I've been thinking about something for a few days now. It's about the latest Novell-Microsoft deal that was announced on August 20, where Microsoft agreed to buy another $100 million worth of vouchers from Novell. I was wondering: how come two public companies can make a deal that seems to me to be material and yet keep pieces of the deal secret?

SugarCRM is the latest open source application provider to jump into Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud. SugarCRM’s move reinforce’s Microsoft’s commitment to make Azure a widely supported cloud -- including both open and closed source application partners. Here's the scoop.

In a short but bold statement, Dell's U.S. website says Canonical's Ubuntu Linux is safer than Microsoft Windows. Here's the scoop and the implications from The VAR Guy.

In a brief but bold statement, Dell's U.S. website suggests that Ubuntu is safer than Microsoft Windows, especially for customers looking to avoid viruses. The statement, spotted by TheVARguy.com, also suggests that Dell will begin shipping Ubuntu 10.04 of selected U.S. systems sometime in mid-2009. Here's an update.

Not to be left off of the app store bandwagon, Intel has launched a beta version of its software application (app) store -- the Intel AppUp center. Initially targeting apps for netbook computers, the first apps are available for free download or purchase. At the same time, Intel industry partners Acer, Asus, Dell and Samsung also announced store collaboration and plans.

The venerable Debian Linux distribution has experienced a significant new release with its latest update, dubbed Lenny. While Debian is still not the easiest Linux distro to install and use, Lenny makes significant leaps forward and remains one of the most powerful Linux options.

Well, well, how about that Dell? In a landmark decision, Dell announced that it has penned a deal to use Novell's SUSE Linux in its data centers to power its new OptiPlex FX 160 thin client systems. Wow. Dell is doing this to save money and simplify its IT infrastructure and requirements.

Dell has delivered a dose of reality for both Microsoft and the Linux community on the subject of netbooks.

Speaking at OpenSource World, a Dell executive deflated Microsoft's enthusiasm for making a case out of the number of Linux netbooks returned by unhappy customers.

When we launched WorksWithU in 2008, I strongly believed Canonical needed to build rock-solid relationships with traditional server vendors like Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM. But fast forward to the present and my thought process is changing. In fact, I think Canonical has found a back door into the server market. Here's how.