OStatic

As JKOnTheRun notes today, free online storage service Dropbox has just come out of beta and is available to everyone. The company has also served up a beta client for Linux. The Linux client may be particularly attractive for owners of Linux-based netbooks such as Asus Eee PCs. Those usually come with very little local storage, and Dropbox will give you 2GB of online storage for free, or you can add substantial amounts for very little cost. Check out JKOnTheRun for more.

Market research firm IDC has just produced the results of its global analysis of PC buying trends, and the overall news is good--with low-cost netbook portable systems making a significant contribution around the world. We've covered the netbook phenomenon widely. Significant numbers of these (often, though not always Linux-based) machines are moving, and changing usage habits. Even the title of the IDC report reflects their impact on the overall market: PC Market Continues To Resist Economic Pressures With A Boost From Low Cost Portable PCs. ﾠ Here are the numbers, and why this trend is great for open source.