Columnists’ Corner: IT managers need to be aware that the merger fad sweeping up technology companies could alter the lineup of vendors they rely on, says Steve Fox, Editor in Chief of InfoWorld. Fox says the pace of activity may increase. “Something tells me that the corporate trick-or-treat loot bag isn’t full just yet,” he writes, introducing the magazine’s lead feature this week, “Merger Mania.” Neil McAllister, in his Open Enterprise perch, examines how CrossOver Office bridges the Linux-Windows divide and lets admins distribute, manage, and run Windows software on Linux desktops.The news beat: Looking inside Intel, Tom Yager finds that the company’s dual-core delay really hurts. “Even the keenest ear could not discern the merest peep of disappointment,” he writes. “But if you listen just right, you can hear the chirping of the cell phones carried by AMD, IBM, and Sun Microsystems reps worldwide.” Test Center: Check out reviews of Compuware’s DevPartner SecurityChecker 1.0, a security-analysis engine for ASP.Net applications; Tibco General Interface, a toolkit for building sophisticated JavaScript Web applications that run in a browser; and JabberNow, a compact appliance providing standards-based secure instant messaging. Technology Industry