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The debate on the merits of open source, Unix and Microsoft rages as fiercely as ever among organisations looking to streamline their systems and platforms Simplifying infrastructure via server consolidation is still high on the IT directors' list of priorities this year - whether on Linux, Unix or Windows servers, substantial...

In this modern-day version of David versus Goliath, a penguin holds the sling. Linux, with its iconic penguin logo, is seeking to take a knock at Microsoft’s dominance of the operating systems market in Egypt. And in going up against the software giant, Linux is getting some help from a higher power, Big Blue.

Though it served me faithfully for nearly five years, it was time to send my old Dell Inspiron 3800 laptop out to pasture. As much as I like buying new toys, I wasn't looking forward to shopping for a laptop -- I thought I'd find something just adequate that would cost a ton of money. As it turned out, I spent less than I expected, and my new laptop system is as perfect as I need it to be. Here are a few things I learned about shopping for Linux-compatible laptops.

LAMP refers to a set of free software programs commonly used together to run dynamic Web sites or servers. This toolkit brings some of our best articles on the Apache, Linux, PHP, Perl, Python, and MySQL software stack.

Getting the board Flashed led to some interesting detective work for the LANL team.

Did you know that you can connect the OpenOffice.org office suite to a MySQL database? By combining the power of these two open source applications you can do things like generating personalized sales letters from the customer data stored on your servers. Let's walk through the process using OOo's database wizard.

De Montfort University is anticipating major cost savings and service efficiencies from using open source Linux as well as Novell's identity management software. The university is consolidating its IT management system on to SuSE Linux and Novell Netware. The system caters for up to 27,000 users, comprising 23,000 students...

The LinuxWorld and Futurex shows that were to be held in Cape Town in September have been cancelled for 2005 and will be re-evaluated for 2006. Organisers will meet with exhibitors next month to explain the decision and discuss the future direction of the shows.

Company is answering challenge from Actuate's open-source Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools project.

Constant monitoring and troubleshooting are key to maintaining a network's availability. With ngrep, you can analyze network traffic in a manner similar to that of other network sniffers. However, unlike its brethern, ngrep can match regular expressions within the network packet payloads. By using its advanced string matching capabilities, ngrep can look for packets on specified ports and assist in tracking the usernames and passwords zipping off the network, as well as all Telnet attempts to the server.

Hoping to stem the tide of students freely sharing copyrighted content over campus networks, the University of California (UC) system has selected a music and video service that supports Windows, Mac OS, and Linux to provide music and video downloads for its approximately 200,000 student population, according to TheKompany.com, which introduced the service last December.

Major governments outside the United States either have adopted Linux and open-source software or have begun the process that will lead to adoption. Open-source software, especially Linux, has spread globally to countries and regions that regard it as the best model of software development and an engine of economic growth. Governments see adoption as a way to exploit a promising trend.

Linux might thrive on dispersed development, but Intel has centralized its push to support the operating system in an effort to see where it should go next.

So Linux is making its mark around the globe (see stories). But is it really making a difference? Well, Microsoft has had to offer a stripped-down, lower-priced version of Windows to compete with Linux. Many governments are putting Linux (and open-source software in general) on their short list for IT acquisitions. And Linux is being customized for local needs by local companies

A four-part blog article titled "The Linux Desktop Distribution of the Future" offers suggestions on how a future Linux Desktop might work. "It is not intended to be a comprehensive essay, although all the concepts presented here are consider[ed] 'doable,'" writes blogger Jerason Banes

Ruth Schall remembers when vendors and fellow IT directors would look at her network and scratch their heads. "I would get calls, and people would think we were freaks. They'd say, 'What are you doing?'" recalls Schall, director of MIS for the city of Kenosha, Wis. "But people don't consider us quite so strange anymore."
Kenosha, a city of about 100,000, was on the bleeding edge when it began deploying Linux nearly a decade ago. The city had been a Unix shop, but as IT demands became more dynamic and more dependent on the Internet, Schall decided that instead of buying more Unix boxes, it was time to look at an inexpensive alternative.

The MySQL database is unique in that it offers multiple storage engines. The SQL parser and front end interfaces are separate from the storage engines, so you can choose among nine low-level table formats the one that suits your application best. I recently needed to convert a production application from the default indexed sequential format, MyISAM, to InnoDB. Here's my no-hassle guide to performing the conversion.

A month-long online ICT policy discussion starting this week looks to raise awareness around intellectual property and ICT in in Africa. On the agenda will be free software, copyleft alternatives to traditional property rights and protecting indigenous knowledge, among others.

Open-source zealots may continue to play a part in instigating the spread of Linux across the European continent, nearly 14 years after Linus Torvalds hatched the operating system in Finland. But private corporations and public-sector users in Europe typically cite pragmatic reasons for taking up the open-source operating system. They point to price and performance benefits. They want freedom to swap out hardware. They find the operating system reliable. They like its flexibility.

A major Linux website webmaster is in trouble. They're in danger of losing house, home, and practically anything that isn't bolted down including their site which has been around for quite some time. To help this person, Lobby4Linux.com and "Yet Another Linux Blog" have teamed up to hold a Drawing for those who donate to help save this Linux site AND this webmaster from dire straits.