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A major hurdle for any Linux desktop rollout is hardware compatibility, or lack thereof. Whether leveraging older hardware or rolling out new systems, ensuring that every component in the desktop works as it should is key.

Now as you have most likely surmised from the title, this article is intended to spoof the plethora of articles proclaiming that 'Linux is NOT, has NOT, and NEVER will be ready for the desktop', but the content of this article is also intended to be both factual and informative for those that have been schnookered by the anti-Linux hype.

Novell plans to release a new version of its flagship server Linux product on Tuesday, built around a recent update to the core of the open-source operating system, sources said.

The final day at OSCON kicked off with an encouraging and standing ovation-evoking keynote from Cartography Associates President David Rumsey, who laid out how open source principles may be applied to an emerging "digital library world." That was followed by a Novell talk about the success of switching from proprietary to open source, a discussion of some "nonsense" economic theory, and a call for open source to step up and help feed a big, bad gorilla known as King Kong. Earlier OSCON stories: Day one, day two, day three, day four.

Xandros Inc. has released a new version of its business Linux desktop with upgraded Windows integration features. The OS is an evolution of Corel Corp.'s Debian-based distribution, acquired in August 2001, and the company is one of the few Linux distributors with the desktop as their primary focus. Unlike the consumer-oriented Linspire (formerly Lindows), the Xandros Desktop OS is made to work with Windows networks, supporting Windows network file sharing, network authentication on Windows NT Primary Domain Controllers and Active Directory networks, NT log-on scripts, SAP and Citrix thin clients and IBM Terminal Emulators.

Raising its stakes in open-source software, IBM plans to create an open source project around Cloudscape, a specialized Java database, CNET News.com has learned.

Red Hat will grow beyond its Linux roots next week and sell a subscription service supporting an open-source Java application server, according to people familiar with the company's plans.

Since its inception five years ago, the show has gone from a gathering of aficionados to a place to talk business about a mature technology.

Microsoft's war on Linux isn't about to let up. The Redmond software vendor plans to step up its "Get the Facts" anti-open-source campaign in the coming year by adding more evidence, in the form of customer case studies and analyst reports, to its arsenal.

Teaming with Europe's largest retailer, Carrefour, Mandrakesoft has begun offering PCs preinstalled with the company's Linux desktop. Available through Mandrake's online store, the PCs start at 299 euros and are available in France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Monaco, according to an email from the company to Mandrake club members today.

Four new Mozilla websites have launched recently. Mozilla AOM Reference guides Mozilla developers through the Mozilla Application Object Model The Rumbling Edge is a new weblog that tracks the latest developments in Mozilla Thunderbird. Andrew Turnbull's Mozilla Network provides links to the latest Mozilla Application Suite and Mozilla Firefox versions, as well as a comprehensive list of links to older releases. Firedfox, a parody of the official Firefox site, has been launched.

In my first article I tried out various audio/video apps to see what Linux had to offer for video production. For the most part I was pretty disappointed with the whole experiment. Several months have passed so I decided to take another look to what has progressed since then. There were two programs that I left out because they were either not realized or it was to soon to try it out.

Red Hat's stock may have been troubled recently, but businesses still believe in the Linux distributor. At a recent Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council meeting here of about 100 businesspeople, a trio of Red Hat Inc. executives didn't find questions about law firms seeking to file class-action suits against the Linux company because of its recent financial restatement. Instead, they found an audience eager to know how Red Hat had turned "free software" into profitable business.

KDE and GNOME combine window managers with suites of applications to create comprehensive work environments. As complete as they are, it's easy to forget that there are other graphical ways to work on a Linux desktop. Sometimes a lighter-weight window manager is in order, such as for laptop usage, children's use, or quick startup applications. Here are four "alternative" window managers that are mature, fast, and functional.

I had been an avid user of Pine for almost five years. Recently, I decided to move to a greener posture. I dumped my good old Pine and settled with a graphical client. Although, sometime I miss the simple, fast, text based interface, the new relationship is shaping up to be an exciting one. We have our bad times, but overall I am happy with the switch.