Software: Opinions

804. That's how many versions of Linux there are now, according to the definitive guide, DistroWatch.com. And yet people complain that six versions of Windows 7 is far too many.

The following is a reader-written article from David Pinkus, a former high-level Google employee who is now senior vice president of information technology for Universal Technical Institute. 

Google's decision to build a PC operating system could be a master stroke or a colossal blunder, depending on whether the company has the resources that such an ambitious and long-term undertaking will require.

Will Oracle be good to Java's developers?

In two years, the federal government will begin divvying up $19 billion in reimbursement money to help health care organizations and doctors cover roll out electronic medical records (EMR) technology. In the meantime, the cost for the technology, which can run tens of millions of dollars for large facilities and tens of thousands of dollars for private physician practices, rests squarely on the private sector.

How do MySQL users feel about Oracle Corp.'s takeover of the open-source database through its acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc.? Judging by Twitter, anxious -- and snarky.

At what temperature do electronic books catch fire? We're going to find out sometime this year. E-book sales are about to ignite.

Well, the word is out. Microsoft has finally confirmed the number of Windows 7 SKUs (stock keeping units) that it will foist upon the marketplace next fall.

Oh, not again. Last week, the SANS Institute and Mitre released yet another list of the most serious programming errors that break software security. And this time, SANS and Mitre got dozens of other organizations to sign on, including Microsoft, Apple, Oracle, Tata, Symantec, the US Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency.

Microsoft may be nearly ready to release Internet Explorer 8, but if current trends are any indication, IE's reign as king of the browsers is quickly coming to an end.