Backed by a growing parade of computer-industry heavyweights, the Linux movement rallied in San Jose for its biggest-ever trade show.

Open-source standards will completely reshape the software industry by 2004, according to a recent report by Forrester Research.

SGI has released the source code for its Open Inventor 3D graphics toolkit. Open Inventor is the de facto standard for rapid development of graphics applications and is used in almost every industry, including CAD, medicine, academia, and movie production.

Lineo announced plans to provide Windows NT and Windows 2000 developers with an

integrated Embedix SDK and VMWARE tool kit that allows developers to work in their familiar Windows environment while creating Linux software for embedded devices.

Trolltech, a developer of C++ cross-platform GUI application frameworks, announced that it is collaborating with Lineo to offer a complete embedded Linux software solution to manufacturers of embedded devices.

MontaVista Software, developer of the Hard Hat Linux operating system for embedded applications, and Object Technology International, a wholly owned subsidiary

of IBM, announced an alliance to accelerate the delivery of optimized solutions

for embedded Linux.

IBM announced that ViaVoice Dictation for Linux was tested and will run on distributions from Caldera Systems, Mandrake Software, SuSE Linux and TurboLinux.

Sun Microsystems announced expanded distribution for the Java 2 platform on the

Linux operating system through agreements with SuSE and TurboLinux.

At the Linux World conference, VTech Information, a leading consumer-focused technology company, announced the selection of Transvirtual Technologies, developers of the PocketLinux Platform, as the provider of Linux and PocketLinux expertise for the Helio PDA product line.

The arrival of major corporate backing to boost the Gnome desktop user interface for Linux won't do much to unify support for a competing effort called KDE.