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Linux, having established itself as a worthy rival to Microsoft in the server market, is maturing on the desktop as well. It's much simpler to use. It can perform most of the basic tasks of a Windows-based system. It's also being backed by the likes of IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems, ultimately making customers more comfortable with the technology.

The cost of deploying and running Linux vs. Windows has been a hot topic lately, fueled by a number of high-profile Linux adoptions and evaluations by government entities in Europe, Asia and the U.S., and Microsoft's own licensing woes.

Is there a future in NetWare? I was planning to pursue a CNE, however, I'm not sure if it's worth it.

This is an article about my experiences with Slackware 9.1, a distribution of Linux that I find enjoyable, along with programs that I find useful and enjoyable.

If your program is free software, it is basically ethical--but there is a trap you must be on guard for. Your program, though in itself free, may be restricted by non-free software that it depends on. Since the problem is most prominent today for Java programs, we call it the Java Trap.

"It looks as if Mono is going to get a lot more manpower," writes Dennis Hayes. "If this translates into more code, Mono could be entering a whole new era. Novell's acquisition of Ximian has been very good for the project, and Novell seems to be true to their word about keeping open source open," he adds, before discussing Mono's 0.30 release System.Windows. Forms (SWF) implementation changes, and some other ways that Novell has helped Mono and open source.

There were 22 security alerts issued last week:

• 4 from Debian
• 12 from Gentoo
• 2 from Mandrake
• 4 from OpenPKG

This guy has given himself the Dutch label; a 'hardcore béta', he's focussed on writing his thesis, can't stand bad and rude behavior on IRC, amuses himself with Algebra and his most successful and recent accomplishment is contributing to the compilation of a new project, a baby girl named Mira! This week we sync up with KPilot's Adriaan de Groot!

A month ago, a trial version of a little-known Linux application called "CoLinux" was released that is the first working free and open source method for optimally running Linux on Microsoft Windows natively. It's the work of a 21 year-old Israeli computer science student and some Japanese open source programmers; in Israel, analysts are already saying it could help transform the software world.

The first Smart Skin capable phone is GSM/GPRS and will be launched by Curitel in early 2004. Wildseed's software is based on Linux and is licensed for use in specially designed handsets supporting GSM/GPRES and Qualcomm's CDMA 1XRTT. Smart Screens software is also compatible with Symbian, Microsoft Stinger and Qualcomm's BREW.

In a speeech intended to serve us a wake-up call to anyone relying on the "many eyes" that look at the Linux source code to quickly find any subversions, the CEO of Green Hills Software last week reminded his audience how UNIX's creator Ken Thompson installed a back door in the binary code of UNIX that automatically added his user name and password to every UNIX system - a secret he revealed only 14 years later.

If you are new to Linux, need a test environment or do not want to setup dual-booting on your primary workstation, there is an easy way to build a Linux server. Simply uncover some retired hardware.

Dan Aloni, a 21-year-old computer science student, has caused a stir in the computing world by developing a Linux application that works within Microsoft's Windows system...Aloni's project, called CoLinux, was released on the Web a month ago, but is only at a trial stage. Pini Cohen a senior informations systems analyst at computer research company Meta Group Israel has called the development "an important stage in breaking Microsoft's monopoly."

The winner of the election is Martin Michlmayr.

Indeed, Linux’s biggest strength probably comes not from being a lower-cost solution than Microsoft’s, but from the fact that there is no one company deciding where it is going. Wind River, whose VxWorks is the leading embedded OS, has partnered with Red Hat to create a 1MB embedded Linux distribution. The company is also creating vertical platforms that link old-school VxWorks with Linux.

Is it just me, or do others think Jack Messman is trying to convince himself that the move to Linux is a good idea? Just look at some of the things he said at BrainShare:

Project Leader Paolo Mantegazza reports that a test version of RTAI-3.1 is available for download, featuring real-time support for Linux 2.4.xx and 2.6.x. The release may represent the first implementation of real-time performance in the 2.6-series kernel, according to Mantegazza.

Open Source policies not only reduce the risk of back-dooring by empowering customers and potential customers to audit the software themselves, but they also reduce the incentive for back-dooring by making it more likely that any perpetrator will be caught, and in that event “everybody” would know what and how that had been done by whom. Consequently, back-dooring in serious Open Source projects is very rare.

Berkeley DB XML is a database library built on the venerable Berkeley DB engine. Sleepycat engineers erected a layer atop Berkeley DB, extending that engine and creating a new one that provides XML document storage, management, and querying.

The 556-processor Evolocity II cluster will be used as part of a massive supercomputing grid project