Now it's hard to deny that some Linux fans can be pretty evangelistic about their operating system of choice but I wouldn't have thought that that religious dedication would extend so far at to want an idol of the Linux mascot, Tux the penguin, sitting on one's desk.

Linus Torvalds, the creator of the open-source Linux kernel, was once mauled by a very small penguin while on a trip in Australia. The experience had a lasting impact on him and later inspired him to make a penguin the official Linux mascot.

A computer mouse is no longer a simple object as nowadays it may come in a variety of shapes and sizes, colors and tones, bigger and smaller and sporting exotic or more common features. Among the shapes that a computer mouse can take these days is the shape of a little happy penguin,
looking especially for those Linux lovers out there.

What gift do you give the Linux nut who has everything? Why, a programmable Linux mascot droid that spins around on its rump, that's what.

Advanced Linux users can really put their programming skills to the test with Tux Droid. Develop applications, code new daemons or even hack the firmware. Visit www.tuxisalive.com to get started.

Although it could be argued that your average fanboy has already got the present they wanted this xmas in the continuing growth of Linux in terms of both actual deployment and media popularity, or maybe the arrival of the Linux server for Unreal Tournament 3 or even the fact that the BBC iPlayer is now Linux compatible. But no, believe me, when they see the dancing plastic penguin that announces the arrival of new email all that will change.

Linux versus Windows is the stuff of near endless controversy. Linux lovers trash Windows for being slow, unreliable, insecure and overpriced, whilst Windows bigots accuse Linux of being hard to use and clunky.

"Chumby, a venture-backed San Diego startup, is readying a soft, leather-covered Linux-powered gadget conceived as an Internet-era replacement for clock and table radios."

I put this article from Law.com's Legal Technology page, "Commentary: The Penguin Doesn't Fly, Avoid Linux" in News Picks because I found it hilarious, in the Rob Enderle kind of way. But then I thought I'd look up the author on Google, and lo and behold, I find he said something that appears to be not exactly true. I'm not talking about the FUD stuff.