Microsoft has released the Hyper-V integration Linux drivers as GPL v2.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10290686-16.html

This is pretty cool news. I've been using Hyper-V, and for the most part, I like it. It isn't as full-featured as VMWare, but it is cheap, and nicer than any of the Linux solutions.

The biggest drawback has been guest OS. Suse included the driver, but any other Linux distro runs a bit slowly (and Fedora requires a hack).

Hyper-V isn't suitable for all situations, but this helps expand it.

The X Server which has been powering almost all the Linux distributions through the ages isn't good enough for Mark Shuttleworth.

"But we don’t believe X is setup to deliver the user experience we want, with super-smooth graphics and effects. I understand that it’s *possible* to get amazing results with X, but it’s extremely hard, and isn’t going to get easier."

Instead, over the next few years they will be transitioning to the Wayland display server.

Mythic Technologies has a great article, Can living on the edge throw you over the edge? and a follow up part two.

Apache and the EFF have filed an amicus brief expressing support for Microsoft's case to revise existing patent rules.

Since the EFF and Apache are involved, you can be sure that the desired outcome is less protection for software patents.

Why would Microsoft be interested in less protection for software patents? In this case, it is because they are on the losing end: i4i is suing them for patent infringement, and keeps winning.

The specific protection is towards existing patents. Both sides agree that the burden to have a patent declared invalid should be lowered from "insane" to merely "ridiculous".

Google announced that they would be releasing the Wave source code.

While Wave, the Google offering, did not succeed, there is a lot of interest in the underlying protocol and reference implementation.

When the "Software MegaCorp Sues Over Some Patent" scenario was tossed about, it was usually Microsoft cast as the villain, with the usual "Watch out for Google!" voice or two. Yet, after Oracle acquired Sun, it wasn't really a surprise to learn they were choosing to be less "open" and more "profit oriented".

It was a Friday the 13th double-whammy. First, Oracle came out and said they were suing Google, and then word leaked that OpenSolaris is dead as a Sun project.

The up-and-coming NoSQL server, MongoDB, has just released their latest version: 1.6.0.

New features include sharding, replication, and a slew of internal improvements.

The Khronos Group has released the specification for OpenGL 4.1. They claim this release surpasses Microsoft's Direct3D. However, Ars Technica says "Whether this truly constitutes a leapfrogging of Direct3D 11 is not obvious."

Read more at Ars.

If it does, then this could be good news for game developers, everywhere, as MS has enjoyed a substantial lead for game graphics with D3D. If nothing else, it may spur Redmond to push a little faster; they've gotten a bit lazy.