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The Ubuntu project last week announced that IBM has validated the year-old Linux distribution's version 5.04 for use with its DB2 Universal Database, bringing together a database designed to automate many time-consuming tasks with an operating system billed as easy-to-install and even easier to use.

Is your server as secure as it could be? Sure, you use a firewall, mandate strong passwords, and patch regularly. You even take a proactive approach by performing security audits with tools such as nmap and Nessus. Yet you may still be vulnerable to zero-day exploits and privilege escalation attacks. If these possibilities keep you awake at night, you're not alone. The sleepless folks with the grsecurity project have developed an easy-to-use set of security enhancements to help put your fears to rest.

Linux is on top, once again. On the bi-annual Top500 List, just released at the Supercomputing Conference in Seattle, IBM's Linux-powered Blue Gene/L retains the top slot. Blue Gene/L is not alone, as seven of the top 10 systems are running Linux. AIX, UNICOS, and Super-UX also appear in the top ten.

Open source software developers and users can now check the detail and depth of patent pledges from the likes of Red Hat, IBM, and Sun through a new Patent Commons site from the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL).

The French tax agency is planning to move 80.000 desktops to OpenOffice.org instead of upgrading them to Office XP, thereby reducing the cost of migration from €29.5m to a mere €200,000.

[ED.- Although the headline is slightly misleading, the article itself is great. Migrating to OpenOffice.org makes more than 99% savings! Talk about "Get the Facts" ;) - Tsela]

Is your server as secure as it could be? Sure, you use a firewall, mandate strong passwords, and patch regularly. You even take a proactive approach by performing security audits with tools such as nmap and Nessus. Yet you may still be vulnerable to zero-day exploits and privilege escalation attacks. If these possibilities keep you awake at night, you're not alone. The sleepless folks with the grsecurity project have developed an easy-to-use set of security enhancements to help put your fears to rest.

China has chosen Linux as the future of its software industry. But Novell's SUSE became the number one distribution in China's Linux market this year, and more menaces to native developers, such as the march of the Red Hat, are looming. A good portion of the problem comes from the way domestic Linux companies do business in China.

We give free Linux CDs to our friends, coworkers, even strangers, but in many cases we never find out what happens to them after they leave our hands. Recently I decided to look up several people I've given free Linux CDs to and ask them what happened, what they liked and didn't like, and whether they are using Linux.

Welcome to this year's 46th issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The controversy over Nexenta's use of GPL software in its OpenSolaris-based distribution and the never-ending GNOME vs KDE flame wars dominated the headlines last week. We will briefly look at the above stories before examining other interesting events and releases of the week. We also feature an exclusive interview with Barry Kauler, the founder and lead developer of the increasingly popular Puppy Linux. And to prove that a new distribution is born just about every day, we have added seven new ones to the waiting list last week - including a controversial one called "Open Windows", developed by -- wait for this -- a law firm! Happy reading! Join us at irc.freenode.net #distrowatch

The response to my recent sysadmin toolbox article has been overwhelming. By far, readers' number one suggestion was to replace Telnet with netcat. Here then is an introduction to netcat for Linux users who may not be familiar with the "TCP/IP Swiss Army knife."

Frankfurt-based 2X Software Ltd. has released a new thin-client software suite that aims to simplify thin-client deployment and give new life to old PCs, by converting them into thin-client terminals. The client-side operating system is a "small footprint Linux-based OS," and the server-side software works on either Linux or Windows systems, the company said.

ThinClientServer can be used to convert old PCs to thin clients, supports "any" brand of thin-client device, and allows administrators to manage them all from a single management interface, 2X said. The server-side software also provides central management of users' connection settings.

[Ed: Notice the advertisement to your right under "Today's Big Story" -tadelste]

When you build your infrastructure around the Linux operating system, you get the ultimate in flexibility. Linux servers don't care if you want them to serve Linux, Unix, Windows or Mac clients. Linux desktops don't care if they have to rely on an Active Directory domain controller for authentication and access to resources, or if the get to play in an all-Linux environment, or have to tug a forelock to a mighty Unix server.

Massachusetts is trying to convert all computerized state documents to the open document format (odt). We think this is a fine idea. One concern that's been expressed about this move (at least by Microsoft) is that training employees to use OpenOffice.org 2.0 or other software that uses non-proprietary file formats (in place of Microsoft Office) will be time-consuming and costly. But what if basic OpenOffice.org training materials were available online for free? As a public service for Commonwealth of  Massachusetts employees (and everyone else), NewsForge is presenting -- absolutely free of charge -- 11 OpenOffice.org training videos as part of this article. They're excerpts from the video CD that comes with NewsForge Editor-in-Chief Robin 'Roblimo' Miller's upcoming book, Point& Click OpenOffice.org!, which will be available in December from all major booksellers. But we wanted you to have access to these videos now instead of waiting until the book is available, so here they are.

Seneca College's fourth annual Open Source Symposium last month drew high profile developers and thinkers from the open source community to Toronto, where they spoke on issues of copyright, literacy, and increasing content restrictions.

The number of useful desktop applications for Linux is growing every day, but there are many would-be users who still have one or more "must have" Windows applications. For those users, running Windows under Linux is a suitable alternative to having to maintain two systems, or a dual-boot system with Linux and Windows. One of the options for running Windows under Linux is Win4Lin, Inc.'s Win4Lin Pro, which was released earlier this year. Win4Lin Pro gets the job done, but its performance and usability are a bit disappointing.

"The technological configuration underlying the Internet has a considerable bearing on its ethical aspects. Use of the new information technology and the Internet needs to be informed and guided by a resolute commitment to the practice of solidarity in the service of the common good. The Internet requires international cooperation in setting standards and establishing mechanisms to promote and protect [that common good]. Individuals, groups, and nations must have access to these new technologies. Cyberspace ought to be a resource of comprehensive information and services available without charge to all, and in a wide range of languages. The winner in this process will be humanity as a whole and not just a wealthy elite that controls science, technology, and the planet's resources. Determined action in the private and public sectors is needed to close and eventually eliminate the digital divide."

This week, advisories were released OpenSSL, httpd, Horde3, OpenVPN, chmlib, ClamAV, libungif4, gpsdrive, awstats, kdelibs, giflib, fetchmail, ImageMagick, scim-qtimm, e2fsprogs, drakxtools, emacs, w3c-libwww, libungif, and flash-plugin. The distributors include Debian, Gentoo, Mandriva, and Red Hat

Traditional Linux package management systems such as RPM, Debian's dpkg, and Slackware's pkgtool present several problems for users. Users who want optimized packages often have problems finding them, different package repositories have conflicting naming conventions, and binary packages are often not available for packages in a timely fashion. However, for users willing to stray from the beaten path, there are alternatives. Two projects have taken up the challenge of making a package management system that overcomes these shortcomings.

Ask the executives of any IT shop that has not yet dipped its toe into the waters of open source software, or perhaps has just played around the edges of the pool, why they have not jumped in with both feet and the answer is often the belief that companies using the open source model are unlikely to have financial viability. In other words, they are afraid that in the process of offering its source code for free, a company is jeopardizing its ability to remain a going concern and will not be around to provide support over a period of years. Sleepycat software shows that doesn't have to happen.

Ask the executives of any IT shop that has not yet dipped its toe into the waters of open source software, or perhaps has just played around the edges of the pool, why they have not jumped in with both feet and the answer is often the belief that companies using the open source model are unlikely to have financial viability. In other words, they are afraid that in the process of offering its source code for free, a company is jeopardizing its ability to remain a going concern and will not be around to provide support over a period of years. Sleepycat software shows that doesn't have to happen.