Linux in the news

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Corporate Paws Grab for Desktop (Wired)

Wired takes a look at how bills like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act have caused some PC manufacturers to build PCs with hardwired copyright protection. "Today, manufacturers seem more likely to produce computers that operate more like VCRs or DVD players than the PCs people are accustomed to. These machines have copy-protection embedded in the hardware, much like home recorders that keep people from making copies of videos they have purchased."

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Red Hat's founder joins the circus (News.com)

News.com covers Red Hat founder Bob Young's latest venture, the Lulu Tech Circus. ""Attendees that go to trade shows feel somewhat used...like so much cattle fodder for the vendors," Young said. The Circus is about "empowering consumers. It's about knowledge and understanding." Unlike other trade shows, which focus on a common--and often times narrow--theme, Lulu Tech Circus will be a menagerie of all things technology, Young said. The conference is structured around five tracks, called "experiences," which will each have a specific focus."

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Yahoo, ISPs enter Net privacy fray (News.com)

News.com examines subtle details of the DMCA that allows a copyright owner to subpoena subscriber information from an ISP when a copyright violation is suspected. ""What the RIAA is really seeking, at the end of the day, is to shift the burden of copyright enforcement from its own members--who apparently would prefer not to alienate potential customers by suing them outright--to an ISP that does nothing more than provide an Internet connection to the customer," the brief says."

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University to challenge copyright laws (News.com)

News.com reports that the law school at Duke University has received a $1 Million grant, to be used for challenging recent expansions of the U.S. copyright laws. "The school, which plans to announce the gift at a conference in Washington on Thursday, is using the money to fund a center focused on finding "the correct balance" between intellectual property rights and material that should be in the public domain. James Boyle, a Duke law professor and co-director of the school's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, says that the center is likely to look skeptically at recent laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and a measure that extended duration of copyrights by 20 years."

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Companies

BEA Pushes Java VM Advantage On Windows, Linux (TechWeb)

TechWeb reports on the release of the JRockit 7.0 Java VM from BEA Systems, which is targeted at Linux and Windows. " The problem, said Stahl, is that those three vendors have bigger priorities than optimizing Intel platforms for Java. Microsoft is pushing it's own .NET framework, Sun focuses on Solaris, and IBM has a slew of legacy platforms to support (though it arguably has done much to advance Java on Linux and Windows)."

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There's more to Dell's cluster success than meets the eye (ZDNet)

ZDNet looks at bigger issues behind Dell's sale of a Linux-based cluster to SUNY. "This is yet another episode in the continuing saga of the fall from grace of proprietary technologies, the commoditization of processing power, and the difference between the must-haves and the nice-to-haves in budget-constrained times. It's also a signal that the high-end technical computing space is no longer a sanctuary for vendors of premium-priced boutique systems."

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Open-source stalwart leaves HP (News.com)

News.com covers Bruce Perens' departure from HP. "He has worked with HP to broaden its Linux and open-source efforts, but has also occasionally come into conflict with the company. Perens had planned to show attendees at a midsummer open-source convention how to circumvent controls on DVD players, but backed off under pressure from HP."

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Balancing Linux and Microsoft (NY Times)

The NY Times covers Bruce Perens' departure from HP. "After the merger with Compaq, Hewlett also became the largest vendor of Linux-based server computers, ahead of Dell Computer and I.B.M. Yet Hewlett's bet on Linux still pales compared with its reliance on Microsoft. And after the merger, it was mainly former Compaq executives who took senior positions overseeing the Linux business." (Registration required) Thanks to Jim Turley

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Philips sees new life for Linux (ZDNet)

ZDNet looks at a new project by Intel and Philips: The Pronto++ reference platform. "The platform runs on Intel's PXA250 processor, which uses ARM-based XScale technology. A representative said that the platform will initially use a third-party embedded Linux distribution, although the vendor has not been named."

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Is that a Mac in a penguin suit? (News.com)

News.com covers dual boot computers from QliTech Linux Computers. "The company is offering Macs, with standard Apple warranties, pre-loaded with Linux software from SuSE, Mandrake, Debian or Gentoo, with Mac OS X installed on a separate partition. The machines are sold at Apple's typical retail prices."

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SGI raises the Itanic (Register)

This article from the Register covers the recent use of Linux by SGI. "Earlier this summer, SGI launched a tour to reassure customers that its heart and soul remained with MIPS and Irix. Today it touted impressive memory benchmarks for its Itanium2 hardware, due to be launched next year, and it's running Linux."

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Business

An Alternative to Microsoft Gains Support in High Places (NY Times)

Several readers have pointed out this NY Times article which introduces open source software, and Linux, as an alternative to Microsoft. "As open source software, especially Linux, has spread, countries in other regions have also come to regard it as both a model of software development and perhaps an engine of economic growth. The government proposals and projects are efforts to position their nations to exploit a promising trend in technology." [The NY Times is a registration required site]

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Lindows.com and Microtel to Offer $199 PCs (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports on a partnership between Lindows.com and Microtel Computer Systems, the companies will be assembling ultra-inexpensive PCs that will be sold at Wall-Mart stores. "How can a new computer be so inexpensive? For one thing, it doesn't come with the Microsoft Windows operating system, which sells for about $199 itself. Instead, the computers are based on the Linux computing platform and use the Lindows operating system. They are being sold on Walmart.com, the Web site of the Wal-Mart discount store chain. They also don't come with monitors, which sell separately for as little as $75."

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What baseball--and you--could learn from the Web (ZDNet)

ZDNet has a baseball analogy for the open source model, involving a recent issue with Major League Baseball (MLB) logos on the web. "MLB may not understand the Web model. But if it wants to recruit new followers (as well as win back those it has already lost), it needs to think of its intellectual property in the same way as the W3C. Unlike Disney, for which visuals are its main selling proposition, logos are not MLB's main product."

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IT managers cite security and competition when choosing a Linux system (International Herald Tribune)

The International Herald Tribune examines why businesses are choosing Linux. "Where governments deal with issues of open-source culture and monopoly-busting, small companies indicate three main reasons for taking the plunge: reliability, security and cost." Thanks to Martijn Dekkers

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Interviews

Larry Wall On Perl, Religion, and... (Slashdot)

Shashdot answers Perl questions on Slashdot. "Not only did Larry Wall answer your questions, but he said they were excellent questions. You've got to love Larry Wall, not just because he's a nice guy and created Perl, but also because he is the first Slashdot interview guest ever to send his answers preformatted in squeaky-clean HTML."

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Looking Back, Looking Forward: Gaël Duval on Mandrake (Open for Business)

OfB interviews Mandrake co-founder Gaël Duval about the company's past, present, and future. "...I think the commercial dynamics around Mandrake Linux, and the creation of MandrakeSoft, have been key factors for its development and long-term success. But as you know, Mandrake is much like a Free Software project that is financed by a commercial company. This approach makes great difference when compared to other Linux distributions!"

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Resources

Embedded Linux Newsletter

The September 5, 2002 edition of the LinuxDevices Embedded Linux Newsletter is out with the latest embedded Linux news.

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In-Memory Database Systems (Linux Journal)

Here's a Linux Journal article on the use of in-memory database systems (IMDS) in embedded products. "In-memory databases have emerged specifically to meet the performance needs and resource availability in embedded systems. As the name implies, IMDSes reside entirely in memory--they never go to disk."

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Xbox Linux project releases SuSE 8.0 howto (Register)

For those not scared off by the preceding article, the Register provides a tutorial on installing SuSE 8.0 on an Xbox. "First you need a mod chip, the XBE bootloader and patched SuSE kernel downloaded from the Project, a SuSE nforce driver from the nVidia site, the correct USB adapter for the Xbox and (easy-peasy this bit) a USB keyboard. Oh, and a SuSE 8.0 compatible PC."

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Xbox Live to target hackers? (News.com)

News.com reports that Microsoft may backtrack on an earlier pledge not to use its Xbox Live online gaming service to crack down on "mod chips". "The 14-page user agreement and privacy notice included with the first Xbox Live kits sent to beta testers specifies that Microsoft reserves the right to revoke Xbox Live privileges for anyone with a hacked Xbox and to scan consoles on the network to enforce its rights."

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Open source satellite control (IBM developerWorks)

IBM developerWorks shows how the open source model helps satellite engineers with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). "How do you harness a satellite control system written in three languages, on four development platforms, and deployed to multiple client environments? With open source, naturally. When one wrong move can cost millions, rely on teamwork, smart design, and open standards to keep the project -- if not the satellite -- from going down in flames."

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Reviews

Intel embeds Linux in home digital media adapter (LinuxDevices)

LinuxDevices.com looks at Intel's new "Digital Media Adaptor". "The device, which is based on an XScale microarchitecture PCA210 'applications processor' and runs an embedded Linux operating system, receives digital media from the PC via 802.11 wireless networking and UpnP technologies, and connects to TVs and stereos using standard audio/video cables -- much like a DVD player."

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Book Review: Linux Administration Handbook (Linux Journal)

Linux Journal reviews the Linux Administration Handbook by Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder and Trent R. Hein. "So many of the available books about Linux are either too generic to be of much use for doing serious systems administration or so specific that they are useful only for one version of one Linux distribution. This book is an exception. First, it is heavy on concept, so you actually learn how things work instead of learning how to be a technician. The specifics are then addressed by showing what you do on Red Hat 7.2, SuSE 7.3 and Debian 3.0."

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Book Review: Linux Routers - A Primer for Network Administrators, 2nd Ed. (Linux Journal)

Linux Journal reviews Linux Routers - A Primer for Network Administrators, 2nd Edition. "Each chapter on router configuration begins with an introduction of what tasks the router needs to accomplish, followed by the specific kernel options or software packages required for that task. Any hardware needed for the router also is introduced. Next come step-by-step instructions for configuring the Linux kernel and discussions of troubleshooting procedures. Illustrations and tables are provided to clarify the material presented. There is also information on utilities or diagnostic applications useful in specific situations."

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Sony gadget picks TV shows for you (News.com)

News.com reviews Sony's new Cocoon, a hard disk video recording device that runs Linux. "Sony on Wednesday gave a fresh peek into its strategy for linking consumer electronics to the Web, unveiling a Net-connected video recorder that can seek out and record TV programs it thinks its owner would like. The device, which uses a hard-disk drive to record, instead of optical discs or magnetic tapes, will be the first of Sony's "Cocoon" line of products that aim to become an alternative to the PC for accessing Internet content."

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Miscellaneous

True Freedom of Choice (Linux Journal)

Linux Journal has an article that describes a Windows user's experience with the switch to Linux. "Did I want to switch because I longed for the good old days when you knew, or at least could have a good idea about, what making a change to your computer would cause that computer to do? Was it because I suspected some better operating system was out there? Was I concerned, after reading my End User License Agreement, that use of the operating system implied a right for the vendor to gain access to my machine and apply unnecessary or unwanted updates? In a nutshell, the answer to all these questions was yes."

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Library invests in Free Software (GNU-Friends)

GNU-Friends reports on the use of the Koha library system by a library in Ohio. "Nelsonville Public Library, in Athens County, Ohio has recently decided to migrate to Koha, a free software integrated library system. While reviewing it, they decided that they felt that it needed three additional features to meet their needs. Instead of dropping it from consideration, they decided to take the money that they would otherwise spend on licensing fees and pay someone to implement these features."

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