IBM is enlisting the help of the top three Linux distributors to <A HREF="http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=2754&tag=nl.e550">help its desktop Office and messaging software gain ground.</A> It's a small step forward but Big Blue must reach out to the masses to win this game.

At LinuxWorld, IBM announced that Canonical/Ubuntu, Novell and Red Hat have agreed to work with their PC partners to deliver a Linux desktop based on Lotus Notes and recently released Lotus Symphony by 2009. The company did something similar at its LotuSphere 2008 in January, by partnering with distros and adding an email client to the mix.