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It's long been argued that FLOSS advocates should be looking at the next generation of computing devices. That strategy is paying off. More than 1.4 million Google Android (that's Linux) devices shipped in the third quarter of 2009. It's too early for numbers in the fourth quarter, but you can bet that they're even higher. In three months, that's 1.4 million users adopting Linux for personal computing. Granted, still a minority next to other smartphones, but the Nexus One looks ready to give other smartphone vendors a run for their money.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt, speaking in Abu Dhabi this week, confirmed that the Chrome OS operating system is on track for the second half of this year. There are new reasons why its brightest future may be as an adjunct OS on netbooks and tablets. In fact, it's already appearing on devices alongside other operating systems, including Android. Find out more in GigaOM's story today.

What if the Elliott Associates bid for Novell is just the beginning of a financial game? Here is how that game might play out.

Microsoft's desktop future may look like a phone. Just as Apple and Google have desktop operating systems going mobile, Microsoft wil too.

Google open source guru says Android code will be in Linux kernel in time. Chris Dibona said he doesn?t think the Android phone operating system code is any more a fork of Linux than Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Can open source make 311 relevant? It's the 911 for non-emergency calls, but never went anywhere.

How to get Linux to boot in one second. MontaVista Software specializes in embedded Linux commercialization.

Everywhere you look, people are talking about Apple's iPad. Given the fact that tablet computers have been around for a long time and not ever been huge market successes, it's sort of surprising that Apple's device, which runs the iPhone operating system, is predicted to do so well.

Nevertheless, many people predict that the iPad will do revolutionary things like bring new life to dying print newspapers and magazines that can deliver whiz-bang versions of their publications on it. If the iPad has so much promise, though, then why couldn't an open source tablet--especially one that runs more than one operating system--have even more promise?

Will open source accept Microsoft leadership? Its sponsoring the upcoming Open Source Business Conference, but does the FOSS community accept the company yet?

Top 10 open source server technologies you need to know. From Zenoss to Apache, there are lots of server tools you can leverage.

Fitting Android and a processor on a SIM card. South Korea's SK Telecom has all the major components needed to run Android on a card.

PHP job growth not linked to multilingual developers. Some surprising other factors are central to the rise of PHP gigs.

Is MeeGo Linux's answer to the iPad? Linux can compete on price, but where?s the magic?

When Nokia announced that it was launching the Symbian Foundation to great fanfare, it had within its grasp that rarest of opportunities to move swiftly and become the dominant open source mobile platform. Alas, just one and a half years later, they have seemingly ceded that position to Android. Instead of recognizing the threat from Android and making strategic changes to counter, they instead criticized Google's closed-door development of Android before releasing a line of code themselves. When criticizing competitors, it helps to have your own house in order first.

?In October, the Symbian Foundation released the Symbian kernel sources to the world, and the rest of the world (read: developers) collectively responded, Great. Where's my Android phone? I've often lauded Google for its ability to fuse the marketing, PR and developer benefits of open source projects into one seemless operation. It would seem that Symbian could stand to learn a few things. The question is, is it too late?

Why Google released Closure tools. The release of Closure Tools by Google under an open source license is about putting muscle behind Javascript.

Microsoft Linux: Why one free software advocate wants it. An ex-Microsoft employee says Windows is doomed, and FOSS will rule.

Vint Cerf plugs Android into the Interplanetary Net. He has added a software stack to the open source Android code.

Q&A: Ubuntu 9.10 security. What are the most notable security features introduced with Ubuntu 9.10, and how can you work with them?

Barnes & Noble, aided by Android, aims to disrupt the Kindle. The Nook has two capabilities that could expand the market for e-book readers beyond Amazon's.

Unix at 40: Hanging on despite strong Linux, Windows challenges. The middle-aged OS is not expected to die any time soon, just slowly fade away.

The Android-Cyanogen kerfuffle. The opening shot was a cease-and-desist letter issued by Google against a developer producing a modified Android ROM with proprietary Google applications.

10 years of Linux accomplishments. Here are the major milestones that it has reached.

50 open source apps for small biz/home office. Datamation surveys the landscape of free offerings, and turns up some gems.

Ubuntu 9.10 netbook remix is looking great. Check out these screenshots from the latest build, which show a markedly improved interface.