From: Russ Foster <russ@slashtco.com> To: Aaron.Stenhoff@macmillanUSA.com Subject: Leading Open Source developers join SlashTCO Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 12:46:12 +0000 Hello there, Please find below a press release concerning SlashTCO's appointment of the co-authors of SmoothWall - Richard Morrell and Lawrence Manning. Richard is available for interview from next week onwards. To arrange an interview, or for further information, please phone me on +44 (0) 118 9566 116 or fax +44 (0) 118 9566110. Regards Russ Foster -- Leading Open Source developers join SlashTCO SlashTCO is pleased to announce that Richard Morrell and Lawrence Manning, two of the leading figures in the UK Linux movement, are joining the staff of SlashTCO Limited. Richard will join SlashTCO as Development Director and will spearhead the Company's campaign to get the "Total Cost of Ownership" message across to IT organisations. Back in 1997 he founded WebDynamics, one of the first Linux services companies in the UK, subsequently working for Linuxcare before moving on to become part of the European Operations at VA Linux, where he continued to work with some of the most influential characters in the Open Source space. Richard is tasked with the growth of the development and revenue opportunities under the SlashTCO umbrella, whilst building on relationships with companies and corporations looking to use Linux and Open Source technologies. "The popularity of Linux does not yet match the invoiceable perception in the commercial fee paying and revenue generating circles" said Richard. "SlashTCO, by watching and learning from the painful and costly attempts of other companies who have dipped their toes in the water of offering Linux services, aims to deliver a highly professional and commercial range of services and solutions. These are designed to attract the commercial customer as well as relationships with the channel and development community" "Richard brings a wealth of expertise and experience to SlashTCO" said Duane Mayes, CEO of SlashTCO Ltd. "We are extremely pleased to have him on board and see him as a key member of the management team. We look forward to utilising Richard's vast technical and business expertise, particularly in respect of Internet and e-commerce applications, to enable us to promote our TCO message and pursue our aggressive growth strategy." Lawrence has over 15 years programming experience and holds an honours degree in Computer Engineering. He has been involved with numerous Open Source projects including the Linux kernel development. Richard and Lawrence will continue to work on a number of Open Source projects, including the SmoothWall Firewall, where Richard is the Project Manager and Lawrence the Chief Designer/Programmer. SmoothWall has been phenomenally successful, with over 265,000 worldwide downloads in the five months since first release. SmoothWall has featured in traditional press and online media since its launch with over 300,000 copies having been distributed via Windows and Linux magazines all over the globe. Released under the "General Public License" (GPL) it illustrates the true potential of the best Open Source Ideal; protecting SOHO, home and corporate users alike. SlashTCO is to sponsor the further development of the SmoothWall product, much of which will now take place at SlashTCO's headquarters in Reading, England. ABOUT SlashTCO SlashTCO Limited runs the SlashTCO.com web site, which acts as a one-stop resource for the investigation of Open Source solutions for business. SlashTCO provides consultancy and training services, including Linux Professional Institute (LPI) certification in the UK. SlashTCO aims to work as a facilitator for the best development talent, regardless of location, to work on projects not just in the UK but worldwide. Slashing the Total Cost of Ownership by working smarter. http://www.slashtco.com/ http://www.smoothwall.org/ PRESS CONTACT: Russ Foster Email: russ@slashtco.com Tel.: +44 (0) 118 9566116