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.Net is a software framework from Microsoft that enables language-non-specific software development, resulting in applications that can easily interoperate across platforms and networks. A question seasoned developers should ask at this point is, "What about security?" The good news is that .Net provides a broad range of security tools and functionality to the developer. However, improper application of these security measures can be far more dangerous to than not applying them at all.

Companies must be held accountable for their"open-source" claims.

Spontaneous outbursts can reveal much about group behavior. Advocates of open source showed such a moment on the first day of the Ottawa Linux Symposium, about which I recently reported at length. But the incident I am thinking of was recorded for history in a Newsforge article by David "cdlu" Graham: He [Doug Fisher] wrapped up his presentation to the usual polite applause and closed his slide show to reveal the message "Windows XP has locked your desktop," resulting in the single loudest and most sustained booing by nearly everyone present I have ever heard, followed by a member of the audience rushing to the front brandishing a Linux installation CD to widespread applause.

The company announces three Linux/Java phones, and says it will partner with Yahoo on mobile-phone and iRadio product content.

The Hut Community Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, provides to local residents services like group fitness classes, a community bus, job search help, and computer access. The Centre is staffed mostly with retired volunteers, under the supervision of Hut manager Garry McDonald. McDonald and his staff came to a technological fork in the road in 2003 when aging hardware, licensing costs, and viruses converged, threatening to stop The Hut in its tracks. Fortunately, a non-profit organization called ITShare and open source software came to The Hut's rescue.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds announced that he has succesfully imported the entire 2.6 Linux kernel development tree into git, his once interim now likely permanent replacement for BitKeeper.

Tracking down answers and looking at new options for LTSP/soft-phone applications.

Many users, despite having a good Net connection, complain about poor surfing and download speeds. While an organization could pay for additional bandwidth, a better option might be to manage the bandwidth they already have. There are numerous bandwidth management software tools available. In this article we will explore managing network bandwidth using the dummynet traffic shaper application running on a diskette-based opearting system called PicoBSD.

Server hosting specialist Rackspace has launched a new Linux-based hosting option called Red Label, designed for mission-critical enterprise applications. The firm guarantees 100 percent network uptime and 99.5 percent application uptime.

Linux vendors are interested in the desktop, but not too interested. Operating systems expert Tony Iams said vendors like Red Hat and Novell have to be careful not to get ahead of demand, which is growing, but not by leaps and bounds. Iams, a vice president and senior analyst with Ideas International in Port Chester, N.Y., said that's the reason why folks don't see too much money being poured into desktop Linux marketing. But that could change eventually. In part two of our conversation with Iams, the analyst names the rising Linux desktop vendors to keep an eye on, offers migration advice for companies considering Linux on the desktop and explains why "Windows versus desktop Linux" is essentially a non-story right now.

It has happened to enterprise operating systems, relational databases and content management systems, and now it's hitting business intelligence and reporting tools. Free open source alternatives are emerging that promise to dramatically reduce the cost of entry for what have traditionally been expensive systems affordable only to large companies.

An open-source software vendor is petitioning the Australian consumer watchdog to make it possible for all name-brand PC resellers to sell systems without an operating system on board. Melbourne vendor Cybersource also asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to make it compulsory for Microsoft to offer access to all its document formats to enable interchange and interoperability with other operating systems.

Microsoft is bowing to pressure from users to improve compatibility between its systems software and open-source technology. The company has run extensive advertising campaigns promoting its products against open-source rivals and chief executive officer Steve Ballmer has denounced Linux as inferior to the Microsoft Windows platform.

First International Computer (FIC) says its new full-function webpad is powerful enough "to truly marshal the possibilities of a wireless world." The AquaPAD+ is optionally available with embedded Linux, and boasts built-in 802.11g, IrDA, PCMCIA, dual-USB, and an optional Bluetooth USB dongle.

Circuits and Packets signs deal to offer Linux training at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and grow free software skills in Kenya.

A Linux Networx super cluster is now part of the technology arsenal at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), a company that exists solely to provide warheads for the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent program. But AWE isn't done looking at different solutions for its ever-increasing computational power needs.

I've sometimes been labeled a cheerleader for Free Software. This doesn't bother me too much; there's no doubt that I am a lot more gung-ho on Linux and related technologies than most of my colleagues. But lest I seem like a full-time penguin apologist who can't fairly critique his platform of choice, I'm using this month's Free Agent to revel in that oldest pastime of tech columnists: I'm going to gripe.

I decided to look into reducing the time it takes to boot my current setup, which is Fedora 4. In doing so I was able to reduce the boot time of my Fedora 4 installation to less than 25 seconds (just above 24 seconds on average). Below I have documented what I did, and what you can use to potentially reduce your boot up time for Linux.

Welcome to our issue number 6 of Fedora Weekly News

The UK Atomic Weapons Establishment plc (AWE) is using a visualisation cluster system based on open source software. The cluster is adopted for research activities into new techniques for visualising data produced by computer simulation facilities. The company Linux Networx is responsible for the development and insertion of the system.