Even the best technology needs a sugar daddy. Seven years ago, Linux got just that when IBM said it would put $1 billion on the then-nascent open-source operating system, pushing the software into the corporate mainstream. Now the same could be about to happen for Linux with the mobile phone, with Google set to give Linux a major endorsement this November.
Industry insiders say Google is about to release Linux-based software that will bind mobile phones to Google’s online services, a move likely to exacerbate the growing conflict between Google and Microsoft over the future of the mobile-phone market.