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Linux gets a great deal of credit and attention in the desktop and server markets, where it's visible and gaining market share. However, too often, we overlook the power of the Linux platform when it's hidden inside appliances, the so-called embedded market where Linux has long played a dominant role (and where I got my career start in open source at Lineo).

In embedded, Linux dwarfs Microsoft. It's time we took notice.

The most recent Linux-focused IDC market-sizing report came out in spring 2008 at the Linux Foundation's annual summit. The numbers are remarkable:

Added more details 2/12/09 at 10:15 AM PT.

Few see Google Android in its current state as a serious platform for business users. Like the iPhone, it launched without support for the Microsoft Exchange, so there's no native support for syncing to your Outlook calendar and contacts. Android also lacked a lot of native productivity tools to edit online and attached documents, a key collaboration requirement.

Yet this week, LogMeIn announced a version of its remote maintenance software for corporate IT teams and carriers that can support the Android platform. LogMeIn Rescue+Mobile downloads a small … Read more

Don't let its name fool you; this little utility comes with a wide range of options for not only shutting down, but also for hibernating and restarting your computer at times specified by you.

Easy ShutDown has a very basic user interface. We were disappointed to find that it didn't include a Help feature, but we were able to navigate the program very easily. Using either the menu options or toolbar commands, you can add multiple shutdown actions. When adding a new action, you can opt to activate the action after a certain amount of time, at a … Read more

TechTool launches a small black-and-white interface with a few buttons; its compactness reflects the utility's small feature set. It scans your system and outputs a log of its findings: basic stuff, such as motherboard and BIOS info, chip manufacturer and model and speed, system manufacturer, operating system, and so forth. All this info is already accessible from your system, so TechTool's features are redundant, but may be handy for some novice users.

TechTool performed quickly in our tests, but we had some issues. First, its output stated at the top of its report, "This user does NOT … Read more

The remote PC access product LogMeIn is getting into trucks. A branded version of the software, "LogMeIn for Ford Work Solutions" will be included in the new F-150 trucks (and a few other models) equipped with the optional Ford Works Solutions suite, a collection of options that includes Internet access, a dashboard monitor, and a wireless keyboard and pointing device.

LogMeIn spokespeople, in a CES announcement, said they envision construction contractors and other mobile workers using the remote access product to work on billing and other office documents without requiring them to carry a laptop in their vehicle. … Read more

This year The 404 decided to get something special for that special somebody: You! We'll be posting these 404 "mini-sodes" so you don't experience podcast withdrawal over the holiday break. In this first installment we talk about the year in games.

It's been a great year for gamers and we pick our faves over the past 365 days. We also take it back to 1998, ten years ago, and discuss that classic year in gaming history while roasting marshmallows over our yule log.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Kick-butt Kwanzaa and Fantastic Festivus. This year, give the gift of 404 and make sure to follow-up that gift with a gift of clean underpants. Who loves ya? The 404 loves ya.

For those without a fireplace and/or an ability to carry a tune, TV stations have for decades offered the Yule Log, an on-screen fireplace crackling as Christmas Carols play in the background.

According to "The Holiday Yule Log" book, the first televised fireplace was in 1966 on New York's WPIX-TV. With carols on in the background and no commercials, it was an instant hit and was adopted by other stations around the country.

But what if the holiday season takes you even further afield, so that you don't even have a plasma TV to keep … Read more

Editors note: This is the first in a series of stories about the recession's effect on the tech industry.

Patricia Sueltz has had her share of blunt bosses.

At IBM, Sueltz was CEO Lou Gerstner's technical assistant during Big Blue's dramatic turnaround in the 1990s. After that, she ran the services division at Sun Microsystems for CEO Scott McNealy during the dot-com bust from which many believe Sun has never truly recovered.

But not even the acerbic McNealy could have cooked up what 56-year-old Sueltz saw in front of her two months ago: A PowerPoint slide of … Read more

What's the fastest way to shut down Windows?

With a mouse, it takes at least two clicks, plus the time required for the various menus to appear.

With a keyboard, you can shut down Windows XP by pressing the Windows key (or Ctrl-Esc) and typing U twice. In Vista, the shutdown keyboard sequence is Windows key, right arrow three times, Enter.

By default, Vista goes into sleep mode when you press the Windows key, then the right arrow, and then Enter to activate the Start menu's power button. You can change this behavior--letting you shut down with two … Read more