Ulteo is poised to offer commercial support for its free virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) software, which the open-source startup says will cost companies a fraction of established offerings from Citrix Systems Inc., Microsoft Corp. and VMware Inc., while offering, in some cases, more choice in platforms.

For the first time, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and leading Linux distributors Canonical/Ubuntu, Novell and Red Hat will join forces globally with their hardware partners to deliver Microsoft-free personal computing choices with Lotus Notes and Lotus Symphony in the one billion-unit desktop market worldwide by 2009.

VirtuaWin - Multiple virtual desktops, is an application for the Windows user community that misses the wonderful multiple desktop functionality often used on Unix systems. It is simple, reliable and highly configurable, supporting up to 20 virtual desktops.

Large PC users are increasingly looking to VDI -- virtual desktop infrastructure, which uses VMware to host virtual PCs -- as an alternative to current server-based computing approaches such as Citrix and Windows Terminal Server (WTS), says thin client developer Igel Technology.

A virtual PC, or a PC with desktop virtualization software, is an end-user implementation of virtual computing where a desktop application (rather than a server) is used to emulate a PC.

Advertisements land right inside people's Windows desktops as Google challenges Microsoft with free-of-charge competition

Has the time come at last to live a Microsoft-free life? That thought crossed my mind yesterday morning as I read an announcement from IBM that (with Canonical Inc.) it was offering a new Linux-based virtual desktop suite that, at user prices as low as $59, would compete directly with the iconic Microsoft Office.

Hate is a strong word … especially when you’re in love. Consider the situation between Red Hat and Microsoft. During the Red Hat Summit in September, the open source company warned customers and channel partners not to get locked into Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud strategy. Fast forward to the present, and Red Hat and Microsoft are locked in a virtual hug. Here’s the scoop.

If one was to believe IBM, the days of the Microsoft desktop are numbered, soon to be cut short by a combination of Canonical's Ubuntu Linux, IBM's Lotus range of office applications and a virtual desktop from Virtual Bridges. The trouble is IBM's solution is nothing new and addresses none of the issues associated with moving away from Microsoft.