Python, the open source programming language that sees itself as an alternative to Java and brags about being used at Google, Industrial Light & Magic and NASA, will be having its PyCon user conference March 14-16 at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel. Python creator Guido van Rossum, now working for Google, is supposed to present the next-generation Python 3000 in the works for two years. See http://us.python.org.

Red Hat Aims for More JBoss Channel Sales
Red Hat wants to derive 60% of JBoss revenues from the channel and so has invented an Advanced Partner Program for North American VARs and SIs.

Novell Seeks More Third-Party Sales
Novell would love more partnerships like it's got with Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, SAP and Capgemini but for the moment says it's going to create a market development fund to entice specialist partners from among the solution provider and consultant set.

And to off-load some of its business to third parties, it's going to up the minimum spend customer must meet to do business directly with the company.

It didn't say what that level would be.

Google To Stand Trial in Oz
Google is headed for the dock in Australia next June 23 when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) hauls it into court for failing to distinguish adequately between so-called "organic" search results and paid links. Google of course maintains the charges are without merit.

Spill Gas, Light Match, Wait for Smoke To Clear
Blogs are saying that Democratic hopeful Barack Obama - who probably wouldn't know what the OpenDocument Format was if he fell over it - turned up at Google last week endorsing "universally accessible formats" for government documents. Afterwards a campaign staffer reportedly told people, "It's not like any decision has been made on which format would be OK." While ODF supporters are ready to lift Obama on their shoulders, Microsoft figures "universally accessible" could mean "most widely adopted."