There have been rumors about an initial public offering for MySQL AB, the company that makes the open source database MySQL, for some time now. Estimates placed the initial valuation as high as $1 billion. But it looks like Mårten Mickos and company won’t need to bother anymore — they got bought by Sun Microsystems instead! And at their top asking price, to boot.

My full analysis of Sun’s $1 billion acquisition of MySQL is up now for your reading pleasure at InfoWorld.com. The piece has already gotten its fair share of attention — it was the top story on Google Sci/Tech News today — but unfortunately, the curse of InfoWorld is that popular news sources tend to link to the stories when they’re syndicated by InfoWorld’s larger sister publications at IDG. This time, most of the hits seem to be going to PCWorld. But just remember, it was InfoWorld that made this story happen and this type of enterprise tech industry coverage is what InfoWorld does best. So look there first!

My latest set of articles is a how-to guide for newbies interested in switching from Windows to Linux. In a few short pieces I walk you through the process of installing a dual-boot system, talk about how to get multimedia and some of the cooler graphic effects working, and point out some of the major applications.  More »

I have a new article up on InfoWorld.com. This one is a little different from some of the pieces I’ve done recently, in that there’s not much open source in this one. Instead it’s a straight editorial — a rant, if you will — about the problems of modern computing.

The eds at InfoWorld have seen fit to call it “seven reasons why software is slow,” but it’s really more than that. The topic is how computers grow ever more powerful and sophisticated but our own experience using them hardly seems to improve.

Have you ever checked into the office in the morning and booted up your computer, only to wait minutes for it to start up? Then you drummed your fingers on your desk as your hard drive ground through interminable virus checks and backup routines, then waited to get a connection from the network, then fired up your application, only to spend a half-hour trying to figure out how to get the machine to do what you needed it to do? If so, then this article is for you. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Just in time for LinuxWorld Expo, I have a new article up on InfoWorld.com. This time, the topic is how open source changed the software industry forever — and how the changes are still ongoing. It’s a high-level article, but it raises some interesting topics. Can the software industry remain viable when the trend is to give software away for free? My interviewees say not only is it possible, but soon open source will be the norm, rather than the exception.

Do you work in enterprise IT? Do you have purchasing authority for software for your business or organization? Make your opinions heard! On an ongoing basis, I’m looking for contacts who would be willing to be interviewed for articles about their experiences as enterprise information technology customers. We can do it by email or over the phone — typical interviews last a half-hour or less. Note that I’d need you to go on record with your full name and the name of your organization (and I’d need to verify such). Get in touch with me for more information.