Linux in the news

Recommended Reading

Behind Linux's Struggle in Gov't (Wired)

Wired looks at some issues behind the slow adoption of Linux in the U.S. government. "It's free, it's becoming more secure, and it's even the dirty little secret among some computer geeks who work in the U.S. government. Then why isn't linux more prevalent? One word: Microsoft. Another: Oracle."

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Snapshots From the Open-Source Front (PC World)

PC World examines the use of open-source software by governments around the world. "Government officials the world over are getting drawn into the debate over the relative merits of using open-source software rather than Microsoft's Windows applications and other software developed by vendors who closely guard the intellectual property of their source code. Some countries, such as Germany, have decided to replace Windows and other commercial software products with open-source applications. Other countries remain committed to commercial software, and yet others are straddling the fence."

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A Successful Linux/Open-Source Business Model (Linux Journal)

The Linux Journal looks at the Open Studios initiative. "What if there was a nice way to provide incentive to those who would create and innovate solely on works placed within the Public Domain? No protection, just incentive. No fabulous wealth unless, luck would have it, the creator happened to hit on the right marketing strategy to attract an audience and provide merchandising products that, along with tours, personal appearances, concerts, exhibits and offers of commissions for further works, produce wealth. I believe I just described one of the fathers of the Public Domain ilk, The Grateful Dead, and their system is remade in the image of Open Studios."

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Software End User License Agreement Upheld In Court (UnknownPlayer)

UnknownPlayer.com is running an editorial by Ramin “Sarcerok” Shokrizade that examines a number of interesting "gotchas" buried deep inside the legalese of many software End User License Agreements (EULAs). By clicking the "accept" button, users are inadvertantly giving away private information, access to their computer CPU cycles, and more. Thanks to Barry Gould.

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Patently Absurd (Forbes)

Forbes is running an article on problems with the U.S. patent system. "The patent as stimulant to invention has long since given way to the patent as blunt instrument for establishing an innovation stranglehold."

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Companies

Linux scrubs up for medical role (ZDNet)

ZDNet reviews a new embedded Linux device that is intended for use in the medical field. "Austrian company BMS Bayer launched EasyDose, a unit that monitors, displays and manages X-ray exposure data automatically through hospital networks. Based on Transmeta's Midori--a very compact Linux distribution--and a Cyrix GXM 233 processor, the unit has a 6.5-inch touch-screen and works to the standard DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) protocols over IP and Ethernet."

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Developer eases United Linux fears (vnunet)

Vnunet speaks with Conectiva about United Linux. "Linux developer Conectiva has moved to allay fears that the recently announced United Linux project will see the end of downloadable binaries and ISO files, and mean a mess of new licensing."

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Popular HP Server Bid Farewell (TechWeb)

Tech Web reports on Hewlett Packard's suggested migration paths for HP e3000 customers. "Hewlett-Packard is enticing owners of its once-popular, now-doomed e3000 servers to buy HP-UX or Linux systems. The most likely migration path will be to HP 9000 servers running HP-UX, although buyers could also move to Intel-based ProLiant servers."

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Red Hat, HP join for Itanium Linux (News.com)

CNet reports on a partnership between Red Hat and HP. "Red Hat will begin selling an Itanium version of its Advanced Server Linux product early this fall, executives disclosed Tuesday, one of several partnerships under way with Hewlett-Packard."

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IBM's Intel Linux plans (Register)

The Register talks about running Linux on IBM's xSeries servers. "With all the excitement about Linux on the IBM mainframe zSeries and interest growing in the AS/400 iSeries, the popular xSeries servers are being overlooked. That's a mistake. Good, old Intel-based servers from IBM armed with Linux continue to move into small- and medium-sized businesses everywhere."

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IBM shoots at 'drive-by hackers' (ZDNet)

Here's an article about IBM's press release yesterday, outlining their self-diagnostic wireless tool. "The IBM software sits on laptops and PCs, analyzing traffic on an internal 802.11 wireless network and sending data to a centralized server, said Dave Safford, manager of the global security analysis lab at IBM Research in Hawthorne, N.Y."

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LindowsOS backs off its claim to run most Microsoft apps (NewsForge)

As a followup to the press release from Lindows and Wal-Mart.com, NewsForge reports that the language has been altered to remove the wording that indicates that Lindows will run programs designed for Windows.

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Red Hat lowers losses (Register)

The Register examines the latest financial results from Red Hat Inc. "Red Hat Inc, the Linux software and services firm, yesterday reported that it reduced its loss in its first fiscal quarter and increased its revenue sequentially, but saw a decreased top line year-on-year as it reduced its focus on embedded systems in favor of the enterprise market."

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Red Hat narrows loss, meets estimates (News.com)

Stephen Shankland has produced a general roundup of Red Hat's business, centered around their latest quarter financial results. "Red Hat, which gets half its revenue from services, will face a challenge in regard to increasing its profitability given that services typically require many employees and therefore are an expensive operation, Raisys said. In addition, IBM, including its gigantic Global Services division, is pushing hard to make money from Linux."

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Sun delivers Cherrystone UltraSparc-III servers (Register)

The Register reports on Sun's new Cherrystone UltraSparc-III servers, which are intended to compete with Linux servers. "The V480 supports either Solaris 8 or the new Solaris 9 operating system from Sun and is aimed squarely at the four-way Intel-based server market where Pentium III Xeon and Pentium 4 Xeon processors are making headway running Windows 2000 and Linux."

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Sun's 'Big Bear' Linux server to appear in August (InfoWorld)

InfoWorld has details on the announcement to be made by Sun CEO McNealy. "Sun Microsystems will announce its controversial Linux server, code-named Big Bear, this August at the LinuxWorld conference, showing a dual-processor system that runs on chips from rival Intel, according to sources familiar with the company's plans."

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Sun targets Microsoft with free software (News.com)

Sun Microsystems will be giving away some software to bolster competition against rival operating systems. "Sun plans to give away a basic version of its application server software, a key piece of infrastructure software for building business applications. Application server software is technology that runs e-business and other Web site transactions. The giveaway targets computers that run Microsoft's Windows, Linux and Unix operating systems, Sun said."

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Sun's Full Assault on .NET (Wired)

Wired details Sun's strategy against .NET. "So Sun plans to give away for computers that run Windows, Linux and Unix operating systems from Hewlett-Packard and IBM, a basic version of its application server, a type of backbone software that runs custom applications necessary for Web services and communicates data between applications."

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Wal-Mart trims prices of Linux-based PCs (News.com)

CNET has a story giving extra details about the Linux-based Microtel computers about to be offered by Wal-Mart. "The new PCs start at $299 and include a preinstalled copy of LindowsOS, a version of the open-source operating system that sports a graphical user interface and the ability to run Windows applications, according to its manufacturer."

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Wal-Mart Selling LindowsOS PCs (TechWeb)

Tech Web covers the newly introduced Lindows PC from Wal-Mart. "Wal-Mart won't do just Windows anymore. The world's largest retailer is now selling, via its Web site, low-cost PCs loaded with a version of Linux that runs Windows apps. The deal, with startup Lindows.com Inc., is a break from Microsoft's lock on home-PC operating systems."

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Business

Intel targets Wall Street back offices (News.com)

CNET has a story about Intel's sales and marketing efforts targetted toward Wall Street firms. This story summarizes a Sun Microsystems vs. Intel struggle, with Linux in the middle. "The move would put Linux behind many of the computers that power trading floors, and Intel wants its chips tagging along. The combination of Linux and Intel has been gaining steam."

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J.D. Edwards makes a Linux move (News.com)

News.com reports on business software maker J.D. Edwards as the company begins to support Linux. "J.D. Edwards took a different Linux route than major software companies such as Oracle and Veritas that have warmed to the relatively new operating system. Where Oracle and Veritas have backed Red Hat, the most widely used version of Linux, J.D. Edwards is starting its support with SuSE, said Lenley Hensarling, J.D. Edwards' vice president of product management for tools and technologies."

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Joel on free software

Worth a read: this "Joel on Software" column on why for-profit companies are supporting free software. The core idea: there is more demand for a product or service if its "complements" (add-on or related) products are commodities. By commoditizing certain types of software, companies like IBM, HP, and Sun increase the demand for their hardware and services. "IT consulting is a complement of enterprise software. Thus IBM needs to commoditize enterprise software, and the best way to do this is by supporting open source. Lo and behold, their consulting division is winning big with this strategy." (Seen on Slashdot).

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Think outside the box and collaborate (ZDNet)

Collab.net's CEO Bill Portelli has been given the podium at ZDNet, in which he testifies to the promise of collaberative development. "All of the companies who participate in this new integrated Software Business Cycle are gaining a competitive advantage, generating long-term revenue and increasing market share."

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GFX: Industrial Light & Magic (Linux Journal)

Linux Journal reports on the switch to the Linux platform by film company Industrial Light and Magic. "``Linux is increasing the quality of our work, not the quantity'', says Andy Hendrickson, director of research and development. Large amounts of processing power enable more user control.'' He explains,"

"``We often go into a show knowing what we want but are forced to scale back realism with shortcuts because of a lack of processing power. Using Linux we can add more realism. We direct effects. It isn't enough to have a cloud that is an NOAA-accurate model. Artistic staff directs the effects with, ``Make that cloud more fluffy''. Or, if we simulate an entire ocean, as in Perfect Storm, ``Make that wave larger''."

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Disney Shifting to Linux for Film Animation (NY Times)

This New York Times article (you'll need a username and password) covers Disney's smart move toward Linux. "Disney's animation division is announcing today that it plans to use Hewlett-Packard workstations and data-serving computers running Linux for digital animation work in the future." (Thanks to Robert George Mayer)

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Scooby Doo gets Linux power (IT-Director)

According to IT-Director, the recent Scooby Doo animation feature was rendered with the aid of Linux. "Rhythm and Hues, the animators responsible for bringing Scooby to life, currently have 125 Linux systems and 300 SGI machines. The plan is to phase out the SGI estate by the middle of next year in favour of Linux boxes."

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Disney embraces HP Linux for animation (Register)

The Register reports on a move by Walt Disney Feature Animation to HP Linux machines. "HP winning Disney for Linux is of course a massive victory, but if you pick through the release it's all a bit vague really. We've got a "broad range of products and services" including something that renders in an Opera browser on Win2k as "Intelâ Xeon-powered HP x4000 workstations" (goodness only knows what it looks like in Mozilla on Linux, (a configuration we appear not to have handy) and "high-density HP IA-32 based servers for rendering.""

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Linux drives next-generation Mickey Mouse (vnunet)

Vnunet reports on the HP/Disney Linux deal. "Both companies have been working together for the past 10 months, and explained that adopting Linux was part of a migration strategy away from the existing homogeneous technology environment."

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Interviews

What's Gnu: RMS on UnitedLinux, Free Software (Open For Business)

Open For Business features an interview with Richard Stallman. "RMS: Free software means you control what your computer does. Non-free software means someone else controls that, and to some extent controls you. Non-free software keeps users divided and individually helpless; free software empowers the users. All these reasons apply just as well to business users as to individuals."

"For a business, there is the added advantage that support for a free program comes from a free market. Support for a proprietary program is usually a monopoly, since only the company that owns the program can change it either to fix a bug or add a feature. If you are willing to pay for support, you will usually get better support for your money when you use free software." Thanks to Timothy R. Butler.

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Interview with Jim Fulton

The EuroPython site features an interview with Jim Fulton, CTO of Zope Corporation. "Zope 3 moves Zope from an inheritance-based framework to a component-based framework. Complexity is managed by splitting responsabilities among many cooperating components, rather than many cooperating mix-in classes. Components are connected using interfaces, which also provide component specification and documentation."

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Resources

Linux Devices Embedded Linux Newsletter

The June 13, 2002 edition of the Linux Devices Embedded Linux Newsletter is out. Topics include: constructing a Linux powered IRDA printing device, a report from the Embedded Linux Expo and Conference, the Toshiba SG20 wireless mobility server, Hitachi's new Linux based Flora web pad, and more.

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Building an Inexpensive, Powerful Parallel Machine and Using It for Numerical Simulations (Linux Journal)

Here's a detailed Linux Journal article on creating a large number crunching cluster. "Jobs on any node are started from the master node, which is the only login place in the entire cluster. Scyld Beowulf software creates an illusion of a single computer (master node) with many CPUs (those of slave nodes). Monitoring slave nodes from the master node is easy with a graphical beostatus utility or simply with top."

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Is Beauty Only Pixel Deep?, Part 2 (Linux Journal)

Marcel Gagné writes about fonts under X11 in a Linux Journal feature article. "It is time once again to pull back the curtain from Linux fonts and have a nice long chat with the gentleman at the controls. Judging from some of the responses I received from my last column, it seems that fonts are a nightmare to many (and I can't say I blame you). Nevertheless, it's time to put away fear and learn to enjoy your font experience."

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Reviews

Can a Windows user learn to love Linux? We'll see (ZDNet)

ZDNet editor David Coursey installs Linux for the first time. "The reason I'm doing this is to put to rest some of the complaints that I'm a Microsoft stooge and don't like desktop Linux because I haven't been fully exposed to its wonders. So I asked the Red Hat people to send me a copy of their latest with the idea of doing an extended test, much like I did recently with Macintosh OS X."

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Why I've learned to like Linux (but not to love it) (ZDNet)

Here's the followup to an article yesterday by a journalist working through a Linux desktop installation. "Still, nothing that Linux has hurled at me in the way of problems (really minor, actually) or confusion has come close to what Windows Me (aka Spawn of the Devil) did to me a couple of years ago. So, I am actually pretty happy with my Linux experience so far."

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Linux powers first car with integrated UMTS services (LinuxDevices)

LinuxDevices takes a look at a new S-class Mercedes, recently demonstrated by DaimlerChrysler and partners. "Jentro (Munich, Germany) was responsible for the development of the user interface required to control the in-car functions via various input tools such as touch screens and keyboards. Jentro's 'JentroCar' platform runs on top of an embedded Linux operating system. MBDS/University Nice Sophia Antipolis developed the prototypes of mobile Internet applications for the UMTS standard."

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Mozilla browser battles Microsoft (CNN)

Here's a lengthy article from the Associated Press, published on CNN, giving a solid review of Mozilla vs. Internet Explorer. "Mozilla's Baker insists the project's success is critical to the Web's future: 'If there's only one browser and that browser is tied to the business plan of a particular entity, it's quite likely that what we see on the Web will be limited.'"

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Was Mozilla Worth The Wait? (TechWeb)

TechWeb today devotes a few paragraphs to trashing Mozilla. "No matter how good Mozilla is, it's not likely to be able to make up for years of lost time."

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WhiteHat Arsenal Tool Set Aims to Knock Off Web Site Black Hats (TechWeb)

Network Computing reviews Quality of Service testing with the WhiteHat Arsenal tool set. "Only a handful of tools can assist with QoS (Quality of Service) testing before applications go live. Enter WhiteHat Security's WhiteHat Arsenal 2.0, a collection of basic tools that help security professionals test Web applications for common security vulnerabilities in the midrange of competitive pricing."

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Parasoft's SOAPtest reviewed (TechWeb)

TechWeb reviews SOAPtest, a Java-based Web services testing application from Parasoft.

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Liberate, Samsung do video over DSL (News.com)

News.com examines Samsung's new Linux based set top box, which is designed to bring video in over DSL lines.

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Miscellaneous

One system for all handhelds? (News.com)

Two Singapore programmers claim to have created an operating system that can run programs written for Windows as well as Linux. "The secret? The heavy lifting is done on an MXI-based server that runs the actual applications and sends a stream of data back to the MXI client software residing on the handheld."

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Security warning too quick for comfort? (News.com)

CNET is publicizing the bashing that Internet Security Systems received from many Free Software developers. "Network protection company Internet Security Systems published a security advisory for Apache, the Internet's most popular Web server, and gave the Apache Foundation, which created the software, less than two hours to respond."

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Flaw exposes holes in alert system (Associated Press)

ISS has won the attention of the Associated Press in Washington for their handling yesterday of the security vulnerability they publicized in Apache. "A security bug was found in software used by millions of Web sites. Private experts alerted users and the FBI's computer security division. Problem is, they didn't tell the maker of the software. Then they issued the wrong prescription for fixing the flaw."

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Use Binary-Only Kernel Modules, Hate Life (Linux Journal)

Don Marti is covering last week's Usenix with this article on, among many things, Linus' thoughts on the kernel and binary modules. "Most houses that use Linux a lot say that they won't support binary modules because they can't. They may work, but you're not getting the full advantage of Linux"

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Webcasters brace for royalty decision (News.com)

News.com reports on the latest developments in the Net radio/DMCA royalty ruling. "Independent Webcasters are bracing for a final ruling on a royalty rate for Net radio, a decision that could determine the fate of hundreds of small online radio stations."

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