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Linux in the news

Recommended Reading

Linux makes a move into handhelds (News.com). This C|Net article looks at the future of Linux on handheld devices. "[IDC analyst Kevin] Burden anticipates market share for the open-source Linux operating system will be very small compared with Palm's OS and Microsoft's Pocket PC, which have been in the market longer and are more established. But, "two years down the road, we may be talking about Linux a lot more," he said."

Pigeon-powered Internet takes flight (News.com). Did you know there is a standard for using pigeons to transfer information using the Internet Protocol (IP)? Well, there is and the Bergen Linux Users Group has implemented that protocol. "The pigeon protocol didn't mean the fastest of networks, though. Taking an hour and 42 minutes to transfer a 64-byte packet of information makes the pigeon network about 5 trillion times slower than today's cutting-edge 40 gigabit-per-second optical fiber networks."

Argentina Mulls Open-Source Move (Wired). According to this Wired article, Argentina may become the first country to require that Open Source software be used in government offices. Argentina is under pressure to reduce software piracy; the government itself is apparently one of the larger violators. Switching to free software will remove the legal pressure, as well as save the country money. "But switching to open-source software would mean big savings for the government, which is already crippled by a $145 billion debt, said Mario Albornoz, the director of the Institute of Social Studies of Science and Technology".

DVD copyright appeal hinges on what's fair (CNN). CNN has an article on the DVD appeal. "Meanwhile, Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the umbrella group for the studios that lodged the case against 2600, issued a terse press statement saying he remains confident that the appeal will not be overturned, although he believes that the defense made use of 'red herrings' to obscure the facts. It was not immediately clear what red herrings Valenti was referring to."

Companies

Caldera completes Unix acquisition (News.com). News.com reports on the completion of the SCO acquisition by Caldera Systems. " SCO initially derided Linux as immature, but the Unix clone nevertheless encroached on the company's Unix products at the same time that much of the Unix spending was being lavished on Sun Microsystems and other Unix server companies."

Site of the Month: Linux2order.com (ZDNet). ZDNet reviews Linux2order.com. "We have some minor quibbles with the site--notably, you have to register, even to access the free downloads. Still, Linux2order offers convenient, inexpensive alternatives to snail-speed downloads." Linux2order.com will also mail you a custom-burned Linux CD.

Business

Killer Applications for Open Source (Consulting Times). Consulting Times looks at Linux in Business, and why open source makes sense. "Last year, Linux made it into MIS departments, because it had a compelling reason to do so. For many, that reasons revolved around eliminating dozens of servers and dissimilar operating platforms in favor of a small cluster, a rack of 1U boxes or simply because Linux is a multi-user operating system. Many companies found that Linux helped recycle their UNIX resources and people. Also, network appliances like Cobalt?s Raq and Qube made sense to so many people."

Reviews

The Evil3D team reviews Shogo: Mobile Armored Division. The Evil3D team has provided this review of Hyperion's Linux port of Shogo: Mobile Armored Division. "In Shogo you are Sanjuro, and it is your duty to kill everything in site. Well, not really. For Anime, there has to be a plot in there somewhere right? Right! To help you remember that, the local guards will "kindly" remind you not to peg the wrong person. Of course by doing it "kindly" they end up killing you. So as you jump into the game, check your fire. Target assessment will keep you on your toes when its trigger time!"

Miscellaneous

A gathering of GNOMEs (LinuxPower). Christian Schaller writes about his experience at GUADEC 2 in this LinuxPower article. "Day three started with a keynote speech by Richard Stallman. This was user day so there were many more people here than the previous two days. I don't have an exact number but I would guess something like 250-300 people. Fun thing was that when Richard had arrived the previous day he found the the GUADEC catalog used the term Linux instead of GNU/Linux. To fix this he had managed to make little white stickers with a new introduction text which he went around and 'patched' onto every catalog he could find. He also 'patched' all of the catalogs which where to be handed out to users this morning, so everyone got a GUADEC catalog personally patched by Richard Stallman himself. Nobody can accuse Richard for not being thorough :) Richard's speech was interesting and really pointed out why software patents are more damaging to the people they are intended to help than helpful."

The trouble with JXTA (OpenP2P). The O'Reilly OpenP2P site is running this criticism of JXTA. "What does an active research community absolutely not need? Great big Sun stomping in and slamming down standards left, right and center. The only thing most P2P applications have in common is TCP/IP; everything else depends on the specific P2P application. This is quite natural when everybody is trying out ideas, because few of the P2P applications share much above the presentation layer."

.comment: Wanna Invest in a Bridge? (LinuxPlanet). Here's a most cynical article on Linux Planet on Ximian, Eazel, and the Free Software Foundation. "I am not alleging impropriety here. It could be that it's all mere coincidence. But it is absolutely undeniable that the FSF has thrown its support behind a desktop controlled by two for-profit companies, one of which has an officer who sits on the FSF's board; the same company has purchased advertising aimed at confounding those who are seeking a desktop that is truly free in every rational sense of the word; and the other company has suggested that users can assist its product in surviving but help it avoid paying its bills by donating to the Free Software Foundation, or else an officer of that company has flung down and danced upon his fiduciary responsibilities by saying, in a communication that is part of his corporate function, that people might want to send money to the FSF instead of the company. And they all do it, evangelists as they are for 'free' software, with a holier-than-thou air."

Section Editor: Forrest Cook

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