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The VAR Guy loves cat fights as much as the next guy. Jennifer Aniston vs. Angelina Jolie? Classic but a bit dated. Canonical vs. Microsoft? Not quite as sexy, but certainly timely and just as much fun. The latest spat involves Canonical dismissing Microsoft’s claims in the netbook market. But both Canonical and Microsoft are missing the bigger picture.

Can solutions providers profit from Amazon Web Services? The VAR Guy found the answer by spending some more time with Levementum, a solutions provider that integrates multiple open source applications (such as SugarCRM and Compiere ERP) into Amazon’s cloud for customers. Here’s a bit about Levementum’s strategy and future direction.

Microsoft’s Small Business Server (SBS) has a new little brother. It’s called Windows Server Foundation, and it targets small businesses with up to 15 users. Take a closer look, and this resembles a preemptive strike against small business Linux appliances. Here's the scoop from The VAR Guy.

Novell is starting to connect the dots between SUSE Linux and two recent product acquisitions: PlateSpin and Managed Objects. Here's the scoop from The VAR Guy.

With Ubuntu 9.04, otherwise known as the Jaunty Jackalope, set to be released in less than three weeks, WorksWithU will be publishing some posts about what the latest and greatest version of Ubuntu will mean to different groups of users. WorksWithU begins a look at the new features that Jaunty brings to traditional desktops.

Quick: Name the biggest reseller of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The answer very likely is Dell. Now, the PC giant is striving to become the largest reseller of Red Hat’s JBoss open source middleware. Here’s how.

Sometimes, you have to respect someone for sticking to an opinion and a vision. Other times, you have to wonder if a consistent vision becomes a fatal flaw. I’m still undecided about whether Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst has the correct — or flawed — long term vision for desktop Linux. Here's why.

It’s not outright praise, but Dell testers call Windows 7 beta code “promising.” The VAR Guy values Dell’s opinion because the PC giant had the nerve — and the confidence — to ship Ubuntu Linux on selected PCs the year Microsoft launched Windows Vista. Fast forward to the present, and here’s what Dell has to say about Windows 7.

Multiple open source companies are pumping the same message into The VAR Guy’s email inbox. From Compiere to Pentaho, small open source application providers are calling on VARs to deploy business software in the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). Here’s the scoop.

When VoiceCon kicks off in Orlando, The VAR Guy will be looking for information about open source Asterisk information. But it looks like traditional closed source solutions will dominate the conference. Here are seven key trends worth tracking at the event.

Each time you upgrade to a new version of Ubuntu, here are five essential Ubuntu modifications you should consider making, according to WorksWithU, the independent guide to Ubuntu.

When Canonical this May launches an online training course for Ubuntu Server Edition, the virtual classroom will include a special guest speaker: CEO Mark Shuttleworth. Here’s the scoop, and how to attend if you’re interested.

Novell shipped SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 on March 24. The really interesting part of the story involves two related projects — called Mono and Just enough Operating System (JeOS). Indeed, Mono and JeOS could give SUSE Linux 11 a lift with software developers, Microsoft .Net customers and partners. Here’s the scoop.

When Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) launches in April, Zmanda — the open source backup company — will stand next to Canonical in full support of the Linux distribution. I got early details from Zmanda CEO Chander Kant earlier today during an extensive conversation in New York City. Here's the scoop.

Several irate readers asked me to defend Novell after they spotted a blog entry on Linux Planet titled, “SUSE Linux Enterprise Server — the Pointless Linux?” Of course, I don't play favorites. I don't care whether Red Hat or Novell lead the Linux race. But an IT world without Novell and SUSE Linux are somewhat dangerous to imagine.

Some skeptics think IT certifications aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. But in reality, some certifications actually help to create massive partner and customer ecosystems. Skeptical? Consider the situation at Red Hat, which has certified nearly 40,000 professionals on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Reports are swirling that IBM is seeking to acquire Sun Microsystems for at least $6.5 billion. But if a deal happens, what does that mean for the future of Solaris, SPARC, MySQL and other technologies that overlap with IBM’s core product portfolio? The VAR Guy offers four predictions about the potential IBM/Sun combo. And yes, Linux dominates the conversation. Here's the scoop.

Still in testing, Microsoft's Windows Azure Cloud went dark for nearly a day. The outage came as the Amazon Web service's cloud continued to attract more and more open source applications and customers, reports The VAR Guy.

My MacBook Pro died Sunday, forcing me to make far more use of of Ubuntu laptop and desktop. The experience reminded me: Ubuntu fills a growing niche where (A) Apple won’t compete on price and (B) Microsoft hasn’t competed on quality. Here's my complete perspective.

Digium and Fonality are two of the best-known channel brands in the IP PBX software market. But they rarely see eye to eye — especially when it comes to claims about giving back to the open source Asterisk community. In his personal blog, Fonality CEO Chris Lyman offers his stance on giving back to Asterisk. Here's the scoop.