Microsoft technology used to program applications that can be accessed through a browser continued to be blocked for Firefox users Monday. Mozilla had been blocking two Microsoft plug-ins after the discovery that Microsoft's .Net 3.5 SP1 install silently adds a plug-in to Firefox allowing the surreptitious launch of a malicious AML browser application that could take over infected machines. One add-on, the Windows Presentation Foundation, aids programmers in developing applications using Microsoft technologies that can be accessed via a browser.

On Oct. 30, Verizon Wireless is widely expected to launch the Motorola Droid, its entry into the Android smartphone market. It's ramping up to the event by kicking off an ad campaign that appears to put the Apple iPhone firmly in the crosshairs. Although Verizon hasn't officially announced details of the phone, The Boy Genius Report has posted a review as well as supposed photos of the device. The only information Verizon is currently offering is a teaser Web site.

Lack of vendor support, lack of marketing, too much "bad techie attitude," too much infighting and not enough developer cooperation are "Five ways the Linux desktop shoots itself in the foot," contends Computerworld's Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. "Every time i've ever posted on ubuntu's forum, ive been treated very nicely," protested Anonymous in the Computerworld comments. "Really?" shot back another Anonymous writer. "Because I've seen 'RTFM NOOB' more times than I care to count."

There are many compelling reasons to switch to Linux. Excellent security and low -- or nonexistent -- costs, to name just two, have already persuaded countless organizations and individuals around the globe to eschew the world of end-user license agreements and opt for the freedom and openness of Linux instead. Yet switching to Linux isn't quite as straightforward as buying a Mac or a Windows PC, because Linux isn't just one thing. It exists in many forms -- called "distributions," or "distros" -- and newcomers must choose the one they'd like to use.

Android will be the No. 2 smartphone OS by 2012, according to Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney! This fall's march of the Androids notwithstanding, the open OS now accounts for less than 2 percent of all smartphones, according to a recent report. In three years, however, it will make up more than 14 percent, beating Apple, Microsoft and RIM and second only to Symbian, Gartner predicted. Beating the iPhone?! Now that's something to smile about.

Acer has announced details surrounding two hotly anticipated mobile devices running Google's Android mobile operating system: the Liquid A1 touchscreen smartphone, which Acer first said it was developing when it joined the Open Handset Alliance earlier this year; and the Aspire One netbook, which is available for preorder at Amazon for $349.99. Aspire One will run both Android and Windows 7; users can toggle back and forth between the two operating systems.

Ubuntu 9.10 Server Edition will become available for free download on Oct. 29, and it may be able to give companies a quick on-ramp to cloud computing. The server software's list of new features is topped with Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud as a fully supported technology. UEC is the umbrella name for several cloud technologies, including the open source Eucalyptus project. Canonical collaborated with the Eucalyptus community to fully integrate that core technology and then tweak it for Ubuntu server performance.

Two security flaws recently uncovered in Android 1.5 could have enabled malicious denial of service attacks on users of the mobile platform, according to an advisory released last week by the Open Source Computer Emergency Response Team. The first of the flaws, which affected Android's handling of SMS, could have allowed a malformed message to disconnect the mobile phone from the cellular network, creating a remote DoS condition, oCERT reported. That problem was fixed in July.

Perhaps it was sheer exhaustion after all the arguments of late, but Linux bloggers have been relatively quiet over the past few days. IBM, oddly enough, seemed to be the topic of most frequent conversation recently, and on several fronts. The first was yet another thread dating back to LinuxCon, which Linux Girl is hereby awarding her "Event Most Likely to Spark a Contentious Debate" award. "Bob Sutor, IBM's VP of open source, seemed to once again throw desktop Linux under the bus this week at LinuxCon," was how Carla Schroder began her post.

AT&T has its iPhone, Sprint has its Pre, T-Mobile has its myTouch, and Verizon has ... what? A BlackBerry or something? Even though Verizon is the biggest network in the land -- and even though iPhone users think about Verizon longingly every time a call goes dead -- the company is not generally known for having killer phones. That may change soon. Google and Verizon have agreed to start a family together and fill their home with little Android children. Two new phones will be here in the next few weeks, and they're planning a variety of new additions for the future.

Sprint is adding another Android phone to its lineup -- the Samsung Moment. The Moment, which has an 800 MHz CPU, will be available from Nov. 1. Meanwhile, Gartner predicts that Android installations will surge, putting it in second place after Symbian by 2012. The Moment runs Android 1.5 Cupcake. It has a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen, which is slowly becoming the norm for the newest high-end mobile phones. AMOLED, or active-matrix organic light-emitting diode technology, enables bright, ultra-thin displays.

Dell is reportedly building an Android smartphone for AT&T. If the rumor should prove true, it would mean significant advances for both companies. It would be AT&T's first offering built on the open source mobile operating system developed by Google. Android made a strong start out of the gate, and it is projected to grow quickly in the coming years. For Dell, the stakes are equally high; the company released its first smartphone earlier this year -- but to lackluster response from U.S. carriers. A successful launch with AT&T could revitalize this endeavor.

As the days get shorter and temperatures get cooler here in the northern hemisphere, it's clear Linux geeks' thoughts have begun to turn to the many delights of the season. Yes, there are pumpkins, hay rides and apple pie aplenty as October wears on, but for real Linux geeks, one of the keenest joys of the season lies elsewhere. True FOSS fans need look no further than their own basements, garages or workshops, that is, because everyone knows fall is a season for tinkering. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

A strategic partnership between Google and Verizon Wireless will yield two new Android phones in the coming weeks, the companies' chiefs jointly announced Tuesday. Speaking in a conference call, Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt and Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam said that their first two Android devices will be available by year's end, with a variety of other Android-based products -- possibly including feature phones, PDAs, netbooks or other specialty devices -- planned for the future.

Apple's iPhone may have legions of enthusiastic followers, but there's no denying that fans of Google's competing Android platform already have more options. Case in point: Samsung and T-Mobile on Monday announced the Samsung Behold II, the latest of many Android handsets to come to market in recent months. The Behold II is a full touch-screen phone integrating the open Android platform with Samsung's next generation TouchWiz user interface and T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network.

If the success of a conference can be judged by the duration of the conversations that follow from it, LinuxCon was a hit beyond measure. Here it is, two weeks later, and the repercussions are still being felt. Linux geeks are still debating the ballooning of the Linux kernel -- inspired by Linus Torvalds' remarks at the event -- but that's not all. What we might call "The Great Sexism Debate" gained considerable fuel there and, in fact, is now raging out of control. Put those safety glasses on!

While apparently iPhones rule the mobile ad marketplace, Android phones are making rapid headway and could soon overtake BlackBerry devices. Mobile adverting marketplace AdMob on Thursday released a report indicating that 40 percent of the devices accessing its mobile ad network are iPhones. However, Android users accessing its network are increasing rapidly in North America and Western Europe. AdMob's August 2009 Mobile Metrics report states that iPhone users accessing its network worldwide have increased from 33 percent to 40 percent in the last six months.

Austin is now home to what appears to be the first-ever radio ad for Linux. None other than Ken Starks of the HeliOS Project announced the good news a few weeks ago, explaining that the 60-second ad -- recorded pro bono by professional voice talent -- would be running several times a day for a full month on Austin's KLBJ AM. Even better: It runs during the Kim Komando technology show, which is "poetic justice," Starks explained -- "her show is full of ads for antivirus software, registry fixers and all the addons that slow a Windows computer to a crawl."

After nearly two years of anticipation, Garmin and AT&T announced Tuesday that the long-awaited Garmin Nuvifone G60 will become available in the United States starting Oct. 4. Billed as "the navigation phone" for its integration of phone capabilities with GPS functionality, the Linux-based device will be sold online and in AT&T stores for $299, after a $100 mail-in rebate. A two-year service agreement with AT&T is required. The Nuvifone G60 offers the same core features as a high-end Garmin Nuvi device and comes preloaded with maps.

Google sent shock waves through the Android community late last week by launching a cease-and-desist order at well-regarded modder Cyanogen for bundling some of its closed-source applications with his CyanogenMod ROM. CyanogenMod is a free, heavily optimized build of Android 1.5r2 that focuses on performance and reliability. Its developer -- Steve Kondik, also known as "Cyanogen" -- claims some 30,000 users for the firmware product, which bundles closed-source Google apps such as Gmail, Market, Talk and YouTube.