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Red Hat today launched the Catalyst Program, which empowers partners with complete open source software stacks that could rival traditional closed source stacks from Oracle and Microsoft. Here’s the scoop from Red Hat Summit and JBoss World in Chicago — plus some bigger-picture observations.

When the Red Hat Summit (and the associated JBoss World) conferences kick off Sept. 1 in Chicago, The VAR Guy will be watching closely for new developments involving Qumranet virtualizations, Cisco Systems, EnterpriseDB and Alfresco. Here's the scoop and an early look at Red Hat Summit.

Apple started the App Store revolution. Canonical hopes to continue it with the Ubuntu Software Store for Ubuntu 9.10 and Ubuntu 10.10. I bet eager adopters will be kids who are already familiar with the iPod Touch (iTouch) and Apple App Store.

I'm using my new Ubuntu netbook to write this blog entry. But I'm feeling a little lonely, because only 13 percent of small and midsize businesses plan to purchase netbooks, according to survey results from Spiceworks Inc.

At first glance, Dell’s Ubuntu Linux strategy has hit a couple of bumps in recent weeks. But The VAR Guy has done some digging and learned that Dell and Canonical are working on a few surprises that could bolster Ubuntu’s presence in PC markets around the globe. Here’s the scoop.

Novell's latest quarterly financial results reinforce the company's biggest challenge: While SUSE Linux sales continue to grow, the rest of the company -- even the security business -- faces falling revenue.

As Novell prepares to announce quarterly results on Aug. 27, the company offered this tidbit of information: More than 2,000 independent software vendors (ISVs) have signed up for the SUSE Appliance Program. Pretty darn impressive.

As WorksWithU reported last week, the Gnome application Empathy was set to become the default instant-messaging client in Ubuntu 9.10 upon its release October, replacing Pidgin. But Ubuntu developers have been reconsidering that decision in the last few days. Here’s the story, with some thoughts.

From August 27 through September 4, The VAR Guy will pay particularly close attention to Novell and Red Hat. That nine-day period will provide a healthy reality check for the Linux market — and it may also reveal how competition between Novell and Red Hat is shaping up. Here’s why.

WorksWithU reported a couple weeks ago on new features in Ubuntu 9.10, like kernel mode setting and GRUB 2, that are likely to please geeks. But Ubunti 9.10 (codenamed Karmic Koala) will also sport changes aimed at traditional users.

Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux, is considering a new version of its Landscape remote management tool that may appeal to solutions providers and service providers. Here’s the scoop.

Open-Xchange, which promotes open source groupware to more than 500 resellers and integration partners worldwide, plans to host its first partner summit on October 8 in Germany. Here's the scoop, the opportunities and the challenges facing Open-Xchange.

Canonical’s Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) and Microsoft’s Windows 7 are expected to debut within days of one another in October 2009. Some open source pundits will surely hype a showdown between the two operating systems. But Canonical will need to carefully communicate the broader Ubuntu 9.10 story to media, customers and partners. Here are seven potential steps to success for Canonical and the Ubuntu 9.10 launch.

Two weeks before the VMworld and Red Hat Summit conferences, Red Hat is bolstering its virtualization strategy. The latest move involves a new partner program that emphasizes virtualization training. Here's the scoop.

It’s official. ZaReason is launching an Ubuntu Linux netbook called the Terra A20, according to a confirmation email I just received from ZaReason CTO Earl Malmrose. ZaReason joins Dell and System76, among others, in the Ubuntu netbook market. Here are specifics about the Ubuntu netbook, plus some observations from WorksWithU.

The Amahi Home Server, an open source system that handles a range of in-home applications, could soon run on the Ubuntu 9.04 desktop environment. Here’s the scoop.

As Windows 7’s October 22 arrival approaches, The VAR Guy is hearing more and more buzz about virtualized Windows and Linux desktops — including an imminent announcement from Red Hat. Looking ahead, our resident blogger thinks the virtualized desktop market is ripe for channel partners.

As Dell continues to adjust its Ubuntu system lineup, niche Ubuntu PC makers are pressing ahead with expanded Ubuntu-driven offerings. A key example: System76 has refreshed its Starling Ubuntu netbook with more memory and the company has introduced two new Ubuntu desktops. Here's the scoop.

Canonical is diversifying how it delivers Landscape — a remote management tool for Ubuntu servers, desktops and mobile devices. The forthcoming Canonical moves have clear implications for Ubuntu customers, resellers and managed service providers. Here’s some analysis.

It’s another small step for Linux and open source in the IT channel. Specifically, Hewlett-Packard and the Open Source Channel Alliance (led by Synnex and Red Hat) have launched the Open Source Jump-Start Appliance. Here’s what HP’s move means to VARs and their customers.