Apple and Linux advocate IBM both tried hard to cramp Microsoft's style this week before the Windows 7 rollout even got under way. On Tuesday, Apple launched a new iMac, MacBook, and Mac Mini line, while IBM joined with Linux distributor Canonical to introduce a new "cloud-and-Linux-based" offering called IBM Client for Smart Work.

The complaints and concerns over Oracle's pending acquisition of Sun Microsystems and open source MySQL database grew this week to calls for the acquisition, or at least the relatively small MySQL part of it, to be blocked.

IBM and Canonical, the commercial entity behind Ubuntu Linux, on Tuesday are launching a combined cloud and Linux desktop package designed for Netbooks and low-end PCs.

Red Hat is still looking to expand beyond its traditional market of tech-savvy companies into a more mainstream world nearly a year after the open source vendor first declared its intentions to woo conservative customers away from rivals Microsoft and Oracle.

Today IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Canonical are introducing a cloud- and Linux-based desktop package in the U.S. designed for use on a company's existing fleet of personal computers (PCs) or even low-cost netbooks.

During the Oracle OpenWorld conference (Oct. 11-15, San Francisco), speculation mounted that Oracle was preparing an Unbreakable Linux offering that features the MySQL database — and targets Microsoft’s Windows Server-SQL Server combo. Here’s the scoop.

Open source hero Sun Microsystems has announced that 3000 more jobs must go, and blames the bureaucrats in Brussels.

When you're collaborating with a team that's flung across the globe, sometimes you need collaboration software with some heft to help you get the job done. Open source Web-based project manager, Collabtive, might be just the tool you're looking for. It has several features that make it a great alternative to proprietary alternatives like Basecamp.