As we return to work this first week of 2006, Linux users with the post-holiday blahs, cabin fever or seasonal affective disorder should be glad to know there is a lot to look forward to this year.

Here is a rundown of expected Linux happenings in 2006.

February

Users of Red Hat’s free Fedora Core operating system will get an upgrade when Version 5 of the software is released. The new code will include Xen virtualization software - a precursor of more to come from Red Hat in ’06 - as well as an SELinux security package and a LDAP directory administration tool.

March

Expect to see Novell’s SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (SLES) released around the time of its BrainShare conference in Salt Lake City. Improved system management features, and server virtualization management.

April

LinuxWorld Expo organizers decided last year’s February show in Boston might have been a little to chilly. The 2006 show, running April 3-6, will take place at a larger venue as well - the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

May/June

Expect PalmSource to make its first Linux offering around the end of the first half of the year. Palm OS for Linux will give Palm devices a broader set of hardware and application options as Linux becomes a more popular platform for handheld computing.

June/July

The Open Source Development Lab is expected to have the first release of its Project Portland out by the beginning of the summer. The desktop-focused Linux effort sets common application criteria for personal Linux PC software and includes input from Adobe Systems, AMD, Eclipse, FSG, Gnome, IBM, Intel, KDE, Mozilla, Nokia, OpenOffice, Red Hat and others.

August

LinuxWorld Expo takes place for the seventh year at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. At LinuxWorld, expect to hear from Novell again, as it launches an update to its Open Enterprise Server, which includes both its NetWare and SuSE Linux operating system kernels.

September/October

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 is expected to launch at the beginning of the fall. The new software will wrap in the Xen virtualization software for servers, as well as a new “Stateless Linux” feature, allowing thin clients to run a full desktop client environment hosted on a RHEL 5 server.

November/December

IBM is expected to move more aggressively towards Open Data Formats (ODF), also known as the OpenDocument format. Documents created in IBM applications - such as its Lotus suite - will use a standard, open source file format, allowing the documents to be viewed by users who do not have the originating software.