their operational strengths. It is one of the best run companies I’ve seen. Red Hat’s leadership in the Linux space and its steadfast belief in open source software has been a key factor in Linux adoption in the enterprise. This year’s numbers with Linux capturing greater than 20% of server shipments, a major success, are due in large part to Red Hat’s competitiveness and hard work.

One thing about great companies: they pick great partners. Red Hat celebrated 10 years working with IBM today. In 1999, Red Hat had gone public and IBM was looking at Linux strategically. Since then, the dotcom bubble broke, and less prepared companies like Sun were hard hit while IBM and Red Hat are stronger than ever. In 2009, the partnership between Red Hat and IBM spans the globe, and both names are synonymous with Linux.

Today this partnership is more effective than ever because they deliver what customers want; solutions that offer the highest value for the dollar. Red Hat Linux can be found on a range of systems from x86 to Power to the mainframe meeting industry requirements for a common flexible platform across all their infrastructure. Red Hat and IBM are offering green solutions with their Z series mainframe running Red Hat which is being deployed to their joint customers across the globe interested in both reducing their IT cost and reducing their carbon footprint.

Recently the Linux Foundation did a survey on the value of Linux, estimating the collective R&D of the platform at over $10 billion dollars. Both Red Hat and IBM have been significant contributors to this effort. In fact they regularly appear at the top the list of our “Who Writes Linux” annual report.

It is important to note that IBM and Red Hat share their work on Linux with their competitors and fellow Linux Foundation members. Why do they do it? Because they know that they can compete at ever higher levels of innovation. They offer world class service, leading management tools, enterprise class middleware solutions, cutting edge cloud computing offerings and second to none price performance on a variety of platforms from small servers to big iron. The reason Red hat and IBM are so successful is because while they share their source code they are constantly raising the bar higher in terms of innovation and value; which is exactly what their customers want.

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Times are tough in the banking industry. According to the AP, 100,000 bank employees have been laid off over the past two years. Overall, banking industry unemployment has almost tripled and bank stocks have cratered. Even with astronomical bailout money becoming available, banks are looking for ways to consolidate.

Consolidation can be both forward and reverse. The seemingly more positive, “forward consolidation,” is when a bank buys another, gains market share and “market efficiencies.” It’s not all positive as layoffs are a part of this scenario. Consolidating “in reverse” is generally more painful, though, selling off assets, looking make do with less, and, invariably, cutting headcount.

It’s not often the first thing you think about, but technology systems are impacted heavily. New users, different bosses, different business processes. It creates upheaval in IT infrastructure and can leave banks vulnerable.

In this environment, Linux provides a distinct competitive advantage. Linux has zero licensing fees, so pure cost is a key benefit. Linux support can be found at almost any level; from free e-mail and bulletin boards to 24/7 mission critical support via enterprise subscriptions. Banks that are running Linux have an operating system with support for the greatest number of chip architectures, hardware platforms and forms of computing (blades to mainframe). Simply put, Linux is the best common denominator in diverse IT environments. It’s not just the operating system. Coding and porting customized applications, common in banking, is significantly easier on open platforms.

IT departments won’t benefit much from bailout money. They need to make good technology decisions. As I speak to leaders in IT departments at banks lately the anecdotal evidence shows Linux is a key technology component in any consolidation plan.

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As a blogger myself I can appreciate a catchy headline as much as the next guy, but this one is insane. ZDNet’s Robin Harris is declaring an early victory in the netbook market with his story, “Windows Kicks Linux to the Curb.”

In the article he indicates that Microsoft has 80% share in the netbook market therefore a Windows win. “Last July Linux had a huge opportunity to beat Windows in the red-hot netbook market (see Linux for housewives. XP for geeks. ) But faster than I’d expected Microsoft has kicked Linux to the curb, claiming an 80% attach rate for netbooks.”

The author is forgetting two critical facts: first Microsoft formerly held well over 90% of the desktop market, second Linux is free and netbooks are exacting huge pain on Microsoft’s margins which they openly admitted as one of the reasons for laying off 5000 employees stating, “Client revenue declined 8% as a result of PC market weakness and a continued shift to lower priced netbooks.”

To quote the CEO of Toyota (who just become the worlds largest automaker beating GM for global share for the first time in 77 years), “The decline [in sales] that we are experiencing is pretty dramatic. And share doesn’t always pay the bills.”

In the same day the ZDNet article ran there were two contradictory stories in Businessweek and the New York Times. Businessweek covered Intel’s push into the Netbook and Mobile Internet device market with Linux and the New York Times talked about how “$200 Laptops Break a Business Model.” You can guess what model they were talking about.

It is a shame that people are being laid off in these troubled times and certainly no one is immune to economic woes, but who is really kicking whom to the curb?

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The Palm Pre, described as a phone that’s “always thinking ahead,” debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this month. The phone is running Palm’s all-new Linux-based webOS platform. The form factor is downright sexy with a 3.1″ 320 x 480 multitouch display with accelerometer-sensed widescreen browsing and a full pull-out qwerty keyboard. It includes 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and 8GB of built-in flash storage. There’s a 3MP camera with LED flash, a mass storage-friendly microUSB plug and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is also a wireless charger.

Great specs and it demoes well.

You might have forgotten but Palm is a very big player. They haven’t been in the spotlight as much lately, though. The Palm Pre clearly changes that. So far, it has more than doubled their stock price. The story’s not over, but they are relevant again.

What’s powering their comeback? Linux.

Palm has shrewdly taken advantage of an open platform that delivers incredible immediate value. I don’t mean value is a general sense either. The Linux Foundation has issued a report on the quantifiable R&D value a company gets when they utilize Linux. Leapfrogging kernel development is worth $1.4B. Leapfrogging a full Linux distribution is worth $10.8B. Including the enthusiastic and knowledgeable developer community that can become apart of supporting the product, Palm is seriously back in the game.

The bigger question I’m asking myself is: Without Linux, could Palm have fought back? It’s a relevant question. Without Linux, would Google be Google?

It takes Linux to compete in this market. Moblin, Android, Maemo, Limo, OpenMoko, Palm, Access Linux, and more all share a common base in Linux. We are moving toward a world where Linux based devices are the norm, not the exception.

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The 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) just finished its annual flagship event in Las Vegas. Known as the biggest show in electronics, it’s covered by mainstream press and technology bloggers with relish. Keynotes, product announcements, parties, celebrities… CES has it all.
You’d think CES would be a good indicator of the major technology trends in electronics. But Linux at CES? That’s unlikely to show up in your RSS reader. Heard any your friends talk about how Linux is taking over CES? No? Me neither. But don’t get fooled. While Linux is nowhere at CES, Linux is everywhere at CES.

A little digging will pull up some good online information. Doc Searls, Senior Editor at the Linux Journal, does a list each year. This year’s version covers 35 different devices. There is also some specific information around product announcements that (may or may not) include Linux, like Palm’s new WebOS reported by Ars Technica and others. But that’s the point exactly. Linux is now so widely deployed and ubiquitious as a technology choice for running devices and powering applications, it’s now not even news. It’s in practically “everything else” other than servers.

Linux itself didn’t have a booth at CES this past week and didn’t organize a high-powered, star-studded evening reception for all the Linux users at CES. If it had, the booth would be have been full of a mountain of consumer electronic devices debuting this past week. Here are just a few, and I mean just a few, of the great devices based on Linux shown at CES:

1. Web based TV’s from LG, Sony, and others
2. Wifi enabled cameras from Sony
3. Palm’s new Linux based phone
4. HP’s new Mini 1000 netbook
5. Linux based IPTV’s power Netflix online, etc.
6. Devices based on the Moblin project from Intel.

It may soon be easier to list up the devices that don’t use Linux, rather than those that do. This the year of the Linux “everything else.”

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It is hard for the executive director of the Linux Foundation to feel bad for Microsoft, but they are having a bad week while Linux continues to move forward in innovative ways into new markets for computing. Let’s take a look at the difference between Microsoft and Linux this week:

Monday: Microsoft starts its week with a front page story in the Wall St. Journal titled, “Microsoft Battles Low-Cost Rival for Africa.” In the article Microsoft is documented engaging in questionable practices against a Linux competitor that is springing up across Africa not because of any corporate conspiracy, but because it is free and open.

Tuesday: Microsoft reveals “Windows 7” which is widely regarded as an attempt to right the wrong that is Vista. Headlines were brutal: Infoworld: “Windows 7: The ‘dog food’ tastes bad”, Dallas News: “Microsoft previews Windows 7, and it looks like… Vista”, Computerworld: “Is Windows 7’s new UAC just lipstick on a pig?” and “Windows 7, Office 14 to create bigger lame ducks than George W. Bush.”

Tuesday: Microsoft also announced its cloud computing platform summed up best at ZDNet: “Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform: A guide for the perplexed.” No licensing, pricing and due date information. This for something that Amazon has offered with a Linux based solution for over a year on the EC2 Cloud.

We aren’t even half way through the week yet and Microsoft is either getting battered or following technical trends already blazed by Linux. In contrast, Linux is having a great week.

Monday: The New York Times shows how Linux may actually ship on more desktops next year that Windows, albeit in an unconventional way with instant on boot. “Instant-on machines represent a new opportunity for the open-source Linux operating system, which can compete with Windows.”

Wednesday: HP reveals it is rolling out a Linux based Notebook computer with Linux. Their HP Mini 1000 with MIE (Mobile Internet Experience) a Linux based OS will ship with a $379 price point. They are following moves by Dell, Asus, Lenovo, and others to ship low price Linux PC’s. It is also worth noting that Microsoft had to extend the life of Windows XP in order to even compete in this market.

Thursday: Intel and Taiwan announces they are teaming up on mobile Linux development lab. The lab will work on creating Moblin based devices in one of the most promising categories of computing.

Linux on more laptops than Windows? Dell, HP, Asus, Lenovo and others shipping Linux desktops at unheard of prices? Microsoft stuck in a rut needing to follow rather than lead? And I only hit on a few things going on in Linux this week. As we reach the end of 2008, 2009 is shaping up to be a pretty good year for Linux.

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Intel announced today (Thursday) its plans to partner with the Taiwanese government and invest in the island nation’s IT industry to launch an Open Source Software Development Center for mobile devices. Building on Taiwan’s undisputed role as a leading center for creating connected consumer devices, CEO Paul Otellini indicated that Intel had signed an agreement with the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). MOEA and Intel will establish a center for enabling Moblin and other OSS optimized for devices based on the Intel Atom. At the same time, Intel Capital will invest NT$386M (US$11.5M) in Taiwanese carrier VMAX to support deployment of Taiwan’s first mobile WiMax network in the first half of 2009.

This move by Intel is good for everyone: good for Intel, who is working with a large ecosystem with its recently-launched mobile/embedded Atom architecture CPUs. It’s good for Taiwanese OEMs, who already have launched Atom-based devices, but who crave availability of a richer Linux-based software stack and more opportunity for localization and local value-added software. It’s good for Taiwanese end-users, who will enjoy high-bandwidth wireless internet access, with new options for data and streaming media. And it’s good for the “rest of us”, since Taiwan-local rollouts of new concepts and products pave the way for cost-down, high-volume versions of the same technologies and devices in short order around the world.

For both fans and critics of the MID concept and form factor, this double-whammy announcement means that the MID is here to stay. Industry analysts project Atom-based MIDs will enjoy worldwide shipment of 86M+ units by 2013.

Giving the nascent MID device class firehose-level bandwidth, together with a desktop and server-compatible CPU running an open source stack, opens this converged platform to a wealth of new possibilities. Combining lower-powered Atom with Linux-based Moblin and high speed WiMAX lends solid credibility to Intel’s vision for MIDs - one that fuses long-lived, well-provisioned, connected mobile devices with always on, always available multimedia and social networking.

The best part is that this is on a completely open source stack based on mainstream Linux technology. The more successful these efforts are the stronger Linux will become in other categories of desktop computing. It seems Intel has really gotten the concept of how to work with the community and further their business goals. I suspect many of their industry counterparts are taking note.

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For those that decry the constant prediction of the “year of the Linux desktop” I am happy to say that next year Linux may actually ship on more desktops than Windows or the Mac. That is right, I said next year. What is driving this? Two words: fast boot.

Matt Richtell of the New York Times wrote a great article on Sunday about the demand for faster start up times on computers. In the story the chronicled how HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and a array of other PC makers are starting to develop “machines that give people access to basic functions like e-mail and a Web browser in 30 seconds or less.” Here is the interesting part: Linux is providing that access.

Ashlee Vance, also of the New York Times, did a great follow up piece on the story chronicling just how prolific this trend is becoming. He states, “Over the next few months, the instant-on technology should become mainstream. Here’s a look at what’s available and what’s coming in the instant-on market.”

The evidence is overwhelming:

“ - DeviceVM – This Silicon Valley start-up has emerged as the leading independent maker of instant-on software. H.P., Lenovo and Asus use modified versions of DeviceVM’s Splashtop software. In all cases, they provide quick access to a Web browser, instant messaging software, photos and voice over Internet protocol software. The large PC makers tend to ship Splashtop on laptops aimed at consumers.
- H.P. – Today, you can buy HP’s Envy laptop with the Instant On Solution software, which is Splashtop in disguise. In the coming months, H.P. plans to ship it on an undisclosed number of systems.
- Dell – In an unusual move, Dell has done a lot of customization work with its instant-on tools. The company plans to ship something called Latitude On with a pair of laptops. This Dell-made software will permit access to e-mail and the other basic functions. The software will actually run on a separate ARM processor, often found in mobile phones, rather than a standard Intel or Advanced Micro Devices chip.
- Lenovo – By early next year, Lenovo will ship a version of Splashtop on some of its consumer laptops.
- Phoenix Technologies – This software maker has been working on a downloadable software package called HyperSpace. It will let you start a Linux-based system early, while Windows boots in the background. People can then switch back and forth between both sets of software as they desire. It should be widely available in January with Phoenix charging a monthly subscription fee to the software.”

What does this mean for Linux? First it means that Linux is more central to the user experience. As the New York Times points out, this is “Microsoft potentially losing the user experience.” Linux is not only powering fastboot applications, but the Moblin project has already demonstrated a five second boot at the Linux Foundation’s recent Plumbers conference.

We may see a world at the end of next year where Linux ships on almost every notebook computer regardless of whether it is loaded with Windows. This in addition to the huge potential of the netbook, mobile internet device and mobile Linux market can mean huge and immediate inroads for a Linux desktop, albeit not in the form most people had predicted many years ago when the first “year of the Linux desktop” was declared.

Popularity: 100% [?]

The Economics

Today the Linux Foundation issued a report looking at the value of the Linux platform in terms of code. This was an update of a 2002 study that estimated the value then at $1.2 Billion. Today’s value: $10.8 Billion. The study focused on the Fedora project, which has been a core part of Linux success in the server and desktop market place. Although it wasn’t specifically covered in this paper it is also worth applying the economics of Linux to one of the fastest growing segments of technology; mobile devices, consumer electronics and low cost netbooks. This is the future of Linux and the smart bets are leveraging a $10.8 billion investment to the hilt.

Linux is Everywhere

I am constantly amazed by how rare it is to work with any consumer electronics (CE) device that does *not* run on Linux. Other then two big markets — laptops and mobile phones, nearly every new consumer electronics device runs Linux. Sony televisions, Amazon Kindle, Dash automotive GPS, and nearly every other device you can imagine.

A CE company can either try to roll their own operating system, license a proprietary one like Windows or VXWorks, or use Linux. The reasons they use Linux are simple. It is easiest to hire people familiar with it. It supports more devices than any operating system in the history of the world. It is completely open, so if something doesn’t work, you can fix it yourself or pay someone to do it. There is amazingly great support available from mailing lists, or commercial support available at any service and price point. You can brand the device however you want. And it gives you a real Internet experience, with the capability to do any level of networking and application support.

One to Watch: Moblin

The final two frontiers for Linux in consumer electronics are mobile phones and laptops. I’d like to congratulate Google on shipping their first Linux-based phone this week. This is a great accomplishment, and Android should prove to be a major competitor in building a mobile phone ecosystem.

Another consumer electronics project I’m excited about is Moblin. Though initially focused on NetBooks (i.e., small laptops), I see Moblin as creating the ideal platform for a large universe of devices from MIDs to in car entertainment and more. Unlike Android, which uses Linux at the base but rewrote most of the upper level software, Moblin leverages the enormously valuable work of the entire Linux ecosystem (that $10.8 billion). But they do this while working to fix the small bugs and incompatibilities that can still cause frustrations in desktop Linux. And by working within the Linux ecosystem, the improvements they are making to a whole array of different packages and libraries will be passed back to the upstream authors, so that all Linux users can take advantage of them and adding even more value to that multi-billion dollar pie.

In a couple years, I expect Moblin to be playing the role of a standard platform for netbooks, MIDs, consumer electronics, and more. Already there is an incredible ecosystem around the platform with hundreds of ISV’s, dozens of hardware OEMs, and many Linux operating system vendors on board. Given the compelling economics of their approach I think it will be harder and harder to find devices that don’t use it in the future.

George Gilder wrote an enormously influential article in 1993 titled Into the Fibersphere. He stated:

” As industry guru Andrew Rappaport has pointed out, electronic designers now treat transistors as virtually free. Indeed, on memory chips, they cost some 400 millionths of a cent. To waste time or battery power or radio frequencies may be culpable acts, but to waste transistors is the essence of thrift. Today you use millions of them slightly to enhance your TV picture or to play a game of solitaire or to fax Doonsbury to Grandma. If you do not use transistors in your cars, your offices, your telephone systems, your design centers, your factories, your farm gear, or your missiles, you go out of business. If you don’t waste transistors, your cost structure will cripple you. Your product will be either too expensive, too slow, too late, or too low in quality.”

The same is becoming true with Linux, and for one of the fastest growing segments of computing, the project to watch is Moblin.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Yesterday, Linux Foundation member IBM announced its adoption of a new
corporate policy that will govern its global participation in the standards
development process. It also revealed a list of standards reform
recommendations generated through a discussion among 70 standards experts
from around the world, and called upon all stakeholders, from the open
source community, to vendors, to government, to academia, to join in a
dialogue that can both raise the bar for standards development as well as
facilitate the implementation of open interoperability standards in open
source software.

The IBM policy details a set of principles that are intended to regulate
its participation in standards development, as well as a list of action
items that will direct its efforts in seeking the reform of that process.
IBM’s goals in this pursuit will be to seek greater transparency, openness
and inclusiveness in standards development, and also to facilitate the
integration of that process with the development of open source software.

The Linux Foundation applauds this action, and supports IBM’s call for
raising the bar in the standards development process. In particular, the
Foundation, which uniquely supports both open source software and open
standards, appreciates IBM’s leadership in recognizing the importance of
promoting the advancement of these two essential technology tools in a
coordinated way. Submarine patents, overly restrictive intellectual
property policies, and undue vendor influence are of equal concern to
proponents of both open standards and open source software, and the best
solutions will be those that address the needs of both disciplines.

Like IBM, the Foundation is working for similar goals. Accordingly, the
Foundation calls upon others to support the principles laid out in the IBM
announcement, and make common cause with this worthwhile effort.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Sometimes a consortium can play a smaller supportive role that is really powerful. Helping people and organizations to pull together in the same direction can accomplish amazing things. It’s very gratifying.

The Linux Foundation, in concert with several well-known industry names (hint: they start with letters like I and G), has hired a key contributor to the Linux kernel development community, the system administrator for kernel.org. It’s an important position. kernel.org is crucial to the Linux kernel’s collaborative development environment. It is the actual physical space — in cyberspace — where kernel developers get their work done. Without it, nothing happens.

What is kernel.org? It’s not for beginners, but it’s an essential resource for those perfecting the current and building the future versions of Linux itself. Keeping the kernel.org site running smoothly is crucial to connecting Linux’s famously geographically dispersed contributors. It is the primary site for the Linux kernel source and git, the distributed revision control / software management project created by Linus Torvalds. The site is mirrored around the world through the help of countless others. From the Kernel.org namespace you can jump to FAQs, mailing lists, site updates, comments, and a lot more.

Making sure that this resource is available is an under-appreciated but essential piece of the puzzle. Others in the industry saw this need and partnered with us to fund this full-time position.

Fundamentally, this is why the Linux Foundation exists: To provide (some of) the services that an open community needs but that no corporation could provide directly. We marshal the forces of our members — they would have a hard time hiring the person directly — who are extremely generous and supportive. That’s putting money where your mouth is. The model works.

John ‘Warthog9′ Hawley joined the kernel.org administrator team in 2005 as one of the five kernel.org administrators. Working on system operations, the wikis, the kernel.org Gitweb, the GeoDNS patches to ISC’s BIND name server and a number of other things for kernel.org. His other OSS exploits include working on Syslinux, OpenSSI, and PXE Knife a set of interfaces around common utilities and diagnostics tools needed by an average systems administrator. In his free time he enjoys cooking extravagant meals and watching bad movies.

I expect now that John is in a full time role there will be a long list of projects coming in from the kernel team.

Incidentally, Linux kernel developers may be flung far and wide around the globe most of the time, but a chunk of them with be in Portland, OR next week for the Kernel Summit 2008. If you are interested in receiving information on the event, please contact angela (at) linux-foundation.org.

Popularity: 58% [?]

This week week we saw news centered around two studies on desktop computing trends: one from Forrester Research and one from IDC. Both reports come from highly regarded firms and both seem to point to contradictory trends.

Bad news first. Linux fans are now being compared to Cubs fans. For you non-sports enthusiasts, the cubs haven’t won a world series since 1908. According to Ben Gray of Forrester, “as optimistic as Linux enthusiasts are and will forever remain, they’re beginning to sound like Cubs fans with the never-ending hope of ‘There’s always next year.’” The report cites survey research showing Windows Vista migrations as “ramping up” in the enterprise while Mac makes inroads and Linux continues to muddle along. The report states that “IT operations professionals need to prepare for a more decisive shift in their desktop operating system (OS) strategy.” In other words, when it comes to Microsoft Vista it is time to fish or cut bait. Tough advice in slow economic times.

Which leads me to the good news. IDC released a report this week citing Linux growth in a sector of computing which I have written about at length for over a year; the low cost netbook. According to IDC, “[the] PC Market Continues To Resist Economic Pressures With A Boost From Low Cost Portable PCs.” Most of these PC’s are Linux based with a smattering of Windows XP based netbooks as well (Vista doesn’t run well on these light weight PC’s). It seems while Forrester is predicting a gloomy future for Linux on the desktop, IDC is reporting on growth in a sector of computing where Linux does very well.

What are we to believe? First, both firms are calling the data like they see it. Forrester did a survey of their clients which are largely enterprise users of technolgy - typically the slowest to change. In fact, they even admit it, “Microsoft released Windows Vista to the general public more than 18 months ago — which is typically how long IT departments need to test their applications and hardware against any new OS.” IDC on the other hand is looking at quarterly PC tracking data which tends to pick up on rapidly developing trends in the market. IDC’s Loren Loverde, director of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker states, “We continue to see a rapid transition to Portable PCs around the world, even as economic pressures rise. The trend reflects the increasing importance of computing, not just in the home or office, but as an integrated part of our lives. Falling prices, more design choice and competition for PC makers to capture this market continue to drive a rapid transition.”

According to Forrester there may not be a sea change to Linux desktops in the immediate future in the slower moving enterprise. However, in the broader world of PC sales it is worth noting that Linux based portable netbooks may be a leading indicator of things to come. Plus, from the looks of things the Cubs are having a pretty good year so far.

Popularity: 31% [?]

First let me state the obvious. If Google’s new browser is successful then the desktop operating system just became a lot less important. This is great news for Linux.

That begs the question: If Google’s new browser isn’t even available on Linux, why is this great news for Linux? Because in a world where most people access their applications through a browser it makes little sense to have PC’s that are loaded with a heavy and bloated operating system. In particular in makes a LOT less sense for people to PAY for a heavy and bloated operating system. Count on seeing a Linux version of the Google browser very soon.

Michael Arrington over at Techcrunch said it best.

“When combined with Gears, which allows for offline access (see what MySpace did with Gears to understand how powerful it is), Chrome is nothing less than a full on desktop operating system that will compete head on with Windows.”

Most people are looking at the Google announcement as bringing much needed competition to the web browser front between Microsoft’s IE, Apple’s Safari, and Mozilla’s Firefox. This misses the bigger point. The real battle is about what the future development platform for mobile devices, personal computers, set top boxes, and more.

The last several decades of computing have been ruled by the owner of the development platform. Windows has been successful because the large majority of business applications and consumer applications ran exclusively on that platform. If you wanted to use an accounting application or automate your sales force you needed to run Windows software on your desktop to do it.

Internet applications are changing all of this by making the need for desktop specific code irrelevant. There is an entire generation growing up spending the majority of their time only using a web browser. They are on Facebook, their email is Yahoo mail or Gmail, they shop on Amazon, they use Google apps, they run web based instant messaging clients. That generation will just as easily spend their workdays logged into Salesforce.com or other hosted applications in the Internet cloud.

How does this relate to Linux? The future of the desktop client is moving towards accessing cloud-based applications in a browser through multiple devices and multiple mediums. Wireless phones, set top boxes, netbooks, desktop PC’s over a variety of networks is the future. The personal computer is not the future; it is hundreds of devices running on dozens of chip sets, with thousands of different components that is the future. This is a world where the personal computer starts to be priced and feel more like a cell phone and a cell phone looks more like a PC. In this world Linux is really the only answer. It supports every imaginable chip set. It is free. It can be custom branded. And no single entity can control it and thereby become a bottleneck to innovation.

Google’s vision is perfectly aligned with this world. They have made their browser open source and based on industry standards. They want to maximize the ways in which people can use the browser to create interesting and unexpected applications. They want to make sure that the doorway to the Internet, the web browser, remains free and competitive because for them the internet IS their killer application. Firefox has already gone far to this end and Google will inject even more energy into a competitive open browser. As long as more people use the web Google becomes for successful because search becomes more valuable for them.

Good for the internet. Good for Google. Good for Linux. Not bad.

Popularity: 50% [?]

The Linux Foundation will be hosting our first ever End User Collaboration Summit this October in New York.

This forum is designed for sophisticated users of Linux who will be able share best practices about how they are using Linux and speak directly with the core developers of the Linux platform.

A big part of our mission is “translating” Linux. It doesn’t get any more direct than connecting key Linux developers and end users. This event provides an opportunity to actually see how technology is developed today by some really talented and dedicated people.

In addition to panel discussions, Open Spaces sessions, and End User Lightning Talks — among others — the two keynotes are from Anthony Williams, author of “Wikinomics, How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything,” and Jon Corbet, Editor of Linux Weekly News. We will also hear from Ron Hovsepian, the CEO of Novell and Paul Cormier, the President of Red Hat.

It’s by invitation, but registration is free, in keeping with the idea of having it open to end users. You can request an invitation by filling out the form here.

I can guarantee it’ll be a fascinating and extremely useful two days. We look forward to seeing you.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Declaring victory for the Linux desktop at the end of the day will based upon looking at market penetration of Linux based clients vs. Windows and other operating systems. I believe this is still the best measure but we may finally be able to declare this year the breakout of the Linux desktop.

When looking at operating system software adoption it is important to look at trends and not a single break through event that will signal that “we have made it.” It is kind of like economic forecasting – you look at a lot of leading indicators to decide whether we are heading towards an expansion or a recession; inflation, interest rates, productivity, employment rates, etc. It is worth applying this logic when looking at the Linux desktop. Based on just a cursory glance of news this week it is clear that all leading indicators suggest a significant expansion on the horizon.

Let’s look at each of these factors individually:

1. The Usability Breakthrough; the Linux desktop has finally reached functional equivalence with Windows and Mac OS. The perfect balance of simplicity and flexibility is still being refined, but for anyone who has used Ubuntu, OpenSuse, Fedora, GoS, Zonbu, or an Asus EEE PC; it is clear that a Linux desktop is able to match Apple or Windows when it comes to functionality and usability.

2. Device support. Long a complaint of the Linux desktop user, we are finally seeing broad coverage in driver support for almost every kind of hardware available. Kernel space has really licked almost all of these with only a few small holdouts in wireless and video. Now the focus is on user space configuration tools that enable Linux users to get full functionality out of the many devices supported on the platform.

3. Economics; In order to grow the PC market beyond the saturated markets in the west, the industry is moving towards low cost PC’s to grow the overall market place. Much of this growth is coming in from Asia where manufacturers are putting the squeeze on the high license fees Microsoft charges by opting for Linux instead. This year we are seeing Linux based PC’s from almost every major manufacturer including Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and more. This price competition favors Linux heavily because Microsoft will always be reluctant to give up their cash cow of high license fees.

4. The Netbook breakthrough; The New York Times reported last week at Intel’s developer conference “Dozens and dozens of netbooks were shown,” and “computer makers saw for the first time “just how many competitors they have.”” According to a research analyst in Times article, these devices “could cost the same as a cell phone – or lower.” This is going to open huge new markets for Linux based devices.

5. The Seinfeld factor. Microsoft Vista is a gift to Linux. Windows is having a brand meltdown. Users are unsatisfied with the OS so much so that Microsoft is trying to enlist an American icon to help change peoples minds. While Seinfeld is great, Microsoft should know that the quickest way to ruin a brand is to increase advertising for a bad product.

6. The move to mobile. It is a quickly becoming a foregone conclusion that a large portion, if not a majority of users will access the internet through mobile devices in the future. The Linux desktop benefits from this. Google’s Android platform is based on the Linux Kernel, the LiMo Foundation’s efforts use glibc, Gnome, the kernel and more. Nokia has Linux based offerings. All of this will bring more developers, both commercial and non-commercial to the Linux desktop party.

7. Web 2.0. The fact that the desktop itself is less relevant is making Linux more relevant than ever. In a world where most people access their favorite applications through a browser it makes little sense to have an expensive and bloated OS underneath. Linux is really the only option here as Microsoft is unable to innovate and Apple rules the high end of the market.

8. Business users are starting to care. IBM’s recent announcement of a Lotus enabled Linux client shows that big business is finally waking up to the value of a Linux desktop effort. IBM in particular is worth paying attention to here. When they get behind a platform it can move markets.

There continues to be challenges. Lack of games on the Linux platform continues to be a weakness, Microsoft dominates this market and leverages their experience with the Xbox and their Xbox live service. The lack of availability of Microsoft Office or a reasonably compatible Office alternative is a subject to long to write about here but obviously hurts Linux in the short run. Finally, the need for pan industry cooperation along application standards is critical. The Linux desktop may constantly divide efforts along incompatible versions of the OS and prevent a unified front against Microsoft.

At the Linux Foundation we continue to see big changes afoot enabling the Linux desktop. We continue to support educating makers of devices about how to write drivers for Linux, we continue to support improving printing on Linux through our open printing project, we are looking to bring new developers to the platform through the Linux Developer Network and continue to provide a framework for desktop and mobile standardization through the Linux Standard Base.

Why is the desktop important? Because it is symbolic. It excites programmers, it is tangible to everyone, it easy accessible and easily understood by all. Linux is finally in a position to provide a choice to Microsoft’s long held monopoly. We should never lose site of the importance of inspiring people about just how far an open operating system can go.

Popularity: 51% [?]