Pragmatism rather than religious fervor at Linux World

The Register points out that “[o]pen source server and desktop companies in and around Silicon Valley are now being captained by executives who are either hardened by years of pushing the Linux cause for slow returns or who see the advantages of interoperating with Windows and tapping into the company’s massive customer base in mixed environments.” As Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian emphasized at LinuxWorld, “Microsoft remains a force to be reckoned with in business and consumer computing and – as a result – Linux vendors are simply following the money” by doing deals with the company from Redmond.

eWeek.com also reports on Ron Hovsepian’s speech at LinuxWorld, where the Novell CEO said that "[he] know[s] [their] deal with Microsoft is controversial, but it is necessary for [Novell’s] customers who have to deal with both Linux and Windows in their data centers. Virtualization is also going to have to deal with both of those operating systems.”

Internetnews.com predicts that “Xbox, PS3 andWii” will constitute the “future of storage.”

According to CNetNews.com, “a few iPhone users are encountering problems with the iPhone’s touch screen, prompting Apple to replace some units. Posters on Apple’s support discussion boards and forums belonging to both AppleInsider and MacRumors have complained of dead spots on their iPhone’s touch screen, almost like the old floor at the old Boston Garden. On a phone based almost entirely around touch-screen input, this would obviously be a serious problem.”

BBC News reports that, according to the UN’s intellectual property agency, “China has seen a sharp increase in requests for patents, according to the UN’s intellectual property agency. The number of requests for patents in China grew by 33% in 2005 compared with the previous year. […] China’s leaders have been urging companies to become more creative, and put more of their money into developing new technology.”