ALSO NOTED: Looking back on 2006: Other trends and stories

> How could I forget Novell's deal with the devil? The company's Faustian pact with Microsoft backfired after Steve Ballmer suggested that the interoperability deal was made as an admission that Linux used Microsoft intellectual property. Novell fired back however, raising doubts about Microsoft's ability to play nice with competitors.

> Meanwhile, Red Hat stayed strong, despite the announcement that Oracle would start distributing and supporting a version of Red Hat Linux. While Oracle certainly has the resources to pose a significant threat to Red Hat's business, the database company will likely face a number of challenges in its bid to bring Linux into the enterprise.

> One thing didn't change in 2006: Spam, viruses and internet scams all continued to increase in volume, posing a greater challenge to IT. Despite new security solutions and legislative attempts to criminalize such practices, the intertubes were increasingly clogged with junk in 2006. Will we ever win the battle?

> If you work in a large enterprise, there's a pretty good chance that 2006 was the year that a VoIP phone landed on your desk (or if you're really lucky, in your pocket). As businesses looked to replace legacy phone systems, VoIP became a clear choice for those looking for cost savings, ease of installation and maintenance and integration with existing networks. If you work for a small or medium business, expect to see a VoIP deployment on the table in the coming years.

And Finally... We've taken a look at the web in 2006, but what will it look like in 2025? ZDnet has some ideas, though I must admit, the whole "Goosoft" thing seems a bit dubious... Blog