The three-year-old Dojo Foundation has put out version 1.0 of Dojo, an open source JavaScript toolkit for AJAX development meant for building rich Web 2.0 applications without proprietary plug-ins or single-vendor solutions. The widgetry makes use of Google Gears, Google's solution for making applications work both on- and offline. What Dojo calls Dojo Offline is based on it. The toolkit is all of 25K in size and supports progressive enhancement and animations and is supposed to open the door to a wealth of high-quality widgets and extension modules. Dojo also supports the Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer and Opera browsers and the OpenAjax Alliance Hub 1.0 to guarantee interoperability with other toolkits IBM, Sun, BEA and AOL are Dojo backers.

Public and commercial Linux distributions already contain most of the functionality expected by most users from their computers. However, when it comes to Linux establishing a beachhead on the desktop, the battle turns to applications, applications, and more applications.

Why would anyone want to change from Microsoft or Apple to Linux? Isn't Linux the operating system made for servers that work as everything from file servers to Web sites? Isn't Linux hard to set up and use? Why would I want to change and what would I lose?

Everyone knows Intel wants to sell processors, but the question is does it really care what operating system is running on the chip? The answer is, apparently, yes. It's taken notice of the effect Linux is having in the IT market and it's reacting. For example, Linux has continued to grow as governments worldwide invest in Open Source software. These users want an end to proprietary lock-in (think Windows desktop upgrade cycle), to keep IT dollars local (OSS installed by local firms), and to reduce costs.

Corporate migration to a Linux desktop requires rigorous premigration planning to succeed. The goal of migration is to finish with a Linux desktop that is cost-effective and responsive to the organization's needs. Without proper data center planning, the migration won't meet this goal and can become a technical and organizational challenge.

The OSDL Desktop Linux Working Group (DTL) captures, discusses, publishes and develops Linux capabilities definitions required by demanding, enterprise-class desktop applications. The ultimate goal is to accelerate the use of Linux on enterprise desktops. The DTL Capabilities document is the work of current OSDL member companies and interested individuals.

Linux.SYS-CON.com's senior contributing analyst, Bill Claybrook, spoke with John Loiacono, executive vice president of Sun Microsystem's Software Group about his new job, and what he has in store for Sun's Linux strategy.

With its Novell Linux Desktop 9, says LinuxWorld's Mark Hinkle, the enterprise software maker is taking the first - albeit very early - steps towards the pervasive Linux desktop in the enterprise, 'something that is happening slowly but being watched with much anticipation on a world stage.' Novell will likely follow Red Hat's lead by looking for the low-hanging fruit in the form of UNIX workstation converts first, Hinkle reckons.

When clients ask me, 'Sam, honestly, how do I get started with open source?' it's usually clear that the first step is to install Mozilla Firefox on their Windows machines. The next step is to install the OpenOffice.org suite and help them plan a migration strategy away from MS Office.

'Whatever they're paid, the software engineers behind the Xandros installer are worth more,' writes Steve Suehring, after zeroing in on the version of Xandros called Open Circulation Edition as the solution to his parents' problems when they asked him to help them find a solution to a troubled computer that was running Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

The latest version of KDE beta 3.3 has been deemed stable enough for a public release candidate. The KDE team requests that all testers try and break this release as soon as possible, as the bug reports are invaluable to the developers.

Version 2.5 of the Xandros Desktop OS 'makes easier than ever for desktop-driven businesses such as financial or insurance firms to migrate to Linux,' says company chairman and CTO, Frederick H. Berenstein. 'Xandros has transformed the Linux desktop from a visionary future to a prudent reality for corporate IT planners,' he adds.

This article examines the issues and challenges of desktop Linux in moving toward mainstream enterprise adoption and how an innovative alternative business desktop solution, in the form of thin clients, is helping to lead the way toward market growth and adoption.

A leader in real-time computing systems, Concurrent, has announced the availability of enhanced editions of NightStar, its graphic-based development tool, for RedHawk Linux.

Pre-installed with Linspire 4.5 and including Dell's gold technical support, Dell has just launched a new Linux line: the 'Optiplex' desktop - targeted to businesses, educational institutions, and computer users. A one-year free membership to the Linspire software download warehouse comes with the Optiplex machines, which are being produced through Dell's partnership with diversified energy company Questar Corp.

JDesktop Network Components (JDNC) has been released by Sun as an open source project, so that the technology is available to the community early enough to allow it to directly shape the vision, the feature set, and even the code. 'There is still a lot of work to do,' says Sun's Amy Fowler, 'the JDNC feature set is far from complete and there remain rough edges, especially in the API, which has not had extensive usage outside of unit testing and markup-driven use-cases. But, that is exactly why we need your involvement.'

The latest maintenance release of KDE, namely version 3.2.3, hit download servers all over the world this week. KDE 3.2.3 ships with a basic desktop and eighteen other packages, and - with the recent addition of Arabic, Croatian, and Upper Sorbian - is now available in 51 languages.

Now that Project Looking Glass is heading toward a general release on Linux and Solaris, can we look forward at JavaOne next month to seeing the release of the computer desktop that makes three-dimensional effects possible and that was unveiled in an early prototype at last year's J1 in the keynote presentations?

Jorge Castro writes an Open Letter in response to the witheringly critical review of GNOME 2.6 that is doing the rounds of the mainstream tech press, written by Nick Petreley.

In Part 1 of this series (LWM Vol. 2, issue 4), Dr. Migration analyzed some common Linux distributions with the goal of helping you figure out which is right for you. This month, he takes a look at some of the major vendors' Linux desktop offerings and begins to explore the Linux laptop.

Timing its announcement, whether deliberately or accidentally, to come on the same day that Microsoft has just been fined $613 million for 'ongoing' illegal behavior, HP is saying it is going to complement its existing support of Linux on the server by adding support of SUSE Linux across its range of desktop PCs and notebooks.

I originally planned a series of articles dedicated to building the ultimate Linux desktop for business users. However, after doing some research I changed my mission - this will still be a series of articles dedicated to the Linux desktop for the everyday productivity user, but it won't be a decree of the best business desktop.

HP has supposedly been selling MandrakeSoft Linux on the desktop for a while but has been so quiet about it that for all intents and purposes it's been a stealth operation. That's all about to change, with two new Linux desktops ready for rolling out by HP to the North American SMB market, both boxes to be sold with Mandrake Linux.

Four years ago, OpenOffice.org didn't exist. Today, it is probably not only the largest free software project in the world, but also the most important. On a personal level, it's also become a major feature of my life - which explains this column.

In this month's column, Dr. Migration takes a look at the Linux desktop from an applications point of view. Although widespread adoption of desktop Linux isn't a reality yet, the prognosis is good. I recently wrote an article for LinuxWorld.com on a user-oriented Linux distribution coined UserLinux.

When people hear that open source software is often free and overall cheaper than proprietary solutions, they're intrigued. But how much cheaper is another question. What other costs are involved? This article examines the budgetary impact of migrating corporate desktops to open source solutions. This is one of many areas where open source can positively impact IT budgets.

KDE.org has just announced a major new release of its open source desktop environment, version 3.2. LinuxWorld brings you the announcement in full.

Considering Linux as a desktop operating system? Moving to Linux: Kiss the Blue Screen of Death Goodbye! guides you through the process and even includes a bootable CD mastered by author Marcel Gagne.

I often make recommendations on the applications I use daily while sharing my perspective on the Linux desktop. However, recently I've been getting feedback from users on what they feel are the most valuable open source desktop applications and why. Don't take my word for it...take theirs. In this article users discuss their most useful desktop applications.

Thin-client computing is alive and well...and thriving in early-adopter environments. In this article, Dr. Migration explains why thin-client systems are showing up everywhere from POS applications to classrooms, and why you might want to consider a thin-client solution for your own organization.

The Open Source Development Lab isn't Microsoft...yet. But is it becoming a Microsoft wannabe? The buzz from the bees is that OSDL has now set its sights on conjuring up a Linux Desktop. THE Linux Desktop.

George Staikos, KDE core developer and promoter, reports that at his KDE.org booth at last week's COMDEX, there was plenty of interest from a surprising quarter: he had regular visits from Microsoft employees. 'They wanted demos of KDE, to see how it works and what we have,' Staikos explains.

Mark R. Hinkle, Linux.SYS-CON.com's Desktop Technologies Editor, muses on what his his ideal incarnation of a Linux desktop would be. Bruce Perens, whose idea it was, chips in with detailed comments.

At COMDEX yesterday Scott McNealy announced a mega-deal between Sun and The China Standard Software Company to put the Java Desktop System on 'half a million to a million' desktops in the coming year...and on 500 million Chinese desktops ultimately.

The Open Source Development Lab (OSDL), which has so far limited itself to high-end carrier-grade and data center Linux server initiatives, is preparing for a desktop jihad the scope of which is difficult to gauge at this point.

According to industry veteran Maureen O'Gara Sun has a surprise up its sleeve for its Sun Network confab today. It appears, she says, that a plain vanilla Linux x86 desktop - reportedly dubbed the Java Desktop System - is going to be announced.

Sun's EVP Software, Jonathan Schwartz, used the occasion of the first day of the SunNetwork event in San Francisco this morning to take the wraps off what Sun is hoping will be the winner in the 'Desktop War' it is proposing to wage on Microsoft.

The business world has never seen anything like the Linux ecosystem before. Within the context of the business and social phenomenon that is OSS, this article discusses why there exists a natural niche for a non-profit member organization to be front and center in the move to OSS on the Desktop.

This column is dedicated to helping IT managers understand and investigate Linux as an alternative to commercial server and desktop solutions. As a Windows refugee I'll share my experience, providing both strategic and tactical advice on how to take advantage of the Linux operating system. I hope this column will be a resource for understanding the business case and technical pathways to migration.

Have you ever needed to get to a Linux desktop on your network, whether to provide desktop support or install an application that required a GUI interface to install? With NetOp Remote Control for Linux, you don't have to drive across town to do it.