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Canonical Ltd., the commercial backer of the Ubuntu Linux operating system, is not yet turning a profit, but founder Mark Shuttleworth said during a teleconference today that he is prepared to bankroll the company for three to five more years. "We continue to require investment, and I continue to be careful with my pennies in making those investments, but I consider this a good proposition," the billionaire technologist said. "Canonical is not cash-positive, but our offering is very attractive to those who want to pinch their pennies in the Linux space."

Having increased its commitment to open source in recent months, Facebook announced on Friday that a piece of internally created software, "Scribe", will be released back to the open source community.

The OpenMoko project recently released a much-needed update to the official software stack of the Neo FreeRunner. I've had a FreeRunner for a few months and during that time I have used it to run everything from Debian to Qtopia (now known as QT Extended), so when OpenMoko announced the OM2008.9 update I eagerly upgraded to see what it had to offer.

The Linux Foundation (LF) has posted a ten-minute video interview with kernel coordinator Linus Torvalds. Held during the Linux Foundation's recent Linux Kernel Summit, the interview reveals the Linux founder speaking out on issues ranging from kernel/userland interactions to why Linux has so many interfaces.

These days, it only takes an increasingly-cheap USB thumb drive and a program like UNetbootin to create a portable Linux desktop you can run on any computer that can boot from a USB port. But check out the list of distributions UNetbootin can download and install—it's huge, and the names don't tell you much about which distro is best for on-the-go computing. Today we're detailing four no-install distributions—Damn Small Linux, Puppy Linux, Xubuntu, and Fedora—and helping you decide which might work for that spare thumb drive you've got lying around, or as just a part of your multi-gig monster stick. Read on for a four-way faceoff of bootable Linux systems.

...the main impression I came away with was the breadth and depth of Canonical's vision for Linux. Mr. Shuttleworth seems to see Linux as a launch pad for all kinds of useful tools and activities. Not a prefab path to riches (all that free code!), nor the biggest free candy store on the planet (free as in freeloader, mine all mine!), nor even a way to lock in the suckers and then make them pay and pay and pay, but a platform for building cool productive tools for everyone.

This is WFTL Bytes!, your occasiodaily FOSS and Linux news show for Monday, October 27, 2008, with your host, Marcel Gagné. Today's stories include a netbook showdown, new Ubuntus and Fedoras on the horizon, Microsoft's open messaging push, IM protocols, Google and Apple fighting for homosexual rights, and Shatner vs. Takei.

Last week, I had the pleasure of getting some unique insight into the Ubuntu 8.10 release ("Intrepid Ibex") from Canonical's marketing manager, Gerry Carr. The finalized server and desktop editions of the 8.10 release will be available for download October 30th, and host a variety of new tools and features.

Microsoft Corporation has opened an Open Source Interop Technology Center near Munich, Germany that should promote open source software on Windows and improve the relationship of its products with the free software community.

Microsoft's Silverlight 2.0, released this month for Windows and Mac, is a tipping point. This is the version that gives developers the features they have long been waiting for, including a cross-platform implementation of Microsoft's .NET Framework. Microsoft will use its massive Professional Developers' Conference (PDC) in Los Angeles, California, this week to introduce a small army of developers who'd been using beta code to the finished product. Before we look at what's inside Silverlight 2.0, and its importance, it's worth seeing how far Microsoft's browser-based media player has come in such a short time and what Microsoft is aiming for.

Reports are emerging of a serious security flaw with the Android software that powers T-Mobile's newly-launched G1 smartphone. Charles Miller, the researcher who discovered it, says he notified Google of the flaw this week but decided to also go public with the information to protect users from becoming exploited by people with nefarious intent.

Here are five simple tricks for APT, the Advanced Packaging Tool used on Debian and Debian-based distributions like Ubuntu.

Starting Thursday, Ubuntu Linux will make the latest version of its separate desktop and server operating systems available for free download. The updated Version 8.10 desktop operating system will add a host of usability features for users, including improved 3G wireless support for easier detection and connection to wireless networks. Also included is a new "guest" capability that allows a user to lend his machine to another user to check e-mail and perform other tasks without disturbing the existing programs or settings.

o...what happened. Initially we were swamped. People came through the door and converged on the rooms. In fact, it took most of the volunteers by surprise. Quickly adjusting, we were able to answer the many questions thrown at us and gladly demonstrated, and in many cases installed Linux on the spot. There are lessons for US to learn however...

Here's how to skin Linux to give a Windows Vista appearance. You can help provide a familiar look and feel to your Windows-trained friends and family as you coax them towards Linux. Or you can enjoy the satisfaction of having something looking like Vista actually run with stability.

Ubuntu Founder Mark Shuttleworth admitted today his company is not cash flow positive. That's despite the fact that Chris Kenyon, director of business development at Canonical told me that Canonical has 8 million users and growing revenues. On a conference call with press and analysts today, Shuttleworth said some really amazing things about his business and it's lack of currently profitability and his view that the money isn't on the Linux desktop.

A common lament from home videographers is that Linux lacks video editors. It's not exactly true. There's Kino, which edits video and acts as a frontend to dvgrab. Jahshaka edits videos, and uses openGL to add special effects (though many say Jahshaka's strength is its user interface). Cinelerra is a professional grade editor, and while someone working with video regularly might find this is the only option, those needing simple edits and common effects will find it overkill.

"Intrepid Ibex", distributed as Ubuntu 8.10, goes live today for distribution later this week, and the economic crunch certainly makes the Linux variant more compelling. While there are plenty of skeptics doubting Ubuntu's prospectsin business - except in a few big businesses with lots of Unix skills - going broke tends to make you examine your options a little harder.

Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth says that the PC desktop is facing a new revolution in the way that information is managed and that he hopes that free software will lead the way. In a recent posting on his blog Shuttleworth says that “there’s a revolution coming as we throw out the old ‘files and folders’ metaphor and leap to something new, and it would be phenomenal if free software were leading the way.”

Linus Torvalds presents the first test candidate of Linux Kernel 2.6.28 on his mailing list. "The changes in -rc1 are (as usual) too many to really enumerate, with the bulk of them being - again as usual - drivers," writes Torvalds in the gmane.linux.kernel newsgroup.