It seems fair to say that every tech community out there has its own hot-button issues that are pretty much guaranteed to get conversations flowing and blood pressures rising. The Linux community, of course, is no exception, and it’s difficult to imagine a better illustration than a debate that came up recently. “The Linux Desktop Mess” is the title of the post that got the discussion going.

There’s been much ado about office suites over the past year or so, thanks in large part to the anticipation and then arrival of Microsoft’s baffling Office 2013. We’ve seen the ascendance of LibreOffice, we’ve seen Redmond’s wacky pricing plan, and we’ve even heard rumors — as yet unsubstantiated — of a launch that would blow more than a few minds. None of that could have prepared us for what came to light last week.

There’s no denying that those of us here in the Linux community see our fair share of ups and downs in any given week or month, as events unfold that either advance or set back our favorite operating system. Sometimes, though, it’s difficult not to be amazed by the way things often balance out “Even Steven” — much the way they did for Jerry Seinfeld way back when.

Here in the Linux community, most of us enjoy high-level debates about strategies and trends just as much as the next technology enthusiast does. At the end of the day, however, it seems safe to say that what we tend to relish most of all is a good ol’ nuts-and-bolts discussion of the tools and tricks of the trade.

There’s no denying that Linux has had a lot of great moments since the turn of the millennium, and Linux Girl has done her best to highlight each and every one of them — at least over the past six or so of those years. Recently, however, the question was the subject of a new poll that prompted vigorous debate.

Rumors are not exactly an uncommon phenomenon here in the Linux community, but every once in a while one comes along that is so compelling, such a deliciously tantalizing prospect, that bloggers just can’t leave it alone, no matter how far-fetched it may be. Case in point? Oh, it’s a juicy one: “Microsoft is having a ‘meaningful look’ at a full Linux port of Office … .

It’s no secret that partnerships involving Microsoft tend to make Linux bloggers nervous, and given the lessons of history, it’s not exactly any wonder, either. So FOSS fans will have to be excused for the anxiety with which they’ve watched the latest developments with Dell. CEO and founder Michael Dell is attempting to take the company private through a leveraged buyout.

What a difference a day makes — or, in this particular case, eight months or so. Less than a year ago, retailer Barnes & Noble yanked an issue of Linux Format magazine from its U.S. shelves because of a cover story on the topic of “hacking.” “A complaint was made,” explained the announcement last May on Linux Format’s TuxRadar blog.