Are open source programmers fools and suckers?

SOURCE by David M Williams

Monday, 30 November 2009

Analyst and consultant Josh Greenbaum has criticised the European Commission’s view that Oracle should jettison MySQL. Part of his argument is that MySQL can’t die because it is open source – and, Greenbaum says, this means there is no end of suckers willing to maintain it for free. This line of argument isn’t new and the open source software model has long been criticised. Microsoft has previously shrugged off open source software as something which doesn’t provide incentive to software developers to innovate. Greenbaum echoes this when he offers an apology to offended open source professionals by saying he believes their interests are best served by no longer working for free and, effectively, making fat-cat speculative investors rich. In part, open source software isn’t about money. Young Finnish student Linus Torvalds certainly wasn’t thinking “how can I monetise this?” when he posted his now-famous Usenet post that he’d made a rudimentary Linux-like kernel. It’s possible Greenbaum hasn’t heard of a little company known as Red Hat Linux. Red Hat is behind two significant Linux distributions today; Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Anyone can download Fedora for free. RHEL, on the other hand, is available to enterprises for a license fee. By working with major server vendors like Hewlett Packard (HP) and IBM Red Hat has successfully certified its operating system on hardware that big companies want to use. Actually, if you want RHEL you can still get it for free, anyway. Being an open source product the source code is available. The CentOS Linux team take this source code, remove the proprietary Red Hat branding, compile and distribute it in the form of CentOS. Thus, you can still have an enterprise-grade Linux at no cost. Going back further, the Linux kernel is maintained by Linus Torvalds still to this day. So, while Red Hat is making money from selling Linux perhaps it is the type of fat cat Greenbaum is thinking of, exploiting Torvalds? Actually, while I have no knowledge of Torvalds wealth or otherwise, he successfully makes a living out of Linux. He is sponsored by the Linux Foundation so that he can devote himself to the operating system without need to pursue other employment. The Linux Foundation in turn draws its revenue from member companies – of which IBM, Red Hat and HP are members, along with Novell and other big names. Similarly, these large organisations have themselves contributed to the Linux kernel, and take some credit for its continued development and improvement. In fact, 70% of contributions to the Linux kernel have come from companies who are paying developers for this work. In case you think the Linux kernel is a special case, consider too that the most widely-used web server powering the Internet is Apache, itself an open source project and with source code given away. Both Linux and Apache are big business. As is WordPress, SugarCRM and many other well-known and widely-used open source systems. So, are these people chumps? Are they working for free? Can you really make a dime out of open source? Yes. It’s important to make the distinction that “open source” isn’t the same as “anti-commercial.” In fact, because open source is accessible – you can download it and use it at no cost and without functionality restrictions – it has a lower barrier to adoption than any commercial product. Test out SugarCRM, for instance, and if it doesn’t suit your needs you’ve only lost time. By contrast, you will barely find any company that lets you test drive Microsoft CRM without lengthy and costly business analysis and gap analysis and project meetings. Here’s where one of the primary open source business models kicks in. If customers have your product already and are using it chances are they’ll need help or need some extra feature. Consequently, open source companies don’t primarily sell licenses but instead services such as support and custom development. This concept isn’t strange and unusual. Since the dawn of time people have been giving things away in order to sell something else. Telcos offer $0 mobile phone handsets if you sign up on a contract phone plan. Finance companies will give you a television or holiday if you take out your loan with them. In the same manner giving away software for free is actually a smart move. It encourages adoption and consumption, and increasing consumption of a product increases the size of the market for any ancillary or derivative product or service that accompanies the product. If the product is unique enough and good enough it can become the market leader. Apache is the world’s leading web server, despite that Microsoft’s Internet Information Server (IIS) ships for free with Microsoft server products. By being free and very good it’s a mammoth task for any person who thinks they can make a competing commercial web server product. You can’t beat Apache on price so it will take an awful lot of work to beat it on features. Consequently, companies and individuals providing paid Apache support can expect continued work for years to come. The same for Red Hat with Linux support, for IBM and HP for Linux server hardware sales and support, the same for WordPress and SugarCRM with custom themes and addons. Indeed, the real ‘suckers’ could possibly be those who continue purchasing proprietary applications and then pay for continued upgrades and maintenance where those products are inferior to open source equivalents. SOURCE

Campbell: Linux presents a competitor to Chrome OS

SOURCE

By Donald Campbell / Columnist

published: Mon, 30 Nov, 2009

An operating systems war has begun.

The possibility of a series of netbooks available for bargain-basement prices became realistic in the minds of computer buyers because of cloud computing and its lack of hefty hardware requirements.

The war might prove not nearly as bitter as the war waged between avid Windows fans and die-hard Apple supporters, but considering the jabs between Google’s Chrome OS and Jolicloud — a new Ubuntu Linux-based cloud operating system for netbooks — the battle looks like it could get pretty heated.

Private invitation-only users currently test Jolicloud, but some people arguing on Computerworld.com’s blogs have, as well.

The approaches that Google and Jolicloud have taken in developing an operating system for “The Cloud” seem to create the main source of contention.

The two operating systems are similar in that their respective developers designed them for low-cost netbooks. They also both rely on Internet applications to provide most of their functionalities.

Both operating systems will allow users to function without a large hard drive, as servers on the Internet store all the data — hence the moniker “cloud.”

Both machines rely heavily on Internet technologies, specifically HTML, JavaScript and CSS, for user interface function and are geared toward running Web applications.

Both operating systems will sport user interfaces that allow quick and easy access to Internet-based information.

Not surprisingly, both operating systems’ developers cite the separation of the Internet and the local machine, prevalent in modern incarnations of Windows, Mac OS X and traditional Linux distributions, as problematic and inefficient.

They differ in underlying platform and generic outlook on the way to look forward for cloud-oriented netbooks.

Google, according to an article on Computerworld.com describing Jolicloud, will actively prevent users from utilizing hard drives on its Chrome OS-enabled netbooks.

It will instead utilize smaller bits of on-board memory for temporary storage, and it will rely completely on the cloud for long-term data storage and application support.

Jolicloud will more resemble traditional Linux, specifically Ubuntu Linux, in that it will include support for hard drives and will gear users’ activities toward the cloud.

Eric Lai, the author of a Computerworld.com article about Jolicloud, described Jolicloud’s approach as allowing some limited local storage, using hard drives within Jolicloud-enabled netbooks, for saving data that users feel reluctant to publish to the cloud.

Jolicloud will also allow users to run specific applications — Lai specifically cites Skype — from a local machine, rather than relying on the cloud to provide application support.

Its developers have also started promoting Jolicloud’s inherent graphical abilities.

Jolicloud has support for the graphics chips that are common among the industry’s top-selling netbooks, allowing them to display high definition graphics. Jolicloud also trumpets a complex, Mac-like user interface.

Tariq Krim, the CEO of Jolicloud, described Google Chrome’s user interface alternatively as “generic.”
In this way, Jolicloud appears to promote itself as a Linux platform first and a cloud solution a close second — Google’s Chrome is comparatively uninterested in pure graphical ability, insofar as it exceeds the requirements of attractive, efficient Internet rendering.

Google plans on aggressively going after the netbook market, while Jolicloud seems to plan to taking over the netbook market by evolution.

Google has started actively seeking contracts with various netbook manufacturers, Lai wrote, to have Chrome shipped with many netbook devices.

Jolicloud’s makers seems content to provide users with a free download of its eventual final product, making it simply to dual-boot machines for users who do not wish to convert entirely and permanently to Jolicloud.

Jolicloud might ultimately prove to be a legitimate competitor to Google’s previously-published plans to take over the netbook market.

Its course seems less severe than Google’s in that its design doesn’t force users to abandon locally stored data and applications.

Ubuntu, the underlying distribution that led to Jolicloud, is also extremely popular. Jolicloud might gain market share simply by having loyal Ubuntu users switching to it on their machines to take advantage of cloud-centric features.

The graphical abilities of Jolicloud and its inherent hardware support of the graphics chips on many popular netbooks will also make the operating system a less painful, and possibly beneficial, transition for users accustomed to traditional Ubuntu distributions on their netbook devices.

SOURCE

Five ways the Linux desktop shoots itself in the foot

Source

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Cyber Cynic

I don't just write about the Linux desktop; I use it every day. At my desk, I tend to use MEPIS and Mint, while on the road, it's Ubuntu on my Dell netbook and openSUSE on my Lenovo ThinkPad. I do this because they work well and they're as safe as a desktop operating system can get. So why aren't more people using them?

Microsoft is the biggest reason. Microsoft is a jealous monopoly that doesn't want to share the desktop with anyone. Desktop Linux is just another target in a long list that has included OS/2, DR-DOS, and -- that eternal thorn in their side -- the Mac. It's no surprise, then, to see in the history of the Linux desktop that Microsoft has always tried to crush it.

The very first attempt at a mass-market Linux desktop, 1999's Corel Linux Desktop, lasted less than a year. Why? In 2000, Microsoft paid off debt-ridden Corel to kill it.

Much more recently, Microsoft, caught by surprise by the rise of Linux-powered netbooks, brought XP Home back from the dead and offered it to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) for next to nothing to stem Linux's rise on low-end netbooks.

It's hard to beat a monopoly that will do whatever it takes to make sure people don't see there's a better, cheaper alternative. I understand that. At the same time, Linux has shot itself in the foot quite often. How?

1) Lack of Linux vendor support

Every Linux distribution has a desktop version. But how many of them actively try to sell them? Not many. Red Hat is the number one Linux vendor, but makes its hundreds of millions from the server, not from the desktop. Canonical, Ubuntu's parent company, has arguably the most popular Linux desktop, but if you look closely, you'll see its hopes for making significant profits lie in server and cloud-based services.

Only Novell, with SLED (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop), tries to make a real business out of the desktop. For everyone else, the desktop gets a lot of lip service, but it's not really part of their core business plans.

2) Lack of Linux advertising and marketing

Companies like IBM and Oracle have made billions from Linux. Along the way, they've spent some advertising and marketing dollars on Linux. But neither they nor anyone else have spent more than pocket change on promoting the Linux desktop.

Think about it. If you use the Linux desktop, chances are you're a techie who deliberately sought it out. Even now, most people have never even heard of Ubuntu, never mind any of the rest.

3) Too much bad techie attitude

In 2009, any reasonably smart person can use any major Linux distribution without much trouble. You can run Linux without ever seeing a shell or manually tuning a conf file. But what if someone new does run into a problem with installing Adobe Flash and asks for help online?

If he or she is lucky, they'll get a considerable and informative answer from an Ubuntu forum or LinuxQuestions. But all too often, I've seen such questions answered with responses like "RTFM you noob! What are you doing running that trash distro anyway! It's GNU/Linux, not Linux!"

Yeah, that's going to encourage new users. If you don't have anything nice and informative to say to new Linux users, then don't say anything. Far too many Linux users seem to confuse acting superior and being rude with how people should act online. It's not.

4) Too much infighting

In a little over a week, Windows 7 is coming out. So, what are hardcore Linux users doing to get ready for the coming of the next major threat to the Linux desktop? A lot of them are fighting about whether Miguel de Icaza, founder of the GNOME and the Mono implementation of .NET on Linux, is "a traitor to the Free Software community."

This is just the latest chapter in the ongoing fight between free-software purists and open-source pragmatists. It's an obnoxious little war that's been flaming up over one personality or issue or another for ages now. I am so tired of this bickering — and more to the point, no one outside of certain developer circles cares. What does matter that is anyone from the outside looking in sees not a group of rational people working to create great systems, but a bunch of loonies fighting over ideological issues.

While otherwise bright people continue to squabble, Microsoft keeps quietly gaining more mind-share and users every day. Good work team!

5) Not enough developer co-operation

Back in 2005, a miracle happened. Linux desktop developers from feuding camps came together in the Portland Project and found out that, when they talked to each other face to face instead of screaming at each other over IRC (Internet Relay Chat), they had more in common than they ever would have believed. The result was a lot of useful cooperation between KDE and GNOME Linux developers.

That's the good news. The bad news is, after two years of working together well, the programmers began drifting away again to work on their own little development islands. There are still efforts afoot to keep Linux desktop programming coordination going, but it's nothing as concrete as it once was.

If Linux is to attract more ISV (independent software vendors) to make desktop programs, the desktop programmers must keep working on interoperability. No ISV wants to write one version of their program for Debian, another for Fedora, and yet another for openSUSE. If the Linux desktop developers keep wandering apart from each other, we'll lose those ISVs, like Adobe, that are willing to release some programs for Linux. That, in turn, will make desktop Linux less attractive to end-users.

If Linux gets all these things right, will it stop the Windows desktop monopoly? Nope. But it will be a good start towards making desktop Linux more competitive. If nothing else, making sure that users always have a good, inexpensive alternative to Windows will always be a worthwhile goal.

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10 Reasons to use Linux for Enterprise Business

SOURCE

For a year now the information technology sector has been suffering under the global economic recession. At this juncture, setting up a network system for any organization could be highly expensive. Linux is an open source OS and edges over it arch rival Windows in several instances when it comes to business. Apart from the fact that they are generally free, Linux is more secure, reliable and customizable than other proprietary counterparts. Some of the most renowned companies in the world, including the bigshots like Amazon, Google, and Yahoo, run their servers with Linux rather than Windows.

Linux is also advocated world wide, as it is an Operating System that has a complete range of suitable applications. Linux distributions come with free web browsers and email clients. In addition, Linux support different efficient, free Office suites like Star Office and Open Office that includes essential productivity applications - Word Processing, Spreadsheet and Database. Let's have a deeper insight whether Linux is a better solution for enterprise business.

1. Saving on Initial outlay

Linux is a free Operating system. Linux is free to use and doesn't levy any charges for the rights of using it. The only cost that you need for running Linux is the cost you need to pay to the IT experts. There are no licenses required for OpenOffice

There excellent Linux distributions like Fedora, CentOS, and Ubuntu with slightly different feature sets beyond the core system. Some of the distributions can also be canned with e-commerce solutions, printed manuals and phone support options.

2. Open source software

Since Linux is an open source code, it can be customized according to the requirements of the company. In order to make changes in the system you can take he help of developers. Again there are thousands of people in the forums who are experts on the subjects. Some of them may even write the software for you.

3. Scalability

Systems under Linux can be cloned several times without any additional software licensing fee. The enterprise business can save on the additional cost for implementation in networking set up.

4. Better hardware utilization

Linux uses the hardware more efficiently than most of the other Operating Systems. With Linux you can run a file server for 20 people on a Pentium 4 machine without any performance issues. This would considerably reduce the cost of hardware and consume less energy for running the servers.

5. Security

Undoubtedly, Linux is the ace when it comes to network security. Linux has a negligible threat of infection by viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware and other malware.

6. Support

The companies relying on Linux is backed up by relative excellence of the support it provides for revenue. For people new to Linux, the quality of free technical support on the forums and internet might be surprising.

The ISVs can reap a host of advantages from Linux. Companies can benefit from their user and developer communities. Any user with a particular concern or requirement might access to the individual developer which would result in more rapid and responsive support. In case the support isn't good enough, the user can always download the software free.

7. Additional facilities

Apart from the system utility tools from Unix world, Linux is usually accompanied by Apache Webserver, an email server, router/firewall capabilities and SQL databases. These are a an added advantage for any web development enterprise.

8. More Compatible

Linux is POSIX Compliant that implies Linux can be operated on other POSIX compliant Unix derivatives. Moreover, it would require minimal reworking.

9. Multiple Source for Software

Linux is not a single source software like Windows and distributed by several companies. This allows the enterprises to select the Linux distribution that suits their needs. For the enterprises requiring more stability CentOS is a secured option. Where as those requiring desktop environment with updated software can go for Fedora.

10 . Rapid Advancement

Linux distributions are in the continuous process of development. Especially, Fedora comes with frequent upgrades. However, CentOS is more stable and server-oriented Linux distribution. Linux has realized quantum advances in a short time

Some of the major factors helping in Linux's advancement are

• The increasing number of active highly skilled developers
• Short development cycle from development team to the end user
• Quantity and quality of feedback from the users and field
• No corporate meddling in the design process
• Independently developed open source subsystems frequently incorporated into Linux

Hacker Runs Ubuntu on Amazon’s Kindle

SOURCE

Amazon’s Kindle family of e-book readers has changed the game on e-books and e-book distribution, by making an intuitive, easy to use e-paper reader into a mass-market publishing platform. Books are now sold on many websites as “Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle”, referencing the format of the book’s publication in varying editions. Now, a hacker has put a variation of Linux on a Kindle 2, raising the question as to what Amazon might do to enhance the device’s range of operative capabilities.

Other e-book readers using e-paper displays are now on the market, and Sony has created a touch-enabled e-paper display, in collaboration with e-Ink, the same firm that produces Amazon’s Kindle monitors. But the Kindle, in part due to the book-publishing focus of its designers and marketers —the device is meant to be as much like reading a book (meaning you don’t search Google on the same page, just because someone whispered something in your ear while you were reading)—, is the paradigm marker.

There is a clear vested interest in not turning the Kindle into a mobile computing platform, because that would make free reading widely available and possibly further undermine Amazon’s sales of hard-copy text, something the Kindle is meant to counter. But Sony’s Reader devices will now make available community library texts and Google Books free copies, and Apple’s iPhone and anticipated touchscreen tablet will put pressure on Amazon to make the Kindle more dynamic and web-ready.

With a hacker successfully running Ubuntu Linux on a Kindle 2, there is an experimental precedent that could lead to new product directions for the Kindle family of devices. Amazon is already experimenting with a very rudimentary web browser, best for text-only viewing, which could benefit from significant optimization in terms of processing power and speed, as well as coordination with web-site and coding designers to make more websites instantly and comfortably text-only.

Privileging text is something the Kindle is designed to do, but making its relationship with non-Kindle media more dynamic, so that the text-first platform Amazon is aiming for can capitalize on the power of the information age. Not aiming for at least that level of interactivity seems, at this point, a bad choice for Amazon.

One blog commenter called the Ubuntu hack for the Kindle “Probably the lowest power netbook in the world”. The comment is telling, because it points out a very important fact of the Kindle paradigm: the e-paper monitor, because it does not require backlighting to operate, only needs power to change what it displays, not to display content, and consumers are aware of this benefit, because it both reduces energy consumption and extends battery life.

E-paper is fundamentally different from LCD and plasma monitors, far less energy intensive, and has its own appeal for a wide range of consumers and industry interests. Creating a fully functional e-paper netbook or handheld computer could be a major breakthrough not only for the device’s producer, but for the direction of publishing and communications technologies.

There is interest, for instance, in using low-energy e-paper to redirect processing power and achieve dramatically higher processing speeds for major computing and web functions (at least where video is not part of the function). Amazon may be ideally positioned to test the ability of e-paper devices to function across computational and web-communications platforms for most communicative functions.

10 Ways Open Source Can Save Your Company

SOURCE

By: Don Reisinger
2009-07-24





NEWS ANALYSIS: Open-source software is coming to the enterprise in a big way. Is it time for companies to start considering it? What does this mean for Microsoft Windows?

Open source. It's the fruit of much labor by many people. It follows the tech world's latest trend of wanting everything and anything to be "open." It could also be a boon for the enterprise.

Open source, by its very nature, makes a program's code available to companies, consumers, or organizations to modify it as they wish. It's a great concept. It means that the community can put more eyes on issues, helping patch security holes sooner. It also means that the software could become more robust as people find unique ways to exploit the code. Microsoft, a company that has stayed notoriously closed since its inception, has said that having a handful of experts constantly searching for security holes in software is more reliable. It's a self-serving comment. And one that probably doesn't hold up too well when we consider the security of Linux, an open-source platform, compared to Windows.

More companies are realizing that. So, they're becoming more willing to release open-source software. Google's Chrome OS will be open source. IBM announced recently that a new "Office in a Box" concept will be open source. Even Adobe is getting in on the action. The company announced recently that it has open-sourced some Flash components. For more about open-source software, please click here.
So, it seems the market is pushing companies toward open-source applications. But are they really best for the enterprise? Every situation is different, but one thing is certain -- companies should consider adopting open-source applications in their operations. Here's why:

1. Trust the community

Some trust needs to be placed in the community. With open source, the users of a respective application are constantly finding ways to improve the software. Some of those people might have far more knowledge than a handful of people collecting a salary from a developer. The community has a vested interest in improving the software. Trust it.
2. Updates come sooner

There's nothing better than having software that's updated constantly. With open source applications, that's possible. As long as a company is actively engaged in the community, the software it's using is far more likely to be updated. Whether it's a security hole that needs to be patched or some added features that the community wants, open-source development cycles tend to bring the updates sooner.

3. Customization

Open-source software allows companies to tailor an application to meet its desire. So, if a company wants to add a feature to a software package or eliminate some extras, it can. That's not possible in closed applications.

4. Cost-effectiveness

Although many open-source applications aren't free, they are more cost-effective, in general, than their closed counterparts. Open-source software tends to be cheaper, since the developer doesn't need to focus on support or development as heavily as it would with closed platforms. It saves them some money, which is then transferred to the end user.

5. Security

Open-source software tends to be more secure. Whenever a security outbreak occurs, it can take as little as a few minutes for someone in the community to develop a patch and release it to the others. There's power in numbers and the open-source community relies upon that to keep everyone safe.

6. Design matters

In a closed application, design isn't always best. And since it's closed, companies will need to suffer with the poor development. In an open-source environment, the same isn't true. Sure, there are some bad designs, but for the most part, companies can tweak the application's look and feel to make it a little more user-friendly. That's refreshing.

7. Simple license management

One of the biggest issues many IT managers face with closed platforms is license management. How many legal downloads can a company use before it needs to buy yet another license? With open-source software, that worry is practically eliminated. Companies can download the software once and start adding it to computers network-wide. Of course, this isn't universal and there are some open-source applications that break that rule, but license management is not nearly as major of a concern as it is in closed environments.

8. Support is everything

Although closed-application developers contend that they provide better support, those claims aren't quite accurate. In an open-source environment, users can query the community, which, in most cases, provides outstanding feedback in little to no time. I've found that open-source support is superior to closed support.

9. High-quality software

For the most part, open-source software is robust, reliable, and of higher quality than many software applications available from developers who keep their programs closed. It's quickly becoming trusted in the enterprise.

10. It's the future!

More and more companies are moving to open-source software. Google is leading that charge, but as major enterprise players like IBM, Adobe, and even Microsoft keep moving that way, it could only be a matter of time before most (if not all) enterprise software turns to open source.

Make sure you're ahead of the curve.

SOURCE

Troubleshooting Ubuntu Server

By Kyle Rankin and Benjamin Mako Hill
Jul 24, 2009

Sample Chapter is provided courtesy of Prentice Hall

SOURCE

This chapter covers some of the general steps you can take to isolate the cause a wide range of Ubuntu Server problems and work out their solutions.

Troubleshooting is a topic that is near and dear to me. While there are many other areas of system administration that I enjoy, I don’t think anything compares to the excitement of tracking down the root cause of an obscure problem. Good troubleshooting is a combination of Sherlock Holmes–style detective work, intuition, and a little luck. You might even argue that some people have a knack for troubleshooting while others struggle with it, but in my mind it’s something that all sysadmins get better at the more problems they run into.

While this chapter discusses troubleshooting, there are a number of common problems that can cause your Ubuntu system to not boot or to run in an incomplete state. I have moved all of these topics into their own chapter on rescue and recovery and have provided specific steps to fix common problems with the Ubuntu rescue CD. So if you are trying to solve a problem at the moment, check Chapter 12 first to see if I have already outlined a solution. If not, come back here to get the more general steps to isolate the cause of your problem and work out its solution.

In this chapter I’m going to discuss some aspects of my general philosophy on troubleshooting that could be applied to a wide range of problems. Then I will cover a few common problems that you might run into and introduce some tools and techniques to help solve them. By the end of the chapter you should have a head start the next time a problem turns up. After all, in many organizations downtime is measured in dollars, not minutes, so there is a lot to be said for someone who can find a root cause quickly.

General Troubleshooting Philosophy

While there are specific steps you can take to address certain computer problems, most troubleshooting techniques rely on the same set of rules. Below I will discuss some of these rules that will help make you a better troubleshooter.

Divide the Problem Space

When I’m faced with an unknown issue, I apply the same techniques as when I have to pick a number between 1 and 100. If you have ever played this game, you know that most people fall into one of two categories: the random guessers and the narrowers. The random guessers might start by choosing 15, then hear that the number is higher and pick 23, then hear it is still higher. Eventually they might either luck into the right number or pick so many numbers that only the right number remains. In either case they use far more guesses than they need to. Many people approach troubleshooting the same way: They choose solutions randomly until one happens to work. Such a person might eventually find the problem, but it takes way longer than it should.

In contrast to the random guessers, the narrowers strategically choose numbers that narrow the problem in half each time. Let’s say the number is 80, for instance; their guesses would go as follows: 50, 75, 88, 82, 78, 80. With each guess, the list of numbers that could contain the answer is reduced by half. When people like this troubleshoot a computer problem, their time is spent finding ways to divide the problem space in half as much as possible. As I go through specific problems in this chapter, you will see this methodology in practice.

Favor Quick, Simple Tests over Slow, Complex Tests

What I mean here is that as you narrow down the possible causes of a problem, you will often end up with a few hypotheses that are equally likely. One hypothesis can be tested quickly but the other takes some time. For instance, if a machine can’t seem to communicate with the network, a quick test could be to see if the network cable is plugged in, while a longer test would involve more elaborate software tests on the host. If the quick test isolates the problem, you get the solution that much faster. If you still need to try the longer test, you aren’t out that much extra time.

Favor Past Solutions

Unless you absolutely prevent a problem from ever happening again, it’s likely that when a symptom that you’ve seen before pops up, it could have the same solution. Over the years you’ll find that you develop a common list of things you try first when you see a particular problem to rule out all of the common causes before you move on to more exotic hypotheses. Of course, you will have problems you’ve never seen before, too—that’s part of the fun of troubleshooting—but when you test some of your past solutions first, you will find you solve problems faster.

continue reading from the SOURCE...

Redmond Releases Code to Linux Kernel Community

Paul Krill, InfoWorld

Jul 21, 2009 4:13 am

Source

Microsoft, which has been at odds with the Linux community over the years because of intellectual property issues, said on Monday it has released 20,000 lines of Linux code to the Linux kernel community.

Available for inclusion in the Linux tree, the code includes three Linux device drivers; it will be available to both the Linux community and customers. It will enhance the performance of the Linux operating system when virtualized on Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 virtualization software, according to Microsoft. Code will be offered under the GNU General Public License 2.

[ About two and a half years ago, Microsoft forged a Linux partnership with Novell that still generates controversy. ]

"We are seeing Microsoft communities and open source communities grow together, which is ultimately of benefit to our customers," said Microsoft's Sam Ramji, senior director of platform strategy in the company's Server and Tools organization, in a statement released by the company. "The Linux community, for example, has built a platform used by many customers. So our strategy is to enhance interoperability between the Windows platform and many open source technologies, which includes Linux, to provide the choices our customers are asking for."

"Today's release would have been unheard of from Microsoft a few years ago but it's a prime example that customer demand is a powerful catalyst for change," said Ramji.

Indeed, Microsoft has been involved in ongoing disagreements with open source advocates, with Microsoft claiming open source projects like Linux violate 235 Microsoft patents.

Ramji also cited the current economic climate as a driving force. "Many companies are turning to Microsoft more frequently to help them succeed in a heterogeneous technology world because we understand that reducing complexity is a key factor to reducing cost. We are seeing interoperability as a lever for business growth," Ramji said.

In a statement, the executive director of the Linux Foundation saw Microsoft's effort as validation of open source.

"We see the move by Microsoft to submit its device driver code to the Linux kernel as a validation of the open source development model and the GPLv2 license," said Executive Director Jim Zemlin. "Even if a bit overdue, we applaud Microsoft for recognizing the value of collaboration in order to compete in today's IT market."

An industry analyst concurred that the move was precedent-setting.

"This is a logical but precedent-setting decision for Microsoft. Credit Microsoft for recognizing the reality that a sizable portion of its customer base was going to be running Linux and Microsoft side by side in virtualized environments, so it would be important to be competitive on an interoperability front," said Stephen O'Grady, analyst at Redmonk.

"For all of its logic, however, this is a move that would have been inconceivable a few years ago, meaning that the glasnost of Microsoft vis a vis open source continues," O'Grady said.

Continuing a recent mantra of accommodations for open source, Tony Hey, corporate vice president of the external research division at Microsoft Research, will address the O'Reilly OSCON (Open Source Convention) audience in San Jose, Calif. this Thursday about the company's commitment to open access, open tools and interoperability in the "heterogeneous world of research," according to a statement from the company. Hey will discuss tools for scientists to process and analyze massive amounts of data to accelerate scientific discovery.

Microsoft also is highlighting on Monday its ongoing investment in optimizing PHP on Windows Server and the Microsoft SQL Server database. The company has had work ongoing on a SQL Server driver available for PHP to support more native features in SQL Server 2008. Microsoft also has partnered with PHP tools vendor Zend Technologies to boost PHP.

Source

New Linux patch could circumvent Microsoft's FAT patents

A Linux developer has published a new kernel patch that provides a workaround to avoid Microsoft's patents on the FAT filesystem. The patch, which has undergone extensive legal review by patent lawyers, could make it possible to use FAT on Linux without having to pay licensing fees to Microsoft.

By Ryan Paul | Last updated July 1, 2009 7:15 PM CT

SOURCE

Microsoft's recent lawsuit against TomTom, alleging infringement of filesystem patents, has left many questions unanswered about the legal implications of distributing open source implementations of Microsoft's FAT filesystem. A new Linux kernel patch that was published last week offers a workaround that might make it possible to continue including FAT in Linux without using methods that are covered by Microsoft's patents.

The patent dispute erupted in February when Microsoft sued portable navigation device maker TomTom. Microsoft claimed that TomTom's Linux-based GPS products infringe on several of its patents, including two that cover specific characteristics of FAT, a filesystem devised by Microsoft that is widely used on removable storage devices such as USB thumb drives and memory cards. The dispute escalated when TomTom retaliated with a counter-suit, but it was eventually settled in March when TomTom agreed to remove the relevant functionality.

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Backing-up your organisation with open source

March 26, 2009 By Fred Strauss

While backup and recovery solutions are considered paramount in most organisations, they are possibly one of the most overlooked procedures in company security policies, mainly because they seem to try to achieve the opposite.

Security demands strong encryption and overall policy control over employee and enterprise-wide information, while backup software tries to simplify the data centre recovery process regardless of platform, location and user, anywhere on the network.

Continue reading from source

Linux: It doesn't get any faster

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Cyber Cynic

Source: computerworld.com

The Windows' fan club likes to point out that Windows is far more popular than Linux. The reason for that has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with monopoly. Nothing shows that better than the semi-annual TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers. In the latest ranking, where performance is everything and nothing else matters, Windows is stalled out at the starting line, and Linux is lapping the field.

Specifically, Linux has increased its already substantial supercomputer market share to 88.6%. Linux is followed by hybrid Unix/Linux systems with 5.8%; Unix, mostly IBM's AIX, with 4.4%; and running close to last, Windows HPC (high-performance computing) with 1%. Only BSD, with a single representative on the list, trails Windows.

In the lead at the number 1 spot with 1.105 petaflop/s (quadrillions of floating point operations per second) is the Los Alamos National Laboratory Roadrunner system by IBM. Roadrunner was the first system, to break the petaflop/s Linpack barrier in June 2008.

How fast is that? According to the Department of Energy, which paid for the Roadrunner, "One petaflop is 1,000 trillion operations per second. To put this into perspective, if each of the 6 billion people on earth had a hand calculator and worked together on a calculation 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, it would take 46 years to do what Roadrunner would do in one day."

And, of course, the Roadrunner is fueled by Linux. In fact, all the top ten run Linux.

The hardware the supercomputers run on is quickly shifting over to multi-core processors. In this latest ranking, only four supercomputers still use single-core CPUs. Quad-core processor-based systems are found in 383 systems, while 102 systems are using dual-core processors. In addition, four supercomputers are now using IBM's Sony PlayStation 3 processor with 9 cores. Yes, that's right, top of the line supercomputers use the same top of the line processors found in PlayStations. Neat isn't it?

Most of the supercomputer processors though come from Intel. To be exact, 399 systems, 79.8% are Intel. IBM Power processors come in second with 55 systems, 11% with AMD Opteron family with 43 systems in the third spot.

Regardless of the processor, one thing isn't just staying the same, it's actually growing, and that's Linux in supercomputers. When being the fastest of the fast is all that matters, Linux isn't just winning, it's extending its lead.

History of Linux Quiz

So ... you think you know Linux, the operating system that is as much a product of evolution as invention.

Think you know Linux? Take the History of Linux test at PCWorld and test your geek knowledge.

5 Ways to Decide on a Linux Distribution

Source: daniweb.com

by Ken Hess

Prejudices and opinions aside, at some point in your career you'll be asked to select a viable Linux distribution for your corporate network. How will you choose? Will you use the same distribution that you use at home or will you do some research and find something that's corporate-ready? Are you up to the task? Do you know what to look for in a distribution to support a corporate environment?

Here are 5 ways to decide on a Linux distribution for your corporate network.

1. Commercial Support - This is a sore subject among some Linux types since most believe they can solve any foreseeable problem or glitch that happens. When you're dealing with multiple--possibly hundreds--server systems, sometimes you need help, you need it fast and you need to have it setup and ready before you need it. Your distribution should be backed by a stable company--a community just won't do when you're faced with a major outage situation and the clock is ticking and you don't have time to troll forums or "google" for an answer.

2. Multiple Repositories - A repository is how apt-get, yum, smart and other repository querying tools reach out and grab updates and new software for your distribution. Most distributions do have multiple repositories, however, I think that if one were to count up the available number of repositories worldwide, Debian and its derivatives would have the edge. Still there's also the possibility of creating your own software repository and I highly recommend the practice. Use wget or some other automated recursive download tool to keep your repository in sync with one of the remote ones.

3. Security - The distribution you choose must also have a dedication to security. It must be backed by a vigilant security team who must update as frequently as necessary to mitigate any security issues with OS-level or application-level security flaws. Being open source has its disadvantages as well as many advantages. One of those significant disadvantages is that black hatted hackers have access to the source code as well and may exploit any weaknesses in the software. Ask a lot of questions about security to make sure you're protected.

4. Usability - There is really only one way to determine usability for you and your users: Download and install. You can't depend on conjecture, marketing or emotion to make your decision. Work with the product. Have your users work with the product. Look at the available administrative tools and put them through their paces. Your distributions should have equally accessible and usable tools in KDE/GNOME and at the command line. Yes, the dreaded command line since most server systems won't, or shouldn't, have a GUI installed.

5. Price - Let's be realistic here; price is important. In fact, it might be the most important aspect when choosing a distribution for corporate adoption. Yes, many distributions are free but remember the first item in this list: Commercial Support. Free is great but unless you have a group of extremely talented people supporting your infrastructure, you'll need it. Compare prices for your narrowed-down list of distrubutions and determine whether you can live without some of a more expensive distribution's perks. Don't forget to ask for a volume discount if you're purchasing multiple copies or are supporting a large installation. Often they're offered up front but it never hurts to negotiate a better deal and everything's negotiable.

You might feel strongly about but is it a good fit for a corporate environment. What about support? What about price? What about security and software updates? Would you be comfortable running your business on it?

My best advice is to go with a distribution that makes everyone happy: You, other administrators, management and the accountants.

15 Classic Linux Tips

Source: extremetech.com

By Jim Lynch

Please note that this will be the last issue of Top Tips. So I figured it would be fun to finish up with 15 classic Linux tips. Hope you enjoy them.

Thanks to all of you who have contributed to Tops Tips via your posts in the forum over the years. You did a great job helping people that needed it. Thanks!

Which Debian Based Distro for Newbie
For a first time debian user, which distro should I download and then burn to disk? Would it be the "binary" disk images? I read somewhere that all I really need is disk 1, but that disks 2-7 are all just special interest apps...is this true?

I have a Pentium III, 1Ghz Dell Dimension 4100.

NT services and Linux
Does anyone know of a utility that will let me control services on an NT-based system (specifically, Windows XP Pro, but that shouldn't matter) over the LAN directly from a Linux box without the use of remote control? CLI or GUI is fine, though I prefer the GUI. Seems like it would be part of SAMBA, as SAMBA knows pretty much how to speak Windows, but I didn't see any reference to that sort of thing in the documentation. I want to be able to start and stop services and change their startup type.

Can I Add KDE to My Ubuntu Linux System?
Can I get KDE for my Ubuntu installation?

Is Linux Immune to Viruses?
I am wondering about Linux and viruses. I have an acquaintence who claims to be very knowledgable on Linux (I am not...at all), make the statement that "there are no Linux viruses. You do not require protection for them. It is just a Windows thing. No Linux system has ever had a virus. That is because Linux is not a bootable program.

You can actually boot Linux from a floppy disk. Every time you boot it up it is sanitary. The biggest problem with Linux though from what I have heard is there is no compatibility with Windows at all unless you partition your hard drive and use half of it on Linux and the other half breed with Windows. You can not use modems, even simple dial up programs do not work. You have to script your own."

So is this guy full of it or is he right? I would really appreciate some input here, and some examples if possible.

Need a Hand w/XP-Xandros Install
I know the "how's the best way to do this" question has already been asked but...

I'm starting with a brand new 80GB drive- just out of the box- nothing done to it. I was going to go 55GB for XP- the rest for Xandros.

I've been reading online & found what sounded like a quick & easy install:

Using the "custom" partition choice at the beginning of Xandros, make the two partitions, the 1st (for XP)- as FAT32 & the second as ReiserFS for Xandros.

The instuctions go on to say to do the partitions but stop & then load XP- reformatting at that time as NTFS. Then go back after & let Xandros do it's thing- including installing it's boot manager. OK- seemed fairly straightforward- except...

I hit a screen asking if I want a boot manager on Hda- w/a copy going onto the other part. (no choice on the copy). Do I? Or do I say no & back out of this in the next screen? I don't want to do a step now that I'll regret later on.

Is this a good install plan or...?

IP Software for Debian Linux
Is there a program for debian linux that can tell me what IPs my computer is accessing and what IPs are accessing my computer and the port?

Linux Home Network?
I have my house wired for 10/100 via a 3COM 10/100 hub. I have two terminals running Mandrake 9.2, and two terminals running 98SE, I also have an old notebook running 95, and am toying with creating a BSD system. I can hit all of them with CAT5 cable.

How do I get these to talk to one another?? I would like to share out printers, and possibly a slow dialup connection. I would like to do file transfers and share out file some applications (In other words - about everything imaginable).

Looking for any leads or good HOWTO pages.

Remote Hosting...Windows to Linux?
Ok..heres the thing..setting up a server that will be running Debian, in order for me to keep cost down I need to be able to do basic upkeep remotely over the internet. My system at home uses win2k and I would rather not install a full linux to it (I do use knoppix from time to time)..what are some good programs that cross from one to the other for this?

Need to Defrag in Linux?
I was wondering if there is a defrag utility for Linux (I have RHL 9).

Can someone point me to a site that has info on how to use the 'task scheduler' that is under system tools?

Linux Boxes on a Windows Network?
I'm wondering how well Linux networks with Windows. Not just in terms of being able to communicate on a network, but in terms of security, too.

Can a Linux box be configured to log on to an NT domain, for instance, and can it be integrated into Active Directory?

Enable DMA in Linux?
How do I enable DMA? I am a new Linux user.

Best Card for Hassle-Free Sound in Linux?
Which budget sound card would you recommend as the most likely to be configured automatically by a majority of Linux distros? Which high-end card?

SuSE 8.2, my main OS, is the only distro to successfully configure my AD1885 sound chip. I have been experimenting with Slackware 9.0 and Debian/Knoppix and have wasted far too much time trying to enable sound. I am considering getting a new sound card and I want to make sure that it is well supported and easily configured without recompiling my kernel, inserting modules, or installing ALSA.

Wireless Networking and Linux
Can anyone tell me if their is support in linux for wireless cards. I connect wirelessly to my main computer in the office with my laptop when im in the livingroom and so far have not been able to connect through my linux partitions when they are both using them.

Nvidia Driver and Tux Racer?
So I got the latest NVDIA driver installed on red hat 9 (store bought) and it went fine and at the end it says make sure to configure x86 as needed, since I am clueless about that, after I rebooted ( cause I had to go into windows for something) and then got back to rh 9, i tried to open tuc racer and it as gone. befrore the driver install it would open, but of coutrse without the 3-d acceration it's unplayable.

Now the icon is there but nothing hapens when it's clicked. so I guess there's some sort of configuration issue. I insatlled the driver in runlevel 3 and the install seemed to go fine. It's the correct driver, but i'm clueless what to do nex. (I have always, since dos been command line challenged so if there's a lot of that to do to make this work im gonna have a headache) Nevertheless im willing to take a stab at it if someone has any suggestions.

Multimedia in Linux
I want to migrate from Windows to Linux, So I install it and begin solve the problems I meet until I can use it completely rather than Windows. The problem I like to solve is the multimedia problem, I have a lot of songs, clips, movies with different formats. I need a program under Linux which can view all this types of media, can any one help?

IBM picks open-source in Oracle database fight

Compatibility is a company called EnterpriseDB

By Gavin Clarke in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Enterprise, 22nd April 2009 17:02 GMT

IBM is licensing technology from an open-source database company it's invested in, hoping to convince Oracle customers they should switch to its next DB2.

The giant has licensed capabilities in five-year-old EnterpriseDB's Postgres Plus Advanced Server, which EnterpriseDB claims will cut by 90 per cent the cost of moving off Oracle. The technology is expected to appear in the next version of DB2, version 9.7, to be announced today.

EnterpriseDB's Postgres Plus Advanced Server provides compatibility with Oracle's PL/SQL on Postgres, simplifying the migrations of application and customer data off of Oracle and on to the open-source database.

IBM's licensing reveals a subtle shift in tactics by the company. It is moving from competing outright for Postgres and MySQL customers, to working with EnterpriseDB to harness Postgres in a way that can help erode the market share of leader - Oracle.

Until now, IBM has used cut-down or free versions of DB2 - DB2 Express and Express-C on Windows and Linux - to woo potential Postgres customers and users of Sun Microsystems' MySQL.

The news, or course, comes as Oracle is set to ramp up the database competition on all fronts with its planned purchase of MySQL through the Sun deal.

Continue reading from the source.....

Windows 7 Starter Won't Open Any Doors for Android or Linux

by Lance Ulanoff

Buzz up!on Yahoo!

Tell me if you've heard this before: Microsoft's decision to limit Windows 7 Starter to running three concurrent programs at a time opens up a huge opportunity for Android. It's the premise of a wrong-headed column by Seth H. Weintraub on Computerworld. It sounds reasonable, but for me there was an eerie echo. I seem to recall that Microsoft Vista travails would also open up an opportunity for Linux.

Let's get real, folks. There is no opportunity for Linux or Android, for that matter, on the desktop. This is not case of my dislike of either platform, mind you. In order to understand what upstart platforms can and can't do against the world's most-widely-used OS, we need only look at history (even recent history will do).

First, though, let's return to the Computerworld article. In it, Weintraub points to a now oft-cited The Wall Street Journal report about how Microsoft is making just $15 per license on netbooks running Windows XP. That's not much, and Weintraub states that Microsoft is doing this to "stave off broad adoption of Linux." Ha!

Let's look at what really happened when a good portion of early netbooks shipped with Linux: They were returned! Consumers did so because netbooks targeted the least tech-savvy, most cost-conscious rung of the market. Not exactly a good fit for Linux, which, while a great OS, can get a bit confusing at times (i.e. adding apps, updating drivers, finding things in the varied distro interfaces, etc). Microsoft was pushed into offering Windows XP on netbooks because manufacturers were desperate. If they didn't replace Linux, the market would have suffered an untimely death. Against its own best interest, Microsoft has allowed netbooks to extend the life of Windows XP.

Now let's look at Linux offspring Android's opportunity to take it to Microsoft and Windows.

As you know, I've been running Windows 7 Ultimate for months. It's a good OS and could make people forget about Microsoft's Vista blunders. Windows 7 Starter is the low-end edition in the Windows 7 line. Interestingly, under Vista, "Starter" was only available in third-world countries and the abysmal "Basic" was the low-end, entry-level OS in the Vista line.

Windows 7 Starter doesn't sound much better than Basic. Running just three apps at once could be a buzz kill for almost any user. (What happens when Internet Explorer or FireFox opens multiple tabs? They're seen as separate processes in Windows. Does this mean Starter will see those tabs as separate apps? I hope not.)

Weintraub and others insist that this latest Microsoft blunder opens the door wide for Google Android. I know that Android-based computers could show up in market before the end of this year. As a result, I've been walking around with a T-Mobile G1 for the last few weeks, trying to assess its desktop chops. So far I'm not convinced. It's nice looking and relatively fast (though the phone takes a solid minute plus to launch the OS). Still, the OS feels a bit lightweight to power a PC. Acer admitted to having an Android desktop prototype, but the company isn't jumping to roll it out into its retail channel.

Even if Android is desktop ready right now, I still don't think it can win or even grab measurable PC market share, and the reasons are very simple. Microsoft released Windows Vista in late 2006, and it was a disaster from the get-go. Don't get me wrong. The operating system, especially SP2, is decent, solid, and usable. It's also an excellent case study for what can happen when you over-promise and under-deliver.

Continue reading from the source....

Shuttleworth: Oracle now largest open source player

by Paula Rooney

Oracle’s planned acquisition of Sun not only makes it a hardware giant but also a huge open source player, Ubuntu’s founder said.

On Monday, Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical and Ubuntu Linux, said the deal makes Oracle one of the largest if not the largest open source software player.

And he doesn’t seem too worried that the proprietary software company will kill Sun’s open source Java, OpenSolaris and MySQL jewels, in spite of Oracle’s hold on the database market.

“I’m sure Oracle has carefully thought through everything it committed [itself] to [and] there will be no reversal of the idea that Java should be widely available and available as open source,” Shuttleworth said during a press conference today to launch ubuntu 9.04 upgrade.

“It’s a one-way trip,” Canonical chief said about the process of making software open source. “What is interesting [about the Oracle-Sun deal] is that it really cements the idea that free and open source software is the profound driving force in software today. ”

He noted that 80 percent of all software revenues go to just five companies — and one of them just bought Sun, the “world’s biggest free and open source software company” for a whopping $6 billion. “Part of the reason is that open source is dominating the innovation pipeline,” Shuttleworth said. “It cements the idea that open source and free software is the big game. What [SAP, Microsoft and other large proprietary software companies] can’t do is ignore it.”

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RP retailer goes for Linux-based system

SOURCE

MANILA, Philippines – Local retailer Puregold is deploying a Linux-based point-of-sale or POS system, as it looks to cutting down costs on security while expanding its network of stores.

Puregold has ordered more than 2,000 licenses of TPLinux software, according to Paderborn, Germany-based Wincor Nixdorf, which sells niche solutions for banks and retail firms.

These licenses will cover Puregold’s network of 36 hypermarket stores in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, the German firm said.

Puregold is the first Philippine-based firm to use the German firm’s open source-based software, according to the German company.

The company is looking to cut overall licensing costs in terms of security while standardizing on an open-source platform, covering both current and future store openings.

TPLinux has the capability to run on other vendors’ hardware as well as Wincor Nixdorf’s own systems.

“We wanted to cut the cost of buying anti-virus licenses and save on the cost of the license of (Microsoft) Windows per POS,” said Ruel Magat, Puregold’s IT Manager.

Magat said the company was looking for a POS system that can handle anywhere between 3,000 to 5,000 customers that visit any given Puregold store on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, Christian Charlton, Wincor Nixdorf’s Asia Pacific head of retail solutions, said Puregold also intends to use the open source-based software to boost its customer-related initiatives such as promos and discounts.

Apparently, using Linux is a crime at Boston College

SOURCE

The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported over the last couple of days that a Boston College computer science student has been targeted by BC police largely on the basis of using Linux. No, really - I’m serious.

School officials allege that this student sent an email to a school list outing another student as gay. Assuming he actually did this, it’s clear that this wasn’t particularly nice, professional, or tolerant; I’ll leave it to the lawyers to judge whether it was illegal. Regardless, the real problem here is not whether the student was professional or respectful of his peers, but that Boston College police seized several items, citing his use of Linux as probable cause supporting their actions.

According to the EFF,

In his application, the investigating officer asked that he be permitted to seize the student’s computers and other personal effects because they might yield evidence of the crimes of “Obtaining computer services by Fraud or Misrepresentation” and “Unauthorized access to a computer system.”

Access to the school’s computer system would hardly have been unauthorized since the computer science major is employed by the BC IT department and even their warrant application notes that he is considered a “master of his trade among his peers.” The warrant application, though, takes on comic proportions as the investigating officer describes the young man’s computer system:

Mr. Calixte [the student in question] uses two different operating systems to hide his illegal activities. One is the regular BC operating system and the other is a black screen with white font which he uses prompt commands on.

I’m not saying that Mr. Calixte didn’t do anything wrong. It’s even possible that the BC police know something we don’t. However, their seizure of, among other items, his Ubuntu CD, seems to suggest that not using “BC’s operating system”

continue reading from the SOURCE....

7 Things You Need to Know About Conficker

SOURCE

On Wednesday, April 1, the latest variant of the Conficker (also known as Downadup and Kido) work will download new instructions. The sophistication of this worm and its botnet have many concerned, although the amount of legitimate concern is a matter of debate.

If you're concerned, then here are the 7 most important things to know about Conficker:

1. The overwhelming majority of systems infected with Conficker were infected through a vulnerability in the Windows RPC facilities. This vulnerability was patched in October. If you installed that patch before Conficker came out (late December '08) then you were protected and still are. If you haven't installed the update then it's essential that you do so. Windows Vista is technically vulnerable in this way, but the exploit is almost impossible to execute on it. Conficker is basically an XP problem.

2. Conficker can also spread through network shares, including those that have weak passwords; the worm executes a "dictionary attack" in which a list of common passwords (think "password", "asdf", etc) are used to gain access to the share. So if you find new executables on such drives they may be infected. Treat them as you would a program that got e-mailed to you unsolicited, and we hope that means you'll avoid it and report it to a network admin if you have one. A good anti-malware program will detect it at this stage.

CONTINUE READING FROM THE SOURCE.....

Giving Linux That 'XP' Factor

Keir Thomas, PC World | Wednesday, March 25, 2009 11:22 AM PDT

Everybody has a version of Windows that's their favorite. What version it is depends a lot on your age. Some of my older colleagues swore blind thatWindows 95 was the pinnacle of computer science, at least when it was released. I remember hearing a certain phrase over and over again in the late 90s: "Microsoft have got it just right with 95."

For others, Windows 98 is their favorite. This was effectively Windows 95 Mark II, of course. For some desperately misguided souls, Windows Me tops their list.

(Have you noticed a curious feature about Microsoft is that they take two or three attempts to get things right? We see this playing out right now withWindows 7, which is effectively Windows Vista Mark II. Xbox 360 is Xbox Mark II, and nobody really used Windows until it reached version 3.1 back in 1992.)

For most people, XP is their favorite Windows. If asked to express a preference, I'll probably agree, despite the fact I'm an open-source guy. It's a solid and functional operating system.

Somehow Microsoft got everything just right with XP, but it's extremely hard to quantify exactly what. The gut reaction is to say that it's easy to use, but I don't think that's true. Many people I've worked with fail to grasp even XP's basic concepts, despite years of use. Often I'll explain something as simple as the search function of file browsing windows, and their eyes will widen as if I've just revealed the location of the Holy Grail. Unlike, say, OS X, Windows has never gone out of its way to be easy to use.

Does XP come with all the features we need, then? Far from it. It's shocking how basic a fresh installation of XP is. It's almost useless. Few media file formats are supported by Windows Media Player, for example. XP doesn't read PDF files. Practically none of your hardware will be supported. But, of course, all of these vital features are just a free download away, and this is perhaps a key point: it's easy to mould XP into how you like it. There's a whole industry devoted to just that purpose.

Continue reading from the SOURCE

Distributions: The big and the small

SOURCE

Linux distributions (the Linux kernel plus a desktop and applications) come in many flavours. Here's an overview of just a few of the recent releases

by Alexandra Kleijn (akl)

While the community distributions Fedora and Ubuntu, as well as Mandriva, prepare for their spring releases, Novell has been busy completing final adjustments to SUSE Linux Enterprise. Smaller Linux distributions are also doing some spring cleaning and publishing updated versions.

The Ubuntu countdown: This week will see the release of the first beta of the upcoming Ubuntu 9.04 release (aka Jaunty Jackalope), with the final releaseexpected on the 23rd of April. The next version of Mandriva, Mandriva 2009.1, is scheduled to be released on the 29th of April, following the first release candidate that was made available on the 11th of March. Ubuntu will have support for the Ext4 file system alongside the new 2.6.68 Kernel, however, the default file system will continue to be the proven Ext3. Fedora 11 is expected to be released at the end of May and will use Ext4 as its standard file system. The Fedora teamrecently announced that the Fedora 11 beta, originally scheduled to be released on the 24th of March, has been delayed an additional week.

The Debian Project has officially signaled the start of the development ofSqueeze, the next stable version of Debian. The developers have not yet announced a release schedule. The project team released the long awaitedDebian 5.0 Lenny in the middle of February. The Team also recently updated the Debian Policy and the Package Policy. Elections for the new Debian Project leader are scheduled to run from the 29th of March through to the 11th of April. The only other candidate this year is Stefano Zacchiroli, who is running against the incumbent, Steve McIntyre.

openSUSE has announced a release cycle of eight months. The upcoming release of 11.2 (code-named Fichte) is aimed at November, eleven months after the release of the currentversion 11.1, which arrived just before Christmas. Meanwhile, there were increasing signs of an early release of the upcoming version 11 of SUSE Linux Enterprise. Novell provided a sneak preview of pre-release versions of both SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 as well as Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) 11 in late February and released them both on the 24th of March.

Later this week, CentOS version 5.3 is expected to appear. The Red Hat clone, which traditionally releases a few weeks after the final releases of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), this time is a little late.Scientific Linux 5.3, also a Red Hat clone, appeared late last week. Just like CentOS, the developers built the distribution from the Quell packages of Red Hat Linux. However, the Scientific Linux developers have added some of their own extras and the distribution is backed by several scientific institutions, includingFermilab and CERN.

After nearly two years, this month saw the release of a new version of PCLinux OS, a Mandriva derivative with its own additions that has attracted a growing community of German users. In contrast to the rpm-based Mandriva, PCLinuxOS uses the packet manager from Debian and Ubuntu with the graphical front end from Synaptic. A community version with the alternative desktop GNOME was released alongside the official KDE version (KDE 3.5.10 – the features of KDE 4 did not suit the developers). The team, however, didn't want to wait for the recently published 2.26.0 release of GNOME, so PCLinuxOS GNOME 2009.1 is based on GNOME 2.24.3.

The slim Zenwalk Linux arrived at version 6.0 with theXfce 4.6 desktop environment a few weeks ago. It was shortly followed by the release of Zenwalk GNOME 6.0, which included the new 2.26.0 release of the GNOME desktop.

There is now a new version of Absolute Linux, a lightweight Slackware-based distribution, which includes the IcwWM window manager and a new version ofFrugalware Linux. The developers of Absolute Linux 12.2.3 consider Ext4 stable enough to use it as the standard file system for automated installations. The Frugalware developers are more conservative and continue to use Ext3 as a base for standard installations. Noteworthy in the recent Frugalware release is the new PPC (Power PC) port and support for ASUS Eee PC netbook models.

Persian speaking Linux enthusiasts are likely to enjoy the new 2.0 version of ParsixGNU / Linux. The GNOME centric distribution is based on the testing branch of Debian and comes as an installable Live CD. It contains several free Persian fonts, an English-Farsi dictionary and works well with the Persian keyboard layout.

Tiny Core is a small minimal version of Linux only 10 MB in size. Tiny Core is based on the 2.6 Linux kernel, features the BusyBox tool collection and a minimal graphics system based on Tiny X and the window manager Jwm. The mini-distribution can be expanded to include additional applications with the help of online repositories. The system can boot from CD or a USB drive and then be installed to a hard drive. Tiny Core Linux can function on as little as a i486DX processor and 32 MB of RAM.

SOURCE