There are few things more gratifying to those of us here in the Linux blogosphere than seeing the many and varied virtues of our favorite operating system get officially recognized. It happens with increasing regularity these days, of course — after all, there are so very many virtues to consider — but recently an example emerged that has been warming FOSS fans’ hearts ever since.

If Canonical has shown anything over the past few years, it’s that it’s not afraid of doing things differently. Ever since the arrival of Unity in Ubuntu 10.10’s netbook edition back in 2010, it’s been clear the company is “marching to the beat of its own drum,” as they say, with a growing focus on mobile and convergence. Well, last week brought yet another example of Canonical’s independent-mindedness.

Well it’s spring storm season in many parts of the world, so it should come as no great surprise that we’ve had some storms here in the Linux blogosphere as well. The latest example? None other than an intriguing poll about paying for Linux. Could you, would you, do you pay for Linux? the poll asked. The question had barely hit the airwaves when the stampede began.

Well the FUD continues to flow fast and furious here in the Linux blogosphere, where local pharmacists have recently noticed a sudden surge in demand for blood pressure medications. No sooner did Linux fans begin to calm down after the recent attack on open source in general, in fact, than a fresh report arrived from down under that caused tempers to flare up all over again.

There’s been no shortage of gloom and doom here in the Linux blogosphere lately, what with Fuduntu’s demise, a fresh round of anti-FOSS FUD, and even criticisms of Linux distros’ girth. So it was with particular joy that Linux bloggers received the news about the all-new BeagleBone Black.

It’s a well-known fact that statistics can be manipulated to suit virtually every occasion and purpose, but every once in a while an example comes along that illustrates that rule with breathtaking clarity. Case in point? Two recent surveys on the topic of FOSS that came out in the very same week.

The size of Linux’s waistline has long been the focus of recurring attention here in the Linux blogosphere, even drawing occasional criticism from Linus Torvalds himself. Recently, however, a fresh weight-related complaint was made — not about the kernel itself, but about today’s Linux distros.

Last Monday delivered both death and taxes. April 15 was not only the day U.S. taxes were due, but also the day two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon. The magnitude of that tragedy is far beyond the scope of this column, of course, but Monday also brought a casualty — albeit on a much smaller scale — to those of us here in the Linux world. It wasn’t a human death, fortunately.

It’s no secret that brand image is a crucial consideration in most any consumer product’s success, and Linux is surely no exception. That’s been a hot topic of conversation before, but recently it’s popped up again with a fresh new twist. “The Linux Inside Stigma” was the title of the post that started the ball rolling this time, and rolled it has.

It’s a good thing the tequila flows so freely here in the Linux blogosphere, or public health officials would have a lot more problems on their hands. After all, between Secure Boot, Canonical’s wild moves and the Menace of Mordor — er, Redmond — Linux fans have more than their fair share of things to worry about in any given day, week or month.