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The month of October has been, at least to this writer, one of discovery. The technical one was by far the easier of the two: changing Linux distributions. While I've done my best to keep tabs on the literally hundreds of different versions of Linux available, at the end of the day one needs to settle down and pick one for everyday use. Operating systems are (and rightfully should be) the boring means-to-an-end part of one's IT needs. But that doesn't mean that the OS should be taken for granted - some are more useful than others.

It has 10 main predictions for 2007, but numbers nine and 10 affect Microsoft. It reckons Microsoft's anti-piracy efforts on client operating systems will backfire, and that will drive customers towards Linux.

The two companies announced a partnership and support agreement last week to optimize the interaction between MySQL databases and Open-Xchange groupware functions. Open-Xchange customers won't have to pay extra for product support for MySQL, they said.

gvSIG, the Open Source (GNU/GPL license) Geographic Information System developed by the Generalitat Valenciana reaches its version 1.0. With this release, gvSIG presents itself as an integrated GIS + SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructure) client, able to combine data from different local and remote sources (web services) and at the same time include advanced editing, geoprocessing, scripting language support and georeferencing among other features.

Many products are moving from commercial closed-source to open or part-open source. This article looks at a product that has moved from classic open source to more overtly commercial, while remaining open source. In doing so, we look at the licensing nuances that affect its use both as an open source and a commercial product.

In light of the explosion in social networking sites (Myspace, Facebook, Xanga et cetera) and Web 2.0 communities, social network analysis is hotter than ever. A new open source library released today (libSNA) helps social scientists and software developers rapidly create experiments and computer programs to understand emerging social networks.

Fallout from the Microsoft-Novell pact continued last week when the leading Linux group, Open Source Development Labs, cut nine of its staff of 28, including CEO Stuart Cohen, who resigned. OSDL's most famous employee, Linus Torvalds, owner of the Linux trademark and head of Linux kernel development, still works there.

Solaris(TM) 10 OS-Powered Sun System(TM) Packs Simplify IT Acquisition and Help Accelerate Return on Investment by Integrating Services With Systems In a Single Offering

This article outlines an approach you can use while tackling memory leaks, and it discusses how to take advantage of the MALLOCDEBUG tool that is supplied with AIX.

When the average computer user thinks about security, they usually think about reactive measures like anti-virus programs or security patches -- responses to a specific threat. Such measures play a role in securing a workstation or a network, but they are often less than half the story. A more efficient approach is to configure a system securely from the start. Yet the realities of the software market and IT management, as well as efforts to increase user convenience, often mean that security by configuration is neglected, despite the straightforwardness of most of the steps needed to obtain it.

Mandriva Flash is a 2GB Dane-Elec USB key loaded with Mandriva Linux 2007. It gets points for style: the key is an attractive deep blue surrounded by a sturdy metal fence that leaves room on both ends to attach the key to a lanyard or keychain. The release notes say that the operating system and related files only take up half the space on the USB drive, leaving 1GB for my own files. This little powerhouse packs a lot of punch, once you get it up and running.

New OFR Release Eases Integration Of Third-Party Packages For Added Flexibility

Survey commissioned by the two companies asserts that their high-profile agreement will drive customers away from joint rival Red Hat.

[I would rather have seen Novell and Red Hat join forces. Sheesh! - dcparris]

The World's first and fastest Gentoo Linux powered distribution now has made a new record, AIGLX and XGL support on a single, powerful and cutting edge LiveCD, thanks to Beryl, Emerald (and the Beryl Project team) and the full power of hardware accelerated GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap. We were the first to support XGL on a Live system, and now, we are yet again the first to support the future of the Desktop Linux platform. We are proud to provide you the best Linux experience.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates once likened the open-source movement to communism, but there was little evidence of that on Tuesday when Linux specialist Red Hat took over the New York Stock Exchange.

I spent December seventh, eighth, and ninth in Seattle as Microsoft's guest. Microsoft flew me there from Florida at its expense, put me up in a nice hotel, provided decent food, and comped me and four other invitees to this "special conference" with presentations about the marvels of Vista and other recent or upcoming Microsoft products. They didn't quite play the old Beatles song "Love Me Do" in the background, but it was the event's unstated theme. And, as a free bonus, Microsoft gave me a free Zune to pass on to a developer who wants to put Linux on it or make a utility that will allow it to interact with a PC running Linux.

Microsoft and Novell are touting the results of a new survey (paid for by Microsoft and Novell) that found 200 IT managers to be largely in favor of the interoperability deal announced on November 2 by the two software vendors.

The Congressional attempt to update the nation's 1996 Telecommunications Act died with the pounding of the gavel that recently ended the 109th Congress.

Microsoft today claimed that there is "strong customer support" for its recent alliance with Novell. The Redmond giant said that a survey of IT decision makers it commissioned from market research firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates shows overwhelming support for the deal. Nearly all respondents were said to want to improve Windows/Linux interoperability and have tools that make it easier to manage mixed Windows and Linux environments.

Thunderbird 2 Beta 1 is a developer preview release of our next generation Thunderbird email client and is being made available for testing purposes only. Thunderbird 2 Beta 1 is intended for our testing community.