See also: last week's Linux in the news page.

Linux in the news

• Big software struggles with open source says the Industry Standard. It talks mostly about Mozilla's troubles. "In fact, if you go to Netscape's Mozilla.org site and do a search to see who's checked out code in recent months, every one of the e-mail addresses come from a netscape.com domain."

• Inter@ctive Week has an article about the new Linux-based NBase-Xyplex router. "By providing carriers with a router based on an operating system that boasts legions of programmers and is familiar to most ISPs, NBase also is offering service providers potential freedom from dependence on equipment manufactures, such as Cisco Systems, that use proprietary software to supply routing instructions."

• Nicholas Petreley plays with GNOME 1.0. "GNOME oozes with potential. But it also oozes with bugs. And, although I can sympathize with the design philosophy, GNOME increases confusion by refusing to take on the responsibility of window manager. Since I am running GNOME plus Enlightenment, it is often difficult to tell where the GNOME bugs stop and the Enlightenment bugs begin." (Thanks to Jay Ashworth).

• Here's an article in Intraware SubscribNews Alert which looks at Red Hat's lead over the other distribution vendors. "I have a feeling Red Hat executives may be studying Netscape's example closely to see if they can work the fine line between wanting world domination and staying true to their roots. Meanwhile, many of those software and hardware vendors who publicly or privately bemoan the domination of Microsoft are helping recreate the entire process all over again." (Thanks to Benji Selano).

• LinuxWorld has put together a list of Linux-related April Fool's Day pranks - all that they could find.

Let's get the Dell articles over with now. There were quite a few, and, almost without exception, they didn't really go beyond the press release.

• Here's a Reuters article about the Burlington Coat Factory's decision to buy 1250 Linux systems from Dell. According to the article, this move does not represent a loss of business for Microsoft, since Burlington was only looking at Unix systems from the beginning. Thus we have an example of Linux taking sales from the proprietary Unix systems.

• The LA Times.
• USA Today.
• The Australian Financial Review.
• The Austin American-Statesman.
• InfoWorld.
• PC Week.
• MSNBC.
• Wired News.
• News.com.

Events at Netscape drew a few articles:

• Here's an article (in French) about Jamie Zawinski's departure from Netscape. The article claims that Zawinski's resignation "probably means the end of Mozilla development at Netscape," an unlikely scenario. English translation available via Babelfish. (Found in NNL).

• Here's a rambling column in Bleeding Edge Magazine which looks at the current state of Linux and free software. "Jamie Zawinski resigns from Netscape/AOL, and rings true with his resignation. You *can't* wave a magical 'Open Source' wand over a project and hope for the best. It doesn't work."

• This News.com article is about the recent departures from the Mozilla project. "Widespread rumors suggest that other client engineers, including key players who have been with the company since its early days, will be leaving in coming weeks."

Lots of business-oriented pieces:

• InfoWorld has put out an article about the D. H. Brown report. "The open-source nature of the Linux OS -- hailed by enthusiasts as one of its primary advantages -- could stymie developers in their attempts to make the OS suitable for enterprise use, according to a study released Monday."

• MSNBC has an article about the D. H. Brown report. "Indeed, Tony Iams, author of the D.H. Brown study, said that even if it makes no further gains, Linux has already had a major effect in the computing world by slowing the growth of Windows NT."

• News.com writes about Salon Magazine's makeover. "Salon says it made the move from NT to a customized version of the Red Hat 5.2 distribution of Linux 'in order to support Salon.com's growing needs.'"

• Should you consider Linux? asks a short article in ZDNet's "Small Business Advisor." The answer kind of looks like "no." "It would be quite unlikely to find Linux in a small manufacturing company or construction firm. This is not a condemnation of Linux, just a factual statement of where Linux stands in the current small business market." (Found in NNL).

• Here's a News.com article about Compaq's new Alpha systems. "Compaq said it's working to raise Linux to a higher level and increase its appeal to software companies. Later this year, the company will release in-house compiler technology that will mean software for Linux-Alpha will run twice as fast on average..." (Thanks to Conrad Sanderson).

• This L.A. Times article looks at the competition between Linux and Microsoft. "...while the users of Communicator and Linux may not rise to the level of mass resistance to monopolization, you can at least thank them for prodding Microsoft to serve us all better."

• Computer Reseller News has figured out that Linux might be a bit of a threat to SCO, but SCO disagrees: "SCO even has encouraged some of its users to use Linux, said [SCO VP] Bondi. In fact, Linux may be better-suited than SCO Unix for 'one or two' application areas, he said."

• Also in Computer Reseller News: a case study of a VAR that went over to Linux. "As many of our clients are small businesses, we are always on the lookout for hardware and software that can save them capital-the less they spend on capital assets, the more they can spend on support services. This philosophy led us to Linux."

• Here's an article in the Montreal Gazette about IBM's support for Linux. "Jason Woodard, program manager (open-source development) for IBM, said Linux is moving away from its traditional Internet and Web-server applications toward business applications."

• Linux on the fast track is the title of this News.com article about the latest IDC report. "Linux shipments will grow 25 percent over the next five years, compared to 12 percent growth for all server operating systems and 10 percent growth for all client operating systems..."

And, to finish out, here's the rest of the stuff we were able to find: intro pieces, FUD, and miscellaneous articles.

• This TechWeek column is a collection of recent Linux-related happenings, ranging from CeBit to Eric Raymond's "retirement." Not too many surprises for LWN readers. "StarOffice for Linux is free for personal, non-commercial use. 'The product comes out of Germany, where it already has a market share of close to 40 percent, leaving MS Office slightly behind, and Corel definitely in the dust' ..."

• Conrad Sanderson pointed out this interview with Linus Torvalds which appeared in Time International a couple weeks ago. "I'm not interested in doing a company because I'm a technical person first. I want to do what I enjoy doing, and that includes Linux."

• Here's a Chicago Sun Times article about the upcoming Comdex event; the article is actually mostly an introductory piece about Linux. "Mr. Microsoft, Bill Gates, and the so-called ``Microsoft slayer,'' software developer Linus Torvalds, will appear at the same event for the first time when the Comdex conference opens here April 19. But don't expect them to exchange pleasantries."

• A publication called "Windows NT Systems" has published an article on Linux. They don't like it. "The problem with Linux is that it is just another unadulterated version of Unix. Your choices of graphical user interfaces are the Unix command shell or X Window, a primitive windowing system designed more than 15 years ago." (Thanks to David A. Maxwell).

• PC Magazine reviews TurboLinux 3.0.1 with particular attention to its installation routine. "TurboLinux's ease in installation, though not quite rookie-proof, is a step in the right direction to bring Linux to the SOHO or home."

• MacWorld has an article about Unix and Linux on Macs. "Unlike MkLinux, whose evolution has floundered, LinuxPPC is under very active development, bringing continuous improvements in usability, speed, and reliability with it."

• Here's another one of those "Linux is hard to install" articles, this one in the Chicago Tribune. It must be time to write one about the joys of installing Windows... "The people at RedHat technical support are knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and witty. The only problem is that they're stuck supporting a project that, for non-programmers, may be unsupportable." (Thanks to Bill Longabaugh).

Section Editor: Jonathan Corbet

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