OStatic

Analysts and observers are still digesting the recent news of VMware's acquisition of SpringSource for $420 million, and I continue to find interesting perspectives cropping up. As we discussed here, the move has the potential to put the squeeze on Red Hat, especially in the application server and enterprise software development markets. It also gives VMware a lot more credibility with developers, because SpringSource's Spring Framework is a popular enterprise Java programming environment, it maintains the Apache Tomcat Java app server project, and more. It also gives VMware a strong presence in the open source arena, when it has been seriously threatened by open source virtualization offerings.

This week, though, Todd Weiss, writing on Linux.com, discussed how many analysts see the move as allowing VMware to tie virtualization directly to applications without requiring a separate operating system. Could VMware have its eye on the fast-growing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) arena, aiming to deliver virtualized apps that users and IT administrators can hop in and out of without a tie to a parent OS??

Linux is booming, but unpaid adoption may hurt vendors. IDC is projecting Linux revenue to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 16.9 percent from 2008 to 2013, but nonpaid usage abounds.

WineXS: a simple graphical environment to configure Wine. Wine is a well-liked compatibility layer for running Windows apps on Linux, and here is an easy way to get going with it.

SpringSource enables Java cloud apps. Cloud Foundry is an enterprise Java cloud where developers can sign in and deploy Spring, Grails, or other Java apps within a public cloud.

Report: OpenOffice doesn't infringe like MS Word. After the permanent injunction barring Microsoft from selling Word, many wondered if it would affect OpenOffice, and here are the details.

Larry Augustin: Open source fueling enterprise software shift. Over time you will see Microsoft adopt more open source principles as they strive to continue to make Windows relevant, he says.

As everyone digests the big news that VMware intends to buy SpringSource for $420 million--its biggest acquisition ever--I'm inclined to think that the move primarily represents a dedicated step from VMware away from just being a virtualization player. As we've discussed before,?VMware has been tightly squeezed by competition from open source and free, bundled virtualization software offerings. Its relatively new CEO Paul Maritz (who was a long time Microsoft executive), knows what it is for proprietary platforms to face free, open source competition, and SpringSource can help VMware compete very directly with Red Hat, particularly in the application server market.

Still, along with Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems, the move from VMware provides yet another example of a smaller company that has retained a strong focus on open source being acquired by a much larger, proprietary competitor. Just before last year ended, we predicted?that open source mergers and acquisitions would increase dramatically this year, but who would have thought that we would see such huge acquisitions? What are the implications for VMware, Red Hat, and open source?

SpringSource takes on Java goliaths. The company is proving that commercial open source can peacefully coexist with community involvement.

Microhoo lessons for open source. Yahoo?s open source projects are now held by a company that is cash poor.

Acer: Android netbook on track for Q3. The company has wavered on whether it will deliver one, but it apparently is on track, and may dual-boot with Windows.

The Gap moves from Windows to Red Hat Linux. The company needed to revamp its entire end-to-end business technology platform.

Dell: New Ubuntu desktop PC launching soon. There?s a high probability that it will debut the week of August 2nd.

Missing: Dell Ubuntu desktop PCs. The VAR Guy explores whether Dell has stopped selling Ubuntu desktop computers.

Open source Hive: Large-scale, distributed data processing made easy. Hive is a data analysis and query front end for Hadoop that makes Hadoop data files look like SQL tables.

Microsoft opened Linux-driver code after violating GPL. Did it act simply to head off any potentially embarrassing legal disputes over violations?

SpringSource and MindTouch seek to redefine the application server. Spurred by economic pressures on IT departments, new breeds of app servers are taking shape.

The tech jobs that the cloud will eliminate. IT pros face new competition for their jobs from cloud services. Which jobs go, and which become more valuable?

Today, SpringSource, which makes the Spring Framework, the leading open source application framework for Java, announced that it has acquired Hyperic, which supplies enterprise application management and monitoring software. The move could lead to much deeper entrechment for SpringSource in enterprises, because Hyperic's flagship Hyperic HQ software troubleshoots and monitors hardware, networks, virtualization, cloud environments and massively scalable applications.

Hyperic's open source software is used for monitoring large enterprise MySQL deployments, among other things. Many retail, financial services, manufacturing and technology companies already use SpringSource to manage the lifecyles of Java applications. But With Hyperic under its wing, SpringSource can potentially start to manage many more critical aspects of enterprise networks, and? ambitious cloud applications.

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SpringSource, maker of the Spring Framework for Java application development, is offering its SpringSource dm Server, an OSGi-based application server to run enterprise Java and Spring applications.....

Motorola seeks to hire up to 300 Google Android developers.....