OStatic

Is Oracle getting ready to kill OpenSolaris? What does a Linux company, which Oracle is, want to do with its newly purchased Sun operating system?

Google releases open source NX server. Amid the fanfare of the Chrome OS announcement, Google quietly released an open source NX server, dubbed Neatx, for remote desktop display.

HP releases $500 Linux netbook onto Aussie market. This week sees the Australian launch of the Mini 110, which HP is offering with both Ubuntu and Windows XP.

Free operating systems that aren't Linux. There are other free options such BSD, OpenSolaris, HaikuOS, ReactOS, and PureDarwin.

Chrome, Android have different jobs, Google says. Android has features unique to running mobile devices, and one doesn't replace the other, a Google mobile executive says.

New version of EnterpriseDB's Postgres Plus Advanced Server now available. It has deeper Oracle compatibility, and is simpler to migrate to.

Develop web sites quickly with Bluefish. It's a very easy code editor.

Who should use alpha-status Chrome on Linux? Many people are already using it on a daily basis.

Five big issues with ARM and Android netbooks. Will they wrest the PC industry from Wintel's grip?

Is Vyatta now part of Microsoft keiretsu? Citrix funding the open source networking player begs the question.

Google Chrome update offers tab micromanagement options. The 2.0.174.0 update released Thursday adds features such as the ability to remove thumbnails from the New Tab page.

The five best, new things in Ubuntu Linux 9.04. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols cites his favorite additions.

Canonical's Mark Shuttleworth: Oracle is a litmus test for Linux, Ubuntu. Here's what he has to say about the lack of Oracle certification for 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope.

Common public license (CPL) merged into Eclipse. The two licenses were already similar, so a merger made sense.

Zamzar now converts text to speech. This free application was already useful for file conversions, and now you can take advantage of text-to-speech features for documents, PDFs and more.

Via OSNews comes word that the developers bringing Chrome to Linux have opted to use GTK over Qt as the browser's framework.

The development team's decision wasn't an easy one. The questions they addressed about Chrome's appearance and behavior, what end-users need and expect, and how to make it work smoothly on the Linux desktop are highly subjective, and in some cases, emotionally charged. The FAQ on the Chromium developer's site states that while both toolkits are capable of doing the job (WebKit handles most rendering with the exception of some form controls and dialogs), the team opted for GTK due to their level of familiarity with it.

Microsoft Watch's Joe Wilcox, in solemn observance of Friday the 13th, compiled a list of Microsoft's ten most unlucky breaks. The strokes of misfortune chosen were weighted according to heinousness (with #10 being least signficant, and #1 the most).

Checking in at #7 is the development of the Linux kernel. Putting aside Microsoft's whole Schrodinger's cat sort of approach to Linux over the years (Linux is not a threat. Linux is a threat), it is interesting Wilcox (and the analysts who helped him narrow down the list) focused on the kernel as the bad break.

The end of the year is a self-indulgent time, when those who write about technology stop making lists of the best, worst, and most mind-numbingly mediocre applications they find and pause to make lists about tech trends in the upcoming year.

Assessing the past is easy: it has been an interesting year for open source software. Predictions that come to pass, unless suitably vague, just fall into the lucky guess category. The one prediction I am sure of for 2009: Open source software will hold its own when it comes to growth and adoption.

My other predictions? What do you think?

If you're a Linux user waiting to try out the Chrome browser, CNet offers some bad news, tempered by a tiny ray of good news.

It seems the Google developed browser, released approximately two months ago, is showing the first signs of growing Linux legs, and is making its way towards the operating system. It takes time, a few dead ends, and maybe even requires losing a link or two before it really works -- Google suggests it might be quite some time.

Adobe AIR launches on Linux.....

Is HP working on a proprietary Linux fork?.....

Google Chrome's open source ally: Microsoft.....

High-end developers choose commercial Linux.....

Panda: An open source video platform for web sites.....