OStatic

ITPro is reporting that System76, a company specializing in building Linux desktop, server and notebook systems saw a 61% revenue increase over the first quarter of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

The revenue breakdowns aren't readily available (System76 is privately held, so public earnings reports aren't required), but the figure's significance stretches beyond the bottom line. It obviously suggests impressive growth for the company, and it isn't an unreasonable leap to imagine that other OEMS focusing on Linux-powered machines are seeing some degree of growth as well. The recession undoubtedly plays a role in this growth. But how much does it factor in really?

As news of Openmoko's harsh but realistic look at the road ahead ripples through the open source and mobile technology sectors, there will be, beyond a doubt, much speculation on how the project's challenges could have been minimized and its successes built upon. Perhaps Openmoko's attempt to bring a completely open mobile phone to the world was Quixotic. Perhaps it was a good idea that simply launched at a bad time. Perhaps it was (and still is) a very workable idea -- or maybe it will always have an extremely niche appeal. Openmoko's pulling away from FreeRunner phones (and looking toward its Plan B ) might well work out just as Michael Lauer writes on his blog -- not at all as a death sentence, nor as any sort of indication that free platforms don't work (or aren't desired) on mobile phones.

I purchased my ASUS EeePC 701 just over a year ago, when the Eee was just about the only netbook on the market, and netbooks came with Windows XP drivers, but not with Windows pre-installed. As I live in an urban area that boasts a techie population (near Cambridge, Massachusetts), I was, even a year ago, able to walk into a retail store to look at, try, and purchase the little machine. It was inexpensive, it ran Linux, and that was more than enough for me.

At Tectonic, Nic Ludick wonders if this isn't actually a bad thing in the long run for boosting Linux adoption. I can't say as I agree with his implication that retailers using Linux netbooks for their personal financial gain is terribly horrific -- retailers are in the business of selling things for a profit. He does, however, make some valid points on Linux in a retail sales environment.

The talk Nicholas Negroponte gave at the TED Conference this weekend ignited discussion on several fronts. Liz Gannes at GigaOM reports that Negroponte credits the OLPC for the rise of the netbook market, and CNET has additional information about OLPC's plans to open source the XO laptop's hardware schematics.

Would netbooks exist now if the OLPC hadn't announced its plans for a $100 laptop a few years back? Probably, but it's not unreasonable to imagine that the interest shown by the general public in the $100 laptop concept drove commercial manufacturers to develop and produce powerful-yet-inexpensive laptops faster, and in greater numbers, to a larger target market than they would have initially considered.

The other area Negroponte discussed -- opening the XO hardware -- doesn't initially, perhaps, seem as entertaining to debate as the netbook claim. The implications of open sourcing the XO hardware design are well worth consideration.

What is it about the holiday season? It throws a spotlight on the best -- and worst -- aspects of human nature. It holds true in the open source world. NextStep, a hardware recycling and refurbishing organization in Eugene, Oregon, was burglarized earlier this week. Hardest hit was the organization's Ubuntu Laptop Program. NextStep provides computers, technology and job skills training to Lane County Oregon's under-served residents, and its Ubuntu Laptop Program is a major source of funding for these endeavors.

That's the bad news. The good news is that helping NextStep might be as easy as looking through that box of hardware you've got in your office.

Earlier this year I wrote about the Chumby internet appliance/open source alarm clock. Though Chumbys have been available in the US for a little over a year now, Chumby Industries hasn't been able to officially sell these products internationally.

Chumby Industries intended all along to open sales outside the US, but electronics standards (and approval procedures) vary from country to country, and it's been time consuming. Some international users turned to friends in the States or third party shippers, but now, at least in a few countries, this is no longer necessary. Chumby is available at select retailers in Japan, and a Japanese language Chumby portal was launched last month.

On the O'Reilly Media site, there is an intriguing interview with kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman. Kroah-Hartman says he has evidence that Linux now supports more devices than any other operating system.

In the lengthy interview, he talks about why this is true now, and how hardware suppliers and open source developers can work together to bring more peripherals to life.

Sam has recently written a few excellent posts about open source software being used in unusual ways. He's also covered a few open source hardware projects.

Though it may not be as epically geek as the NetBSD toaster, there is a certain appeal to Chumby, the Linux alarm clock. The hardware and software are open and hackable, for the hands-on type.

For the rest of the population, it's still an interesting and functional little device.

Over the past few years, the set-top box industry has been nothing short of a disaster. In addition to Digeo, makers of the Moxi DMR, cutting its workforce in half and ditching most of its products, TiVo - the world's most popular DVR company - lost almost $48 million last year, easily eclipsing the company's $34 million loss in 2006.