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

Linux in the news

Recommended reading: this Salon article about an attempt to create an open source system for anesthesia control. It is a good look at the advantages - and problems - of using an open source mode in life-critical software. "It is one thing to distribute Linux to several thousand people running WWW servers -- in the worst case several thousand WWW servers crash. It is quite another thing to distribute a new version of medical software, and suddenly several thousand balloon pumps stop working, resulting in death in hundreds of patients."

Here's Jesse Berst's latest on Linux. "For years, I've warned you to be cautious about Linux. To wait for pioneers to blaze the trails and settle the hostile territories. To wait until it was safe, in other words. That time has arrived." (Thanks to Cesar A. K. Grossmann and Pal G. Larsson).

Here's a Petreley column republished on CNN about missing enterprise features in Linux. "I don't care what the conventional wisdom dictates, Linux is already a killer desktop OS. Since I got Caldera OpenLinux 2.2, I haven't booted up Windows 98 at all except to play games. And as a result I've practically forgotten what crashes are like."

LinuxWorld was in the news this week, and products announced at LinuxWorld:

Here's a lengthy rundown of expected LinuxWorld announcements in News.com. "Caldera also plans to announce a version of its OpenLinux software to run on Sun Microsystems' UltraSparc chips--the company's first foray off Intel chips."

Dan Gillmor writes about the Linux boom in this pre-LinuxWorld San Jose Mercury News column. "A few months ago it seemed that the buzz surrounding GNU/Linux operating system -- better known as just plain Linux -- could not last, even though Linux and related technologies would continue to grow. In this brave new era of rapid change and short attention spans, Linux surely couldn't stay in the foreground of people's thinking much longer. Reality has chosen otherwise."

ComputerWorld ran a brief article about IBM's upcoming Linux announcements. "...the British insurer Hill House Hammond will roll out 290 Netfinity servers running Linux to its branch offices and headquarters."

Here's a ZDNet Australia story about IBM's Linux-powered Netfinity server. "What makes it attractive is that the first 90 days of support are free. Better still, it starts with the first call rather than when a reseller picks the Netfinity off the loading dock. Take that, add in support for Caldera, Red Hat, Suse, and TurboLinux--the major reseller Linux distributions--and IBM has support that's worth shouting about."

PC World looks forward to next week's product announcements. "...Corel on Tuesday will provide the first peek at a beta version of its desktop Linux release that it hopes to release commercially by the end of the year."

Also from PC World is this article about Corel's new distribution. "With its new distribution, Corel may have simplified the installation and setup of Linux--but its challenge will be to reach the coveted Windows user without discouraging Linux fans with a reduction in user control."

Linux locomotive keeps on gaining steam says Computer Reseller News. "The Linux movement shows no signs of slowing as industry heavyweights plan to up their support at LinuxWorld Expo this week."

Here's a Reuters article about the LinuxWorld conference. "About 20,000 people are expected to attend, up from the 12,000 who came to the San Jose, Calif. show in March. But so much has happened in the past five months that it is causing some confusion over how long it has been since the last show."

This News.com story is about Linus's keynote.

and Infoworld covers Intel's keynote.

Also the Red Hat IPO:

The Boston Globe covers the Red Hat IPO and the "eligibility" problems encountered by some people. "We rang up [Richard] Stallman this week to ask him about the Red Hat IPO. He didn't know anything about it and made it clear to us he didn't much care.?"

This Associated Press article about Red Hat's IPO ran in numerous newspapers today. "Even at the current price range, the sale would give Red Hat a market value of about $800 million - though its annual revenues were just $10.8 million last year - lifting Red Hat to the sort of phenomenal valuation that investors have bestowed upon many newly public Internet companies."

This a brief AP article is about those who were blocked out of the Red Hat IPO. "``I am deeply offended by this behavior,'' said Eric Raymond, a Linux programmer and consultant who was turned down for the IPO for an unknown reason. ``I'm an adult and they're treating me as if I don't know what I'm doing.''"

Here's an MSNBC article about Red Hat's IPO. "When devotees of the Linux operating system gather for another big trade show this week, the IPO of the biggest company in this quirky community, Red Hat Software Inc., is sure to be the biggest buzz of the show."

Worldlyinvestor.com has this article about Red Hat's IPO. "Yes, corporate IT departments and enthusiasts love Linux, and yes, Red Hat has every endorsement under the sun and brand recognition, but investors should not be blinded by the risks. There is a market out there for Linux, but be aware that Red Hat is not the beginning and end of the sweeping change occurring in the software industry."

News.com has this story about the IPO.

And finally this LA Times story about the IPO. "And there's another danger to the Linux community waiting in the wings. If Linux companies go public at high valuations, they will be under pressure to perform. Analysts worry that this could destroy the cooperative mood that has been a feature of the Linux community and a key reason for its success."

More Business:

News.com looks at Beowulf clusters in business. "...though Compaq is still focusing its Beowulf efforts on the scientific and technical community, the company sees commercial possibilities, such as converting the vast amounts of data in company databases into useful information."

This News.com story talks about VA Linux's new offerings, and contains an interview with Larry Augustin, the chief executive of VA Linux. "The company has a vested interest in the improvement of Linux, the open-source operating system that comes with VA computers, and has hired several key programmers from the Linux community to ensure continued development. But VA can't be too controlling, or else the open source community that's the heart of Linux development will turn against VA, chief executive Larry Augustin says." (Thanks to Cesar A. K. Grossmann)

Here's a TechWeb story about VA's upcoming server announcements, and about the role of Linux in commerce applications in general. "Evangelists of the open-source operating system have a lot to prove if they are to persuade IT managers to extend their use of Linux from departmental applications to mission-critical e-business."

Inter@ctive Week has this story on Dell's Dimension and Inspiron computers which will be available with Linux by October. "To ready itself for the move, Dell may be preparing its online configurator-advising a buyer which components belong together in a PC - to recognize and configure Dimension and Inspiron hardware for Linux. Such a configuration system removes one of the obstacles potential Linux users face - they don't know which components work with it, [a spokesman for Dell] said." (Thanks to Cesar A. K. Grossmann)

This AP article is about Dell's and Motorola's announcements. "The moves represent the first significant show of faith in Linux from vendors who serve the consumer market..."

News.com has this story about Lotus posting a preview of Domino for Linux on their site.

Also in News.com: this article claiming that Oracle is creating a separate "strategic business unit" to develop for Linux. "The move to support Linux is another attempt by the database giant to attack Microsoft's dominance in the operating system market."

Sm@rt Reseller has a piece about Corel's upcoming distribution. "If Corel is able to pull off its ambitious plans, it might have a market. With Microsoft Corp. telling users to expect three possible desktop upgrades in 2000...customers may prefer to look at another alternative: the Corel Linux one."

ZD Net has this story about embedded systems, another front line in the war between Linux and Microsoft. (Thanks to Cesar A. K. Grossmann)

Here's a News.com article about IBM joining the "Trillian" project to port Linux to the IA-64 (Merced) architecture. "Trillian also is working with leading sellers of Linux to make sure their products are ready in time for the first IA-64 chip, Merced, sources said. And to help other software writers prepare for the chip's arrival, Trillian results should be available to the open source community in February or so." (Thanks to Cesar A. K. Grossmann).

Finally:

Microsoft's and LinuxPPC's "hack this box" challenges are the topic of this Albuquerque Journal article. "In an impromptu computer security competition this week, a free system developed by a New Mexico graduate student [LinuxPPC] continued running under repeated attacks from Internet intruders, while a Microsoft computer suffered repeated software failures." (Thanks to Hale Landis).

Computer Currents reviews TurboLinux Workstation 3.6. "I don't think TurboLinux Work station 3.6 will completely replace Windows 98 or NT Workstation just yet. But if you're not committed to the Windows way, TurboLinux is a good bet for large and small companies that want to reduce their computing costs."

CNN reports on the Linux Beer Hike, which starts shortly. "One user summed up the attitude by posting a message to the mailing list on the event's Web site, saying that the basic attitude was going to be more mellow. 'Oh, that tree reminds me of GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), let's sit under it and talk about GIMP,' he said, preferring that to setting meetings at 9 a.m. to discuss a certain issue."

Making movies with Linux, Part 4 is now up on LinuxPower.

Dan Parks explains the hype behind Linux in this OS Opinion article. "So what has Open Source enabled Linux to do, exactly? Well, Linux has some very interesting projects going on right now that will dramatically increase its ease of use, as well as increase it's capabilities. The Gnome and KDE projects are two separate attempts to make an easy to use GUI for the Linux environment. The previously mentioned XFS port by Silicon Graphics is another important project. Yet another project is moving the kernel to version 2.4. Taken together, these projects will provide Linux with the ability to compete on both the enterprise level and the consumer level."

Raleigh, we have a problem. Here is a most unflattering CNN article about Red Hat's technical support. "You can't charge money for tech support and then ignore your customers. You can't simply go silent when you don't have a ready answer. And you can't reset the clock on a promised response based on a technicality. It makes you look bad. Real bad."

Just for fun, see the 10 Myths about Linux.

Section Editor: Rebecca Sobol

Next: Security