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Several companies apparently have bid to acquire Novell. Some pundits think VMware is among the bidders. Why’s that? The short answer involves a mutual enemy called, um, Red Hat (assuming you believe the rumor).

Cisco's forthcoming Cius tablet (based on Google Android) reinforces several key trends: The consumerization of corporate IT, the shift to mobile video and collaborative applications, and Google’s rise and Microsoft’s continued struggles in the mobile market. Here's why.

When Red Hat, Synnex and a dozen major open source application providers launched the Open Source Channel Alliance in April 2009, it appeared to be a watershed event. But fast forward to mid-2010, and the Open Source Channel Alliance has been largely silent in recent months. Here’s the update.

At first glance, Red Hat has three prime opportunities for partners — involving Linux, middleware and virtualization. But take a closer look and you’ll realize not all of the opportunities are created equally. Here’s a deeper dive.

Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst has a cautionary message for VMware partners and customers. Indeed, Whitehurst claims VMware over the next few years will suffer the same fate as Sun Microsystems. Here’s what Whitehurst had to say.

Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst says open source can succeed without cloud computing, but cloud computing can’t succeed without open source. Whitehurst shared that nugget — and about a dozen other thoughts — during an interview with The VAR Guy at Red Hat Partner Summit in Boston. Whitehurst also touched on rising competition with VMware plus Red Hat's desktop Linux strategy. Here are the details.

At first glance, Microsoft’s software portfolio — Windows, Office, Small Business Server and Exchange — still dominates the small business market. But Red Hat CEO Jim Whiteshurst says his company has found a back door into the small business market. Perhaps surprisingly, it doesn’t really involve desktop Linux. Here’s how Whitehurst sees Red Hat gaining a foothold in the small business IT market.

Eucalyptus Systems is set to gather reseller partners old and new in San Francisco on June 22. The reason: It’s time for Eucalyptus to lay out where their open-source cloud platform stands, along with potential channel partner opportunities. Here’s what to expect.

On June 10, The VAR Guy was first to report Dell considered Ubuntu Linux safer than Windows. But now, Dell has apparently updated its web site to remove/alter that statement. Of course, Linux conspiracy theorists think Microsoft pressured Dell to make the change. Is that really the case? Here's the story.

Digium is taking new steps to promote SwitchVOX unified communications and Asterisk -- the open source IP PBX -- to partners. And the efforts seem to be gaining more momentum. Here are the details.

Talk about strange bedfellows. When Red Hat Summit kicks off June 22 in Boston, Microsoft is expected to be on hand as part of a major virtualization push. Here are the details, along with a look at additional surprises in store for Red Hat Summit.

At first glance, it will be difficult for Canonical and Ubuntu to compete with Apple’s dominant iPad in the tablet market. But now that I’ve had some time to really think about the situation, I think the iPad will help to re-ignite Ubuntu’s Mobile Internet Device (MID) effort against Microsoft Windows. Here’s why.

Google’s new Android treat has been named “Froyo” after frozen yogurt, and it’s nearly every bit as sweet as it sounds. I’ve been running a leaked Android 2.2 ROM on my Droid for a week now. Here are my first impressions.

In a short but bold statement, Dell's U.S. website says Canonical's Ubuntu Linux is safer than Microsoft Windows. Here's the scoop and the implications from The VAR Guy.

Novell is building a closer virtualization partnership with VMware. And Novell already has virtualization agreements Microsoft and Citrix Systems. The deals position Novell to counter several Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV) planned for June 2010. Here are the details.

When Canonical launched Landscape 1.5 this week, it was a timely reminder that the software company is trying to develop multiple revenue streams beyond Ubuntu services. Moreover, Landscape 1.5 represents Canonical’s latest attempt to make Ubuntu easier for businesses and solutions providers to remotely manage. Here’s a closer look at the strategy.

Amid heightened competition in the Linux market, Canonical — the promoter of Ubuntu Linux — is finally growing up and pushing beyond the massive shadow of founder Mark Shuttleworth (pictured). Here’s some perspective from The VAR Guy.

Novell, promoter of SUSE Linux, is listening to potential takeover bids. Mandriva, promoter of a Linux distribution that has 3 million users, is in discussions with potential investors. As a result, some pundits think Mandriva Linux and Novell SUSE Linux face the similar business challenges. I beg to differ. Here’s why.

When Novell announces quarterly results on May 27, The VAR Guy wonders: Will Novell provide a status report on the potential sale of the company? Here’s an update for Novell's partners and customers, and some educated guesses about what Novell will say on May 27.

Novell expects to evaluate initial takeover bids for the company this week, according to The Wall Street Journal. As many as 20 companies have expressed interest in Novell, the Journal said. Of course, The VAR guy has his own opinion of the situation. Here it is.