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Submitters, send your News Bytes items in PLAIN TEXT format. Other formats may be rejected without reading. You have been warned! A one- or two-paragraph summary plus URL gets you a better announcement than an entire press release.
Linux 2.4.3
Linux 2.4.3 is out. See the changelog or find a kernel mirror.
Linux Journal and Embedded Linux Journal
The April issue of Linux Journal is on newsstands now. This issue focuses on Internet/Intranet. Click here to view the table of contents, or here to subscribe. All articles through December 1999 are available for public reading at http://www.linuxjournal.com/lj-issues/mags.html. Recent articles are available on-line for subscribers only at http://interactive.linuxjournal.com/.
The March/April issue of
Embedded Linux Journal was
mailed to subscribers in February.
Click
here
to view the table of contents. Professionals working in the embedded field
in the US, Canada or Mexico can get a free subscription by clicking
here. Paid
subscriptions to other countries are also available.
Caldera
Caldera Systems have announced the open beta availability of its new OpenLinux server product, code-named "Project 42," and an agreement with Lutris to ship the Enhydra Open Source Java/XML application server with the new version. The product is based on the new Linux 2.4 kernel and targets OEMs and VARs. Project 42 incorporates a secure Web server, a file and print server, and a set of network infrastructure servers, including DHCP, DNS, and firewall.
Caldera and SCO have unveiled Open UNIX 8, incorporating support for Linux applications. Open UNIX 8 will maintain compatibility and continuity with the UnixWare 7 operating system while providing a complete Linux environment. In addition, the product will incorporate support for the execution of unmodified Linux Intel Architecture binaries.
Debian
Debian has chosen Ben Collins as the new Debian Project Leader (DPL).
Progeny Debian
Progeny Linux Systems have announced that Release Candidate 1 of Progeny Debian is now available for download. Progeny Debian is based on woody, the current testing version of Debian, and made by a team of leading Debian developers. Company CEO Ian Murdock, has said that he expects any changes after RC1 to be bug-fixes and cosmetic improvements
Features of RC1 include: graphical installation and configuration tools, a GNOME interface for debconf, improved hardware detection and USB support, optional migration to GRUB, and automated multiple installations.
Software included in RC1 includes:
For more information about Progeny Debian, visit www.progeny.com.
SuSE
SuSE Linux have released apparently very positive news about the future of Linux in Germany. A poll commissioned by SuSE showed that 56 percent of the interviewed PC users have heard of Linux and ten percent already use the alternative operating system at home or at work. This statistic indicates that, in terms of distribution, Linux is second to Windows. Furthermore, 23 percent of the computer users consider switching to Linux when upgrading their equipment. This information was obtained from a survey recently conducted by the market research institute TNS EMNID, Bielefeld, Germany.
It also has KDE2, XFree86 4.0.2 and SaX2, the expanded graphical configuration tool which ensures a simple and secure setup of supported graphics cards, is also a new feature. An improved version of MOL (Mac on Linux), the virtual machine used to start MacOS in Linux, complements the distribution.
The range of supported IBM computers with PowerPC processors has been considerably enlarged. SuSE Linux 7.1 PowerPC Edition now runs on IBM Power3 machines. The possibility to use up to 3 GB RAM and an expanded multi-processor support provided by Kernel 2.4 make SuSE Linux 7.1 PowerPC Edition especially attractive for IBM pSeries 640. Thus, SuSE Linux 7.1 PowerPC Edition is the first Linux solution that supports these computers "out of the box".
The package includes 6 CDs, a 500-page manual and 60 days installation support for EURO 49.00.
Lion worm (DNS/BIND security alert!)
Anyone using BIND should be aware that there is a new worm on the loose. The Lion worm attacks certain versions of BIND (the domain name server program). The Sans Institute have plenty of information on the worm, and indicate that Bind versions 8.2, 8.2-P1, 8.2.1, 8.2.2-Px are vulnerable. BIND 8.2.3-REL has been reported as not being vulnerable (this information is preliminary and potentially incomplete). The BIND vulnerability is the TSIG vulnerability that was reported back on January 29, 2001. If you believe your system has been compromised, the SANS Institute has a program Lionfind that detects it. Now is a good time to get the latest version of BIND from your distribution vendor, run named as non-root, or switch to a BIND alternative.
It is also worth looking at general security issues. To get an idea of how security should be done, check out the results of the Honeynet forensic challenge. Candidates downloaded the partition images of a compromised Linux system and had to find out "who, what, when, where, how". The results show how professionals go about doing these things, but also how difficult and time consuming recovering from a compromise can be. The lesson is "BE PREPARED!"
Upcoming conferences and events
Listings courtesy Linux Journal. See LJ's Events page for the latest goings-on.
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LINUX Business Expo | April 2-5, 2001 Chicago, IL http://www.linuxbusinessexpo.com |
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Free Web ROI Seminar by Akami Technologies | April 3, 2001 Seattle, WA http://www.akamai.com/roitime/ |
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Linux Expo, Madrid | April 4-5, 2001 Madrid, Spain http://www.linuxexpomadrid.com/EN/home |
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Lugfest IV | April 21-22, 2001 Simi Valley, CA http://www.lugfest.org |
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Linux Expo Road Show | April 23-27, 2001 Various Locations http://www.linux-expo.com |
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Linux Africa 2001 | April 24-26, 2001 Johannesburg, South Africa http://www.aitecafrica.com |
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Open Source Development Network Summit | April 30 - May 1, 2001 Austin, TX http://osdn.com/conferences/handhelds/ |
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Linux for Industrial Applications 3rd Braunschweiger Linux-Tage | May 4-6, 2001 Braunschweig, Germany http://braunschweiger.linuxtage.de/industrie/ |
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Linux@Work Europe 2001 | May 8 - June 15, 2001 Various Locations http://www.ltt.de/linux_at_work.2001 |
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Linux Expo, São Paulo | May 9-10, 2001 São Paulo, Brazil http://www.linux-expo.com |
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SANS 2001 | May 13-20, 2001 Baltimore, MD http://www.sans.org/SANS2001.htm |
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7th Annual Applied Computing Conference | May 14-17, 2001 Santa Clara, CA http://www.annatechnology.com/annatech/HomeConf2.asp |
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Linux Expo, China | May 15-18, 2001 Shanghai, China http://www.linux-expo.com |
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SITI International Information Technologies Week OpenWorld Expo 2001 | May 22-25, 2001 Montréal, Canada http://www.mediapublik.com/en/ |
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Strictly e-Business Solutions Expo | May 23-24, 2001 Minneapolis, MN http://www.strictlyebusinessexpo.com |
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Linux Expo, Milan | June 6-7, 2001 Milan, Italy http://www.linux-expo.com |
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USENIX Annual Technical Conference | June 25-30, 2001 Boston, MA http://www.usenix.org/events/usenix01 |
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PC Expo | June 26-29, 2001 New York, NY www.pcexpo.com |
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Internet World Summer | July 10-12, 2001 Chicago, IL http://www.internetworld.com |
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O'Reilly Open Source Convention | July 23-27, 2001 San Diego, CA http://conferences.oreilly.com |
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10th USENIX Security Symposium | August 13-17, 2001 Washington, D.C. http://www.usenix.org/events/sec01/ |
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HunTEC Technology Expo & Conference Hosted by Hunstville IEEE | August 17-18, 2001 Huntsville, AL URL unkown at present |
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Computerfest | August 25-26, 2001 Dayton, OH http://www.computerfest.com |
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LinuxWorld Conference & Expo | August 27-30, 2001 San Francisco, CA http://www.linuxworldexpo.com |
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The O'Reilly Peer-to-Peer Conference | September 17-20, 2001 Washington, DC http://conferences.oreilly.com/p2p/call_fall.html |
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Linux Lunacy Co-Produced by Linux Journal and Geek Cruises Send a Friend LJ and Enter to Win a Cruise! | October 21-28, 2001 Eastern Caribbean http://www.geekcruises.com |
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LinuxWorld Conference & Expo | October 30 - November 1, 2001 Frankfurt, Germany http://www.linuxworldexpo.de/linuxworldexpo/index.html |
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5th Annual Linux Showcase & Conference | November 6-10, 2001 Oakland, CA http://www.linuxshowcase.org/ |
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Strictly e-Business Solutions Expo | November 7-8, 2001 Houston, TX http://www.strictlyebusinessexpo.com |
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LINUX Business Expo Co-located with COMDEX | November 12-16, 2001 Las Vegas, NV http://www.linuxbusinessexpo.com |
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15th Systems Administration Conference/LISA 2001 | December 2-7, 2001 San Diego, CA http://www.usenix.org/events/lisa2001 |
LinuxFocus
LinuxFocus is a Linux webzine that's been around for years, but may not be familiar to some LG readers. Unlike LG, which is essentially in English with some foreign-language translations, LF was founded with the goal of providing non-English speakers with "enough [Linux] information in their native language that they can join in the Linux community." Currently, seven languages are fully supported and four more are partially supported. Translations happen both ways: there are currently six French articles waiting to be adopted by English translators. LG fully supports LF and wishes it success.
NetworX and AMD Supply Cluster to Boeing
The Boeing Company is using a Linux NetworX cluster powered by 96 AMD Athlon processors. The system, designed as a high performance cluster, is being used by Boeing Space & Communications in Huntington Beach, Calif. to run computational fluid dynamics applications in support of the Delta IV program. Boeing Delta IV engineers tested multiple processor platforms at Linux NetworX facilities prior to buying the cluster, and selected the AMD Athlon for its price and performance advantages.
Linux NetworX has also announced the development of LinuxBIOS for the Alpha platform. In conjunction with the LinuxBIOS Open Source project, Linux NetworX has replaced SRM firmware on the Alpha platform with a Linux-based BIOS. Users will now have the ability to boot to Linux directly out of the ROM on the motherboard.
Python Software Foundation & Python Cookbook
ActiveState have announced involvement in the launch of a collaborative programming book, the Python Cookbook, with O'Reilly & Associates. The Cookbook will be a repository of reviewed Python recipes that have been contributed by the Python community for the community. It will be freely available for download. For details please go to the website. Activestate will also be a founding co-sponsor of the new Python Software Foundation (PSF). The PSF's is to provide educational, legal and financial resources to the Python community. More information is available in the full press release
Penguin Computing Selects Arkeia Backup for Linux Servers
Knox Software Corp. have announced that the company has entered into a reseller agreement with Penguin Computing Inc. Under the agreement, Penguin Computing will now offer Knox's flagship network backup application, Arkeia, for bundling with Penguin's pre-configured custom Linux servers.
IBM, Biotech and Linux
For more information on IBM's Linux developments, refer to their website.
OEone Teams Up with EarthLink
OEone and EarthLink are working together to integrate EarthLink's Linux based Internet access software with OEone's Internet-computer operating environment platform.
TeamLinux and Muze to Expand Relationship
TeamLinux is to expand its relationship with Muze Inc. to provide hardware support and service for its existing and future kiosk customers. This new multi-year contract provides for TeamLinux to be the premiere provider for all hardware and service. Muze will continue to provide its proprietary software and be the first level of contact for any Muze system issues.
Sair Linux & GNU Certification
Agenda Computing Sell Linux PDA
California-based Agenda Computing are launching a pure Linux PDA (personal digital assistant) to challenge Palm in the war for market share. Each Agenda VR3 and VR3r is loaded with unique software and hardware features like 16MB of Flash memory, which eliminates the problem of data loss associated with RAM-based units. It also supports 7 languages, is e-mail compatible, and will send a memo or message to a printer by wireless infrared transfer.
Keyspan Ships 4-port USB Serial Adapter for Linux
Linux Links
Galleo is a mobile multimedia communicator. It's a nifty-looking PDA with e-mail, web and music capabilities. Unfortunately, their web site is not so nifty: I can't get the menu buttons to show. So click on the Galleo image or try this link to their follow this link to get to the products page and use the text links from there, and click on "Virtual Tour". (Requires Javascript and who knows what [Shockwave?] for the movie.)
The Duke of URL has the following to offer:
Some links from the folks at ZDNet's Anchordesk UK
debianhelp.org offers, um, help on Debian.
Linux Valley, an Italian portal for the Linux operating system, has been updated. It offers a range of interactive and community services.
Microsoft says Linux is a threat to intellectual-property rights. Linux Journal disagrees.
Paranoid Backup is designed to "work with cheap tape drives and cheap tapes without shoe-shining or losing data; to never overwrite old backups; and to use as few tapes as possible."
The Pentagon's research agency is preparing to demonstrate a soldier's radio designed to provide mobile communications among individual troops on the battlefield. The network will be based on the Linux operating system. Courtesy Slashdot.
The Linux Expo Birmingham 2001 web site is now online. For information on other Linux-Expo events, consult their website.
OLinux have an interview with Rick Lehrbaum from LinuxDevices.com. OLinux are also currently looking for an investor or a company willing to translate and promote OLinux around the world.
Doug Eubanks has put together a new Linux/RoadRunner help site. He aims to consolidate the various threads in the field.
An article on Microsoft's complicated licensing terms for enterprise users. The title for the Slashdot link is, "Microsoft Turning Screws on Customers".
Tom's Root/Boot Updated
Tom Oehser has released a minor, but recommended, update to tomsrtbt. Current version is now 1.7.218. Get it from: http://www.toms.net/rb/. This is something everybody should have on hand in case you someday have to boot from an emergency floppy.
AbsoluteX Now Available for Download
Loki Games
Loki Software has announced an agreement with developer-driven computer and videogame publisher Gathering of Developers to bring the hit PC games Rune and Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2 to Linux early this year. Testers are required, register here.
Furthermore, in a race to GPL freedom, Loki Software, Inc. are releasing the latest in their line of open source projects: a complete set of end-user and developer tools for managing software releases.
"Emerald Isle" Ispell
GARLIC Version 1.1 Released
The FIEN Group to Sell
Teamware Office for Linux in the U.S.
Teamware Group , a Fujitsu subsidiary, and The FIEN Group, a Southern California-based technology consulting organisation have signed a partner agreement according to which The FIEN group will sell Teamware Office 5.3 for Linux groupware to customers across the USA. Teamware Office 5.3 for Linux includes facilities for electronic mail, time and resource scheduling, discussion groups as well as document storage and retrieval. The famous Teamware Office groupware suite has been in the market since 1989 and was ported to Linux platform in spring 2000.
Opera to be released as ad-ware
Opera Software has announced that the final release of its Linux browser will be available for free to all users. The free version has full functionality but contains banner ads. If you don't want banner ads, you can register your free copy for $39, or buy the adless version for the same price. If you are interested in this product, Opera 5 for Linux beta 7 is now out.
Open Motif Now Supports Latest Linux 2.4 Kernel Distributions
Integrated Computer Solutions has released an updated version of Open Motif Everywhere. This new release officially incorporates Open Group Patch 3 and Patch 4 into the Open Motif release. These patches include bug fixes and updates to the Motif libraries, clients and the demo source code. RPM (version 4) are also provided for both Red Hat Linux 7, SuSE Linux 7.1 and other distributions using glibc 2.2. The latest ICS Open Motif binary and source packages are available for free download at ICS's Motif Community site, the MotifZone. They are also available for $29.95 on ICS's Open Motif Everywhere distribution CD that can be purchased through the ICS Store.
Kaspersky Lab Introduces the New Version of
Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux
Kaspersky Lab have announced the release of the new version of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux (3.0 Build 135.3). This new version adds several features, including installer support for different Linux distributions, and a ready-made solution to integrate centralised virus filtering for Postfix e-mail gateways. The new version of Kaspersky Anti-Virus is available for download from the Kaspersky Lab Web site. All registered users of previous versions of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux may upgrade to the new version free of charge.
Other software
Rob Pitman has released a LGPL licensed software package that provides a "graphical user interface" between a Java application and an ASCII terminal. The package emulates the API of the Java AWT and the Swing toolkit. It provides "graphical" widgets such as Frames, Dialogs, Labels, TextFields and Buttons. One can design the GUI of an application using any Java IDE and then port it to use a text interface with little work. You can get more information about the package at: http://www.pitman.co.za/projects/charva/index.html.
Mahogany Version 0.62 is out. Mahogany is an OpenSource(TM) cross-platform mail and news client. It supports a range of protocols and standards (POP3, IMAP4, MIME, etc.,), secure communications via SSL, and can be extended using its built-in Python interpreter and loadable modules.
TUXIA specialises in embedded Linux software suites for Internet and Information appliances. TASTE (TUXIA Appliance Synthesis Technology Enabled) is a solution based on Linux Kernel 2.4 with an embedded Mozilla browser and other functionalities, that can be integrated into any hardware platform.