Ubuntu is on the upswing. The signs are everywhere (including here with its tie-up with IBM). Canonical, which developed this version of Linux, has been very busy talking with the major server and desktop vendors and is making inroads with both.

One that will come as a surprise to most, however, is that Sun Microsystems is one of the server vendors getting into the Ubuntu game, as the VAR Guy notes. Sun also offers Linux distributions from Novell and Red Hat, but its inclusion of Ubuntu is a significant demonstration of Ubuntu's clout.

Sun is firmly committed to Solaris. No doubt about that. But think about how cool a Sun-acquires-Ubuntu-Linux story would sound to buyers. Suddenly, there would be real competition in the Linux market--competition based on product quality, not on cheap support. That would be a hugely disruptive story to tell the market.

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