Linux in the news
Recommended Reading
Linux-Based Voice Recognition (Linux Journal)
Linux Journal looks at Linux-based voice recognition. "The health-care market alone may justify the Linux-based voice recognition project. Health-care services are the largest expense of the Group of Ten nations, and it is the fastest growing sector as well. Health-care workers would benefit from using their voices to document patients' treatments. Voice recognition would allow them a hands-free environment in which to analyze, treat and write about particular cases easily and quickly."
Linux Report: The Year in Review (eWeek)
eWeek considers the progress Linux has made in the business world. "By 2007, we said one year ago, "No one will be fired for recommending Linux." Shortening our own timeline by four years, we suggest that an IT buyer might already be fired today for failing to consider Linux. That's a small step but one of Neil Armstrong caliber."
Internet beams out into space (BBC News)
BBC News looks at computers in space. NASA plans for each spacecraft and satellite to some day have their own net address. "To test the technology the Columbia space shuttle was fitted with an embedded PC that has a 233 MHz processor, 128 MB of RAM and a solid-state 144 MB hard drive. The computer is running Red Hat, a version of the Linux operating system, and is maintaining a connection with the Goddard Space Flight Center which will to try to contact the onboard PC more than 140 times over the duration of the shuttle mission STS-107." Thanks to Henrik Storner
Trade Shows and Conferences
Desktop Linux Event Continues to Lose Support (OfB.biz)
Open for Business looks at the withdrawal of Lycoris and others from the Lindows controlled Desktop Linux Summit. "The summit, which still includes vendors such as SuSE and Sun Microsystems, will take place on February 20-21."
Crossing the Desktop Linux Chasm in San Diego (Linux Journal)
Doc Searls takes a look at the brouhaha surrounding the Desktop Linux Summit, in this Linux Journal article. "But, y'know, Lindows paid for this whole thing, apparently. So they have a reason to want the event the way they want it. I just wish they didn't call it the Linux Desktop Summit, because it's not really one any more. Actually, they never wanted it to be what we consider a summit in the Linux world."
Desktop Linux group launches (ZDNet)
ZDNet covers the launch of the Desktop Linux Consortium, which is made up of SuSE, MandrakeSoft, Lycoris, Xandros, ArkLinux, CodeWeavers, OpenOffice.org, the KDE project, and, perhaps, others. "Participants say the new consortium is in part a reaction to the behavior of one company not on the consortium's membership list: Lindows." Bruce Perens will be leading the new group.
Linux Adoption
Practical Questions (Linux Journal)
In this Linux Journal article, Doc wonders about the new face and organization of IT departments as they move more and more of the work to Linux. "I think the Linux hat fits corporate IT because there's a good value match between Linux and the way large organizations like to work. That may sound a bit oxymoronic to some, because Linux is not by nature a commercial operating system, and many businesses built on commercializing Linux have notoriously failed (Mandrake Linux being the latest example)."
Reuters introduces Linux-based market data feeds (Forbes.com)
Here's a Reuters article announcing that Reuters now has its flagship financial data and quote system running on Linux. "Reuters, working with Linux distributor Red Hat Inc., chipmaker Intel Corp. and computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co, said they are now selling a Linux-based system to pipe the latest market-moving data on to the trading room floors of banks and brokerages." Thanks to Ashwin
Moving into Mainframe Linux (Computerworld)
Computerworld covers Linux on the mainframe. "The sweet spot for mainframe Linux today is server consolidation -- replacing dozens or even hundreds of separate Intel-based Linux or Windows servers with a partition on the mainframe that dedicates a single processor, memory and other system sources to running Linux."
South Africa embraces open source (News.com)
According to this News.com article, South Africa has joined the list of countries whose governments are seeking to use more free software. "By and large, South Africa imports its proprietary software and finds itself with comparatively little influence on how that software develops. The government expects that open-source software, by contrast, will provide more flexibility."
Interviews
Last FOSDEM Interviews
The FOSDEM team has published the last interviews in its series of interviews with the speakers. FOSDEM takes place this weekend in Brussels.- Harald Welte about netfilter/iptables
- Solar Designer about Openwall GNU/*/Linux
- Yoann Vandoorselaere about Prelude IDS
- Thomas Vander Stichele about GStreamer
- Damien Sandras about GnomeMeeting.
Resources
Linux Gazette #87
The Linux Gazette #87 for February 2003 is available. This month read articles on Linux-Based Voice Recognition; Fun with Simputer and Embedded Linux; and more; plus all the regular features.
Reviews
Peeking under the hood of SnapGear's uClinux-powered VPN appliances (LinuxDevices.com)
LinuxDevices.com technical editor Jerry Epplin takes a look at SnapGear's uClinux-based VPN appliances from the perspective of a developer's ability to customize them. "With the impressive improvements made in uClinux in the last couple of years, it has become increasingly practical to implement the networking capabilities of Linux in a small-footprint device. Perhaps the most obvious network-oriented devices for which uClinux is appropriate are firewall/routers, which need all the latest protocols and capabilities, but are in a highly competitive environment in which cost is paramount."
Breaking down the .Net barriers (MSNBC)
MSNBC looks at the Mono project. "In his office, Icaza lunges for a pen and starts sketching diagrams on the wall, which doubles as a dry-erase board, to illustrate Mono's progress so far. "We've been 18 months on this thing, and we've built an amazing amount of tools," he said. Still, many, including Icaza, caution against over-hype, in part because .NET is not yet the dominant force Microsoft hopes it will become." Thanks to Ashwin N
DB2 for Linux Clustering scales to 1,000 nodes (ADTmag)
ADTmag covers IBM's DB2 for Linux Clustering. "IBM first demonstrated the DB2 version last year, but observers noted that this week's proclamation by Scott Handy, Linux solutions marketing director for the IBM Software Group, marks the first time the company claimed 1,000-node performance. IBM engineers have tested the new implementation on systems running SAP, WebSphere and Tivoli, Handy said."
Germany-funded Linux software arriving (News.com)
News.com looks at the latest KDE release. "Further improvements are complete but haven't yet been integrated with KDE, Pour said. Originally that integration was scheduled to take place with the next version of KDE, which is scheduled to arrive in the second half of 2003."
Embedding Perl in HTML with Mason (O'Reilly)
Simon Cozens reviews the book Embedding Perl in HTML with Mason. "The book that's fallen onto my desk for review this month is Dave Rolsky and Ken Williams' Embedding Perl in HTML with Mason "What is this," you're thinking, "an O'Reilly site doing a review of an O'Reilly book? Scandalous!" Well, I hope that you've taken a look at my other reviews and have satisfied yourself that I try to be as impartial as I can when reviewing. As far as I'm concerned, this is a Perl site first and an O'Reilly site second."
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