I contributed a few pieces to InfoWorld’s latest group effort, “Crackpot technologies that could shake up IT.” The idea on this one, which is based on a similar feature from last year, is to take an irreverent look at some of the more out-there ideas in computing today. Are you ready for computers that can read your mind, office walls that know where you are, CPUs that run on light instead of electricity, and a supercomputer in every office? If you’re not sure, you’re not alone — though some of these make for some interesting reading, even if they never actually come to pass.

Update: InfoWorld seems to be having some serious uptime problems over the weekend. I’d love to find out what that’s all about, because it seems like it has happened before…

PC World is running my latest article in its Business Center this week. In it, I survey a collection of open source applications for small businesses, with two distinctions: First, all of these applications are mature enough for anyone to download and try out, without any arcane tweaking or configuration. And second, all of them run on Windows.

Longtime readers will be aware that I’m a desktop Linux fan, and I try to use Linux for my day-to-day computing as much as possible. But the media tends to place so much emphasis on the Linux operating system that people sometimes forget that what really matter are the applications.

The truth is that you don’t have to give up your mainstream OS to use some of the best free software that’s available. If you’re friendly to open source, but aren’t yet ready to make the leap to Linux full-time, check out this piece and try out some of the great applications that the community has to offer.

We’re having some fun over at InfoWorld today. The end of the year typically sees a proliferation of stories predicting what lies ahead for the tech industry. Instead, with the New Year well underway, we’re taking a look back. Presented for your enjoyment are 25 of tech’s biggest blunders, slip-ups, disappointments, and missed opportunities — the moments that, if anyone could have seen the future, would probably have been done differently.

There’s an element of schadenfreude in this, to be sure. But it’s not just about kicking the players when they’re down. I think of it as a moment to chuckle at our own irrational exuberance and, if we’re lucky, an opportunity to learn from past mistakes.

You guys might have some other doozies that didn’t make my list. Feel free to send them my way, or post them over at InfoWorld.com. And smile, everybody! After all, what’s a few million in venture capital funding down the drain?

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.

A new article I wrote for InfoWorld.com went live this morning, under the title, “How risky is open source?”

Although the origin of this piece dates back several months — it got put off for various reasons — it’s especially timely now, given Microsoft’s recent statements to the press about alleged patent infringements in open source code. (InfoWorld has assembled a special report on Microsoft’s latest campaign against open soure and the response from the community, available here.)

My article is essentially a primer on the three forms of intellectual property that affect open source software — copyrights, trademarks, and patents — and what risks they might pose for enterprise customers. The short answer? Not many — in fact, I even have a Microsoft representative on record saying Redmond has no plans to go after customers for patent infringements. But check it out for yourself.