OStatic

It might be time to invest in a better umbrella, as over the last few days it seems as though pigs might be taking flight. It's not so much that Adobe is releasing a 64-bit Linux alpha version of Flash, it's that Adobe is releasing the Flash alpha for Linux before it releases versions for any other operating system.

For sure it is a demonstration on Adobe's part that it truly is serious about Linux support. It's clear though that Adobe has more to gain, given that Linux is the system with the edge in 64-bit support and features native 64-bit browsers.

On Friday, Linux kernel 2.6.27 was released, introducing a number of new features and enhancements. Most notably, this release incorporates fully the (now infamous) patched Intel e1000e driver.

However, there are several other interesting and welcome additions to this kernel release.

From the recent spate of open source project acquisitions by large software vendors to the increasingly popular model of offering paid ﾓenterpriseﾔ versions of open source software, weﾒve all noticed the changes in the open source community. Some consider these trends part of the maturing of the open source software market, while others view these trends as potentially dangerous to fundamental open source concepts.

For those who are worried, things may have just gotten a little worse. Adobeﾒs announcement of its AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) platform for Linux is the case in point.