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Worries over intellectual property can make for strange bedfellows. In the case of Microsoft Corp.'s nearly ubiquitous FAT (file allocation table) file system, it's Microsoft and the Linux community.

Linux adoption in EMEA, and in the Public Sector in particular, continues to gather steam as Novell has announced that the second largest city in Norway, the City of Bergen, has chosen Novell's Linux technology to underpin its technology infrastructure, moving away from its proprietary UNIX and Microsoft Windows applications platform. The City of Bergen's two phased implementation of SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 8 will impact 50,000 users of the City of Bergen's administrative and educational networks.

The now AOL independent Foundation seems instead focused on Firefox - the "lightweight" browser - and I'm convinced that some within the foundation wishes the Browser Suite formerly known just as "Mozilla" would just go away.

Linux Solutions, a Uganda-based FOSS (free and open source software) support company has joined forces with SchoolNet Uganda to build capacity to provide schools in the country with Linux-based thin-client solutions.

The Google supercomputer is changing how we think about Internet-scale software.

The Group Policy Task Force (GPTF) was launched today, with ten leading technology companies joining forces to show support for the Microsoft Group Policy standard for Windows Management. Each founding member of the GPTF adds value to the group with its technical knowledge of how to best leverage Group Policy within Windows. The GPTF members all offer complementary solutions that leverage the manageability already present in the Windows / Active Directory platform.

"Sun has used open source as tactical weapon with OpenOffice and StarOffice," said John Koenig, an open source SIG moderator with the non-profit Software Development Forum and president of RiseForth, a consultancy. "They're looking at it as not a moneymaker but as a way to try to commoditize that part of Microsoft's business."

Nokia has invested in the Mozilla Foundation according to a report at CNET which cites anonymous sources. Nokia won't confirm the news, but it makes sense for the phone giant to keep its options open. Nokia currently ships the runaway leading browser Opera on its Symbian smartphones. In February Mozilla's Minimo Project for handhelds and embedded manufacturers released its first public preview, based on Mozilla 1.7.

Is there a business model for a GNOME-based Linux desktop software ecosystem? Such a project could transform the entire desktop operating system scene before Microsoft's Longhorn version of Windows comes out. But can Linux developers be nimble enough when it comes to money?

Personal Media Corp. is selling a tiny, rugged PC that supports Linux but is meant to demonstrate the T-Engine platform for embedded systems. The $1,909.11 (207,900 Yen) "Teacube" measures 2 by 2 by 1.8 inches (52 x 52 x 48mm) and weighs 5.8 ounces (165 grams).

Few industries have the same demands for high availability and scalable services as telecommunications providers, which helps define the term "carrier grade" in the industry. Now, the Open Source Development Labs' (OSDL) Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) working group which counts 22 member companies, is flagging its effort to bring Linux into that elite designation.

France's cash-strapped government is giving alternative software companies the chance to win state business from Microsoft, in a pioneering drive to challenge the U.S. software giant in the public sector.

I will be doing research this summer at Stanford with Professor Andrew Ng about how we can incorporate machine learning into Firefox. We're looking for ideas that will make Firefox 2.0 blow every other browser out of the water. People who come up with the best 3-5 ideas win Gmail accounts, and if we implement your idea you'll be acknowledged in both our paper and in Firefox credits. Your idea will also be appreciated by the millions of people who use Firefox :-). We'll also entertain Thunderbird proposals.

France's cash-strapped government is giving alternative software firms the chance to win state business in a pioneering drive to challenge U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. in the public sector.

I had the privilege of being part of the Open Source GIS / MapServer User Conference last week in Ottawa (June 9-11). Many software projects end up "proving" themselves by having some sort of conference themed around them. This conference was no exception. It was a wonderfully executed and very well-organized event. Kudos to the Ottawa MapServer Users Group for their tremendous effort organizing the event!