Open source: Although it is still merely rumor, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison explains why buying JBoss would make sense. “Rather than fight this open source trend, we think it’s important to figure out ways to make it work to our advantage,” Ellison says. That doesn’t end with JBoss; Oracle reportedly is in talks to purchase Zend Technologies and Sleepycat Software, too. Oracle is not alone in thinking about ways to reap open source, either. Intel and SAP are among the firms investing a total of $18.5 million in the MySQL database. Matt Asay determines, meanwhile, that throughout the last five years more than $1.3 billion in VC money has found its way into open source startups.M&A: Microsoft buys MotionBridge, a company that provides search technology for mobile phone operators. The software giant will combine the acquired software with its own mobile search technology to provide operators and users what company executives call just about everything at Microsoft these days — a ‘richer experience.’ Security: The latest anti-spyware software from Microsoft recommends that users disable a pair of antivirus programs from Symantec. Microsoft said the scope of the problem was very limited, and that it has been fixed. Best of the blogs: Dave Rosenberg looks at a “FUD-busting study” that proves “with real empirical evidence that not only is Linux cheaper, but it’s actually easier to deploy and maintain.” And Bob Lewis puts forth practical wisdom on handling Mr. Know-it-all, particularly when that individual is young, energetic, and full of ideas, but an inexperienced, recent hire. Technology Industry