There are more and more companies adopting open source solutions in favor of proprietary software due to the cost savings they can reap, although perhaps not enough. Today, I noticed this release from IBM about Italian food company Gruppo Amadori rolling out Red Hat Enterprise Linux with desktops running IBM software, much of which is free, and some of which has open source roots.

SugarCRM Inc. was one of the first application-specific open source companies. It has gone from three employees to over 160 between 2004 and 2008. SugarCRM has taken some heat over its dual-licensing system. Roberts explains why this licensing scheme is a financial necessity for the company, and offers some excellent advice for people who want to start their own open source-based companies.

Free and open source software (FOSS) is well-known for promoting new development methods. Now, a European nonprofit organization known as FOSS Bridge hopes that FOSS can be equally innovative in promoting cooperation between companies and in fostering investment in developing nations.

Linux and related open-source software has gained an increasingly important role among large local corporations in Brazil, according to a recent study.

As open source goes mainstream, big commercial software companies reap as much revenue as scrappy independents.

Open source continues finding favor in both large enterprises and small companies. But while the nature and types of deployments may vary wildly, many have at least one thing in common: The bottom line. Cost savings from Linux and open source has long been a key selling point of the movement.

Lots of different companies are investing and promoting linux. Dell, Asus, Intel, Apple, are just a few to mention who have poured lots of money into the development and adoption of linux. Despite their best efforts, linux is still not adopted over OSX and Windows by professionals and average users. Why?

TheVARGuy.com announced a list of the 50 top open source companies in the "channel." Alongside well-known picks like Red Hat, Sun, and Novell (ranked one through three), several smaller, embedded-related firms made the top-25, including Digium, Openmoko, and Opengear.

If you’re serious about improving your company’s business practices, you probably want answers to some simple questions: “What’s important?” “What should I focus on and where do I start?” “What are best-in-class companies doing that I ought to be doing, too, and what can I learn from them?” That’s what the free Self-Assessment Checklist from The Linux Foundation’s Open Compli