NetBeans 6.9 Release Emphasizes JavaFX – NetBeans positioned as the primary environment for JavaFX with release supporting JavaFX 1.3, Java Card Connected 3, the Spring 3.0 framework, the PHP Zend Framework and Ruby on Rails 3.0.

Messenger for iPhone Hits a Million in Five Days, paving the way for beta testing of Windows Live Messenger Connect to allow developers to build apps that work with Messenger.

Apache Unleashes New Tomcat Open Source Web Server – the Tomcat 7 release includes release include improved memory leak detection and prevention and support for aliasing directories into an application’s URL space

New BIRT 2.6 Features in Helios – the new release for the reporting framework includes the addition of a Polar/Radar style charts, palette hashing, sorting improvements, multiple resource files and class path enhancements.

How Microsoft came up with the name Windows Phone 7 Series.  Funny cartoon considering that the “series” has been dropped from the branding.

Apache Project Server hacked luckily no source code was compromised, but machines were seized and passwords were stolen.

Infected XP owners left unpatched ensuring that machines don’t become unusable like last time.

Whether you are talking about virtualization, server infrastructure, productivity software, collaboration, or development, almost every major enterprise technology has had an infusion of open-source style thinking. For example, Microsoft virtualization technology not only supports a Microsoft stack, but can also manage a VMWare environment extremely well. Hosting Providers who want to offer services under both Windows and Linux do so with Microsoft Hyper-V because of its affordability and resilience as a mature solution. On the cross-platform development end, Silverlight has been a true game changer, invigorating the hearts and minds of the rank and file while also inspiring former outcasts, exiles, and zealots who vowed never to touch a piece of Microsoft technology again. This progress was executed first via the enterprise channels, but consumers and web technologists have also benefited from the effects of, to coin a great American Republican catch-phrase, “trickle-down” prosperity. Realizing that the latest technical platforms on the web truly balance the scale between huge enterprises and small businesses, Microsoft is expanding its goal around making Windows a great platform for open-source projects by actively investing in their development.

If you recall, 2009 was the year that “pigs flew,” because it was the year that Microsoft made a top-down showing in interoperability with everything it did. Some of the biggest gestures included becoming platinum sponsor of Apache Foundation, contributing GPL code to the Linux kernel, and open-sourcing many strategic .NET frameworks under BSD. If you want a more comprehensive list, check out my presentation below. There are many core developer-focused technologies listed.

Coming back to the present, 2010 is a big year as well because Microsoft is investing in making sure the free ecosystem of open-source technology, both competitive and complimentary, works well regardless of a customer’s choice in software infrastructure. Umbraco and Drupal, are two popular CMS systems that are free and have a very dedicated community of users. In the case of Umbraco, which happens to already leverage .NET, Microsoft wanted to make it better, easier and more capable than something like WordPress. Sure, SharePoint will always be the official CMS of choice for the hardliner salesman at Microsoft, but one shouldn’t have to abandon the entire Microsoft ecosystem just to use free technology. What better way to improve the product than to invest resources with one of the key developers for Umbraco? See his diary below.

Umbraco Microsoft and me: Video diary 1 from Darren Ferguson on Vimeo.

On the flipside, Drupal is a technology that uses Linux, Apache, MySQL, and is based on PHP. The motivations to invest here are not as clear up front, but it only takes a little digging to realize that Drupal developers are actually a tech-agnostic bunch and just want to make Drupal a great CMS platform. So here Microsoft has sponsored a team of developers to provide feedback and improve integration with IIS and Silverlight. The idea being that the use of great technology shouldn’t be an “either-or” decision.

Choice always wins. Customers shouldn’t have to be forced into a set of technologies, and the accomplishments of 2009 and the work being driven in 2010 shows that modularity will be a key strategy for Microsoft to help make it easier for customers to use the best technology for the job even if it means helping products that compete. Competition and “Co-opetition,” differ by only one character, but this single character has lead to an innumerable number of changes at Microsoft.

Codeplex Foundation, which was started by Microsoft, names Apache Software Foundation co-founder to Board.

Cambridge start-up quadruples productivity by hiring 20 interns in a go!

The latest update in smartphone marketshare gains, Google rising, Apple on-level, Palm declines.

OnLive, a live streaming gaming service, to go live in June.

Finally for a bit of comic relief, here’s a comic strip for all you LOTR fans!