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Recently I've had several inquiries about who uses the terms "open source" and "free software", and with what frequency. I never like to speculate when I can collect facts, so I went looking with a search engine.

The choice of software to run our computers can get awfully depressing. On one hand, there's Windows XP -- expensive and woefully insecure, but it works on almost every machine out there. On the other, there's Mac OS X -- far more secure, but also expensive and restricted to Apple's own computers.

What's not to like about OpenOffice? The big motivation for switching from Microsoft - security - isn't an issue here as it is with Internet Explorer. Online user complaints tend to center on speed (although the current version, 1.1.1, is plenty fast on my laptop) and glitches in file compatibility when reading documents from Microsoft Office. Problems with Word are usually pretty simple to fix, but complex formulas in Excel occasionally generate outright spurious results. Setting up a mail list in OO isn't as bonehead simple as it is with Works. A fair number of users would like to see an integrated e-mail program and personal information manager, a la Outlook.

You can cut the risk from malicious software or hacker intrusions to nearly zero in just one step. That step is to stop using computers with Microsoft's increasingly vulnerable Windows operating system.

"The tenth annual LinuxTag proved to be a very successful event for the forty-plus KDE developers who presented their award-winning desktop environment to more than 16,000 enthusiastic visitors at 'Europe's largest OpenSource Event'." So begins Torsten Rahn's excellent report on KDE's presence at LinuxTag 2004.

A friend got a new laptop with Windows XP pre-installed. "Does this come with an IRC program?" he asked. No, it doesn't. There are plenty of IRC programs for Windows, but you need to download and install them yourself. Word processing? Not included. Spreadsheet? Windows leaves you on your own yet again. I swear, by the time you buy or download all the software it takes to actually do something with Windows, you might as well install Linux. It would take a lot less time. I don't know about you, but my time is worth money, and if I need to do a whole bunch of software downloading and installation to make my computer usable, we're talking huge TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

It's strange. For years, geeks, sys admins, and nerds in general have been praying for someone to come along and knock Microsoft off its near-monopoly perch. I've been one of them: The healthiest thing that could happen to Windows is competition. But now that it may actually be happening, I find myself strangely concerned about Microsoft's reactions. Redmond is just going about the Linux war all wrong.

A consortium that includes Sony, Panasonic, Royal Philips Electronics and other companies has taken a step toward advancing the use of the Linux operating system in consumer electronics devices.

Learn how to get the Mono beta up and running for deploying .NET applications to Linux and other platforms.

IBM plans to announce its new generation of Unix servers July 13, kicking off the second phase of the debut of its Power5 processors, sources said. Big Blue is expected to announce models with two, four and 16 processors, sources familiar with the plans said. Later, IBM will sell a top-end 64-processor system, but that model isn't expected this quarter.

Is your enterprise safe running Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser? In many cases, no, and it's time that organizations started taking security seriously enough to consider a switch.

One the most straightforward ways to potentially profit from the open source movement and specifically the Linux operating system is buying stock in the leading vendors, according to one investment research firm. A new research report recently published from Equity Research firm, Caris & Company, titled The Best Things in Life are Free? indicates that the research group has high hopes for both Novell and Red Hat.

It was billed as a brawl, but turned out to be a low key chat that revealed one interesting piece of information: Not all computer geeks are open-source advocates. Normally, you can expect a rousing, positive response when open-source development is mentioned in a room full of programmers. But during the "Big Question" debate on the merits of open-sourcing Java, held at Sun Microsystems JavaOne Conference on Thursday, controlled source clearly appeared to be the development method of choice.

Sun Microsystems is grappling with applying an open-source philosophy to its Java software, faced with risks and benefits whether it jumps in further or stays aloof. But some experts are suggesting that there is a middle way.

Although Microsoft has released cut-rate versions of Windows for Malaysia and Thailand, it may not do the same for China, one of the world's largest PC markets. Speaking to reporters in China, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said he doesn't know whether discount versions of the company's software will be needed in that country. He also said that antitrust regulations being passed by the Chinese government will not particularly hurt Microsoft's business.

The Banking & Financial services sector has always been a cautious experimenter when it comes to embracing Open Source technologies. Anti-Linux hardliners have done their bit, by spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt in the market. The result: Support and security concerns surrounding Linux still exist in the CIO world. After all, how do you explain the concept of Open Source to an industry where the word ‘open’ is considered as the most dreaded term in a CIOs dictionary?