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Untangle and other open source software providers are moving into the fast-growing market for managed services. But many IT consultants and managed service providers have yet to discover the power and flexibility of open source. Will the situation change anytime soon? Here are some thoughts from MSPmentor, which covers managed services and SaaS.

At first glance, the PC market is pretty darn mature. But walk into a Target retail store in New York or visit a computer retailer in Melbourne, Australia and you’ll see the start of a new revolution — driven by Asustek Computer (a.k.a. Asus). This is more than an Eee PC Netbook story folks. Asus is driving real industry change. Here's the proof.

Nearly a year after acquiring MySQL for $1 billion, Sun Microsystems is bolstering its channel partner program to more effectively promote a range of open source solutions. The VAR Guy had been expecting this move for several weeks. Here’s the scoop.

With the launch of Ubuntu 8.10 Server Edition and Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition, Canonical is making some subtle but important marketing and PR moves. Here's a look from Works With U, the independent guide to Ubuntu.

When Lenovo de-emphasized Novell SUSE Linux on ThinkPads, some skeptics thought it was a serious setback for desktop Linux and Novell’s own open source efforts. The VAR Guy knew better. Fact is, Lenovo was bolstering its Novell relationship in two other areas.

Google and three IT solutions providers plan to launch a coordinated open source blitz in Australia, The VAR Guy has learned. Here's the scoop.

I’ve slammed Sun, praised Sun, abandoned Sun, and returned to Sun during the company’s current business turmoil. Despite all the challenges at Sun, I still believe managed service providers will build hosted services around Sun’s MySQL database. Here’s why.

Roughly 30 percent of Netbook sales in Melbourne — Australia’s second-largest city — involve customers requesting Linux rather than Windows, The VAR Guy has learned. Here's the scoop.

In its latest financial results, Microsoft concedes that the shift to Netbooks -- those low-cost subnotebooks -- is impacting the company's Windows business. The company face's a tough challenge: Low-ball Windows prices on Netbooks or more defections to Linux networks. Details from The VAR Guy.

Slowly but surely, Canonical plans to add a range of third-party Ubuntu Linux applications to the company's online store. The strategy could convince more businesses and VARs to deploy Ubuntu Server Edition, reports The VAR Guy.

Is it really possible that Apple is -- in some respects -- worse than Microsoft when it comes to respecting the fundamentals of software freedom? Christopher Tozzi, a blogger on Works With U, the independent guide to Ubuntu, makes his case against Apple. Here's the scoop.

Red Hat Exchange, the online marketplace launched by Red Hat in March 2007, is finally hitting its stride. More than an online Linux store, RHX offers a range of third-party software. Quarterly sales recently doubled, and big customer purchases have included MySQL and Zimbra deployments.Here's the scoop.

The Global 2000 is nice. The Fortune 500 is very nice. But selling into the Fortune 50 — especially for a small open source company like Pentaho — is extra sweet. Here's where the business intelligence software provider is finding success, reports The VAR Guy.

Novell has acquired Managed Objects, a software company that mainly targets corporate IT. But the deal gives Novell a potential path to more aggressively target managed service providers. Here’s how, according to MSPmentor.

The good news: Wikipedia seems to be standardizing its servers on Ubuntu. The bad news: Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, doesn't seem to be profiting from the Wikipedia deployment. Details at Works With U, the independent guide to Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 8.04 is available in more than 150 translations. How does that compare to Windows? The numbers may surprise you. Details from Works With U, the independent guide to Ubuntu.

Seems like IT consultants and integrators are flocking to Digium Asterisk. In fact, nearly 400 solutions providers are now recommending the open source IP PBX to customers. Here's the scoop from The VAR Guy.

It's one small step for Dell and Consumer Linux. And one giant leap forward for Canonical's Ubuntu distribution. Specifically, Dell has launched advertising for the Mini 9 Netbook running Ubuntu. Here's the scoop from The VAR Guy.

So much for immunity from the recession. Software as a Service (SaaS) stocks are now down nearly 30 percent in 2008, according to MSPmentor's SaaS 20 Stock Index. During the past week alone, the SaaS index fell almost 14 percent. Here's the scoop.

Instead of having Main Street USA pay for the Wall Street bailout, send the $700 billion invoice to Microsoft. The software giant can afford to pay the giant tab. Here's how.