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The VAR Guy is in the market for a small office printer that supports Ubuntu Linux, Mac OS X and Windows XP. Alas, most PC companies do a lousy job describing which of their printers work with Ubuntu. Which means they’re leaving easy money on the table. Here’s our resident blogger’s sad story so far.

The looming Google Android vs. Apple iPhone battle could resemble the old Windows vs. Mac OS war from more than a decade ago. Here’s why.

Ubuntu Linux is moooovin’ on up in the Linux server neighborhood. When Sun announced a major open source initiative targeting small and midsize businesses this week, a lot of people failed to realize that Sun would include servers certified for Ubuntu. Here’s the scoop.

Forgive The VAR Guy if he says “I told you so.” Earlier this month he predicted that Asterisk — the open source IP PBX — would win a global distribution deal. He was right. Specific details about the news, involving Digium — one of the top Asterisk companies — emerged today. Here’s the scoop.

Former Novell CEO Ray Noorda used to speak about coopetition — the need to both cooperate and compete with technology companies. But the current Microsoft-Novell relationship is giving new meaning to the term coopetition, especially during this week’s BrainShare. Here's the scoop.

When the next version of Ubuntu Linux ships in April, there’s a reasonable chance that server vendors could start jumping on the Ubuntu bandwagon by May or so. Here’s the scoop.

At first glance, Novell’s desktop Linux goals are humble. Novell insiders tell The VAR Guy they’d be pleased if SuSE Linux eventually captures 1 percent of the overall global desktop market. So, how is Novell’s desktop strategy performing so far — especially vs. Red Hat and Ubuntu? Here are key clues from two top Novell sources.

VoiceCon kicks off March 17 in Orlando. Here are seven unified communication trends that will emerge at the show, The VAR Guy predicts. (HInt: Asterisk could be the surprise hit of the event.)

Ubuntu coverage in a major U.S. newspaper shows that Ubuntu’s early adopters aren’t necessarily geeks. More and more of those Ubuntu users apparently live on Main Street U.S.A., according to The VAR Guy. Details here.

Ever wonder why The VAR Guy is so happy running Mac OS X and Ubuntu Linux? Perhaps it has something to do with the true cost of spyware — an epidemic problem mostly limited to the world of Windows. So, how does spyware impact user productivity? A new report from CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association) provides some clues. Here's a look.

Landscape -- a new Canonical tool for remotely managing Ubuntu desktops and servers -- debuts March 5. It holds great potential for enterprise administrators. But could Landscape also become a tool for managed service providers to remotely manage small business networks running Ubuntu? Here's some perspective from MSPmentor.

Cha-ching. That’s the noise open source companies hope to hear as they launch new point-of-sale solutions for VARs and retail customers. But can open source POS systems compete with traditional, popular options from Microsoft and others? Here are some thoughts from The VAR Guy.

Digium, one of Asterisk’s strongest proponents, plans to announce a global distribution partnership within two weeks, The VAR Guy has learned. The announcement, expected to be made at VoiceCon Orlando, could accelerate customer interest in open source PBXs and IP telephony systems. Here's the scoop

Yes, Microsoft is finally polishing its Software as a Service (SaaS) strategy. In addition to playing catch-up against entrenched SaaS companies like Salesforce.com, Microsoft must also deal with a growing number of open source providers — from SugarCRM to MySQL and Sun — that have jumped on the SaaS bandwagon. Here's the scoop.

The VAR Guy has been negative on Novell for a few years, and he frequently questioned the company’s open source software strategy. But according to a new piece of financial news, the Linux provider is performing better than Wall Street expected. Here’s the scoop, which surprised our resident blogger.

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.

Dozens of traditional IT companies — from Cisco Systems to Xerox — are generating PR coverage at this week’s huge HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) conference in Orlando. But once again, the open source vendor community has missed a major vertical market marketing opportunity. Here's why.

Who are the world ’s top Ubuntu Linux partners? A new survey from TheVARguy.com and AllAboutUbuntu.com may provide the answers. Here's how Ubuntu partners, technology consultants, VARs, resellers, integrators and other channel partners can participate in the survey. It's free and it should help customers to more easily find the world's top Ubuntu partners.

A decade from now, when high-tech historians retrace the history of Linux, they will identify February 2008 as a defining moment. It will be known as the month when Linux laptops made the leap from open source geeks to the consumer masses. Here's why, according to The VAR Guy.

The VAR Guy listened intently as Novell’s VP of Global Channel Sales, Pat Bernard, described her four-point strategy to rebuild the company’s partner organization. Although Novell faces an uphill climb in several areas, Bernard’s experience in the enterprise software space could be a plus. Here's the scoop.