App Dev: When the JavaOne show rolls around in two weeks, Java is expected to get a boost by Linux vendors including the Java Runtime Environment with their distributions. Sun, however, remains tight-lipped about the possibility of open sourcing Java. Best of the blogs: Matt Asay writes that there has never been a better time for companies to open source their technology. “If you’re a proprietary software (or hardware) vendor trying to compete in the 21st Century, you’re going to lose. Period. The momentum is too strong, and the rationale behind open source too strong.” Quoteworthy: Many people think that if the computer monoculture went away, so too would hackers and malware. That’s a generalization. For most companies, adopting a noncomputer monoculture means picking up computer platforms that are new to the company’s administrators. If I’m a 20-year Windows veteran, trying to learn Linux quickly isn’t likely to make the environment safer overall. — Roger Grimes. Debunking the computer monoculture myth. Search: Microsoft buys Vexcel for its local search and online mapping capabilities — and to ratchet up the competition with Google even more. Google, meanwhile, says that it won’t respond to a request for proposal issued last week by the Wireless Silicon Valley Task Force. Test Center review: With version 5.1 of its BlueSecure 5000 controller, BlueView Management Suite, and companion APs, BlueSocket increases flexibility while tightening security to “take an already strong product to the next level.” Read what Wayne Rash considers to be its true value right here. Software Development