Open source meets venture capital

Long-established vendors such as IBM and Novell have announced or strengthened their open source offerings from the data server to the desktop, sometimes offering and supporting certified versions of open source applications, sometimes using open source code in new server-based configurations that let customers choose specific functionalities per user. New companies such as SpikeSource, a San Francisco-based startup offering integrated, validated, and certified open source stacks with ongoing maintenance and support services, are convincing venture capitalists the open source stack is a viable investment. Open source development houses themselves are being recognized for delivering standalone best-of-breed technology - such as the Java application server JBoss - or as valuable acquisitions in a larger vendor's portfolio.