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For KDE users and contributors who aren't Jabber addicts yet, a new public Jabber server is available at kdetalk.net.

Oracle acquired Innobase, a company that develops open-source database technology, for an undisclosed sum, marking the software company’s 11th acquisition in less than a year. Innobase is most known for InnoDB, which is a transactional database technology that is distributed as part of the MySQL database, an open-source data management system.

Unisys is putting Open Source Java technologies directly on the mainframe, in a way to let CIOs better let the two environments speak with each other. The idea behind Unisys’ Java-on-the-mainframe architecture for its Clearpath line of mainframes is three-fold: # (1) to improve the scalability, security and transactionlity integrity of J2EE apps; # (2) to make it easier for J2EE and mainframe assets to communicate with one another; and # (3) to provide n-tier Java/J2EE and mainframe developers a “back door” entry point through the mainframe-based J2EE app server to achieve complex (or tricky) updates/changes to mainframe programming.

Red Hat, Inc. (Nasdaq: RHAT), the world’s leading provider of open source to the enterprise, today announced that University of Stirling in Scotland has migrated its SAP application servers, that manage the Human Resources and Payroll functions, to run on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The migration has resulted in a three fold improvement in performance and in lower project costs.

The founder of one of the UK's largest independent open source service companies claims that consolidation is likely among European companies that provide services around open source products. Peter Dawes-Huish, the founder and chief executive of LinuxIT, said on Friday his company has had two "serious" acquisition approaches and a number of exploratory discussions with other potential buyers over the last year. He claimed that medium-sized open source vendors and larger companies that are looking to get into the open source market are likely to seek acquisitions to enable growth.

One of the features some users overlook in OpenOffice.org is its built-in programming language, OpenOffice.org Basic. Why would you want a programming language built into your word processor? It's there to help you to automate tasks. It won't make the tea for you, but it will help you to carry out many repetitive jobs with a minimum of effort.

The phrase "open source license" refers to a large number of agreements that license the copyrights inherent in software widely, fairly, and with the fewest restrictions possible. While all open source licenses share similar intentions, each license typically accomplishes its goal by different means. This article, written by Editor in Chief of the Linux Magazine Martin Streicher, describes the tenets of copyright and explains the intents of an open source license.

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Ingram Micro Inc., the world's largest distributor of computer products, rose sharply Wednesday after it said it had struck a deal to sell a version of the Linux operating system.

The IBM Information Management group has been taken over by Ambuj Goyal following the retirement (actually she's not gone yet but will be doing so shortly) of Janet Perna. As a result, he and his team have been busy briefing analysts as to the company's plans, particularly at a recent event in Boston.

If you're new to Linux or know someone who is, here's an explanation of what's in the /etc subdirectory.

Newcomers to Linux, especially those coming from a Windows background, often find files in the /etc directory to be difficult to understand. In this article, I provide a brief explanation of some of these files and their uses. Before we dive into the /etc directory however, I would like to point out that changes to some of these files can render your system unstable or in some circumstances unbootable. I cannot emphasize enough that you should make a backup of these files before making any changes.

GoblinX is a Live-CD that is based on the excellent Slackware distribution. It is directed towards those users who appreciate quality applications and a workspace that is both practical and beautiful. GoblinX contains some of the most often used and praised applications for Linux. click on the ~Applications~ button to see which ones.

We tried. We gave up.

Dell this week received much praise for releasing a new version of its "open source" PC. The computer fits into Dell's n Series range of Windows-less systems. These ship with a copy of FreeDOS in the packaging material - but not installed on the PC - which is apparently a bizarre concession to Microsoft. While Dell garners glowing reviews for shipping such an open source OS-friendly product, the company's new E510n actually stands as yet another example of how hard Dell tries not to sell non-Microsoft gear.

Recently a reader took offense at a comment I made when I suggested that a well-defended trademark could help win Linux "a seat at the grown-ups' table." "What makes a commercial product inherently more 'grown-up' than its open source counterpart?" the reader asked.

DistroWatch reports - The Kubuntu developers are pleased to announce the Breezy Release Candidate. New in Kubuntu Breezy: KDE 3.4.2; X.org 6.8.2 - with modular packaging; Adept and Adept Updater package manager; KDE System Settings - easier Control Centre; KDE Language Packs - now on the CD; KDE Bluetooth framework; OpenOffice.org 2; GStreamer for Kaffine and amaroK media framework; Krita image editor; KLaptopDaemon - now with hibernate support; Locate File Search - find files in Konqueror; automounting for CDs and memory sticks...

OSDir has some slick shots of Kubuntu 5.10 RC.

Most of the high-profile AJAX web applications are commercial and run on corporate servers like Google Maps or Flickr. We're going to start with some lesser-know solutions that are Open Source, and can be hosted on your own PHP/MySQL enabled server.

What happened to Microsoft in Massachusetts, whose officials haven’t been convinced by the Redmond giant to wait quietly for Office 12, a product promised to be more “friendly” with the Office suite with the Open XML standard, will be a puny earthquake compared to the tsunami prepared by Japan! AP informs that the Japanese officials have started to ponder upon the introduction of Linux on governmental PCs, in order to break free from Microsoft and its Windows operating system.

Ubuntu has released a security patch to correct a vulnerability identified in GNU Texinfo. The problem is due to an error in the "textindex.c" file that creates temporary files insecurely, which may be exploited by local attackers to overwrite or create arbitrary files with the privileges of the user running the vulnerable application.

MySQL AB's imminent release of its MySQL 5.0 database will introduce new enterprise features making it more competitive with Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft, but the company's CEO has maintained that it is more interested in mimicking the run-away success of Swedish retailer Ikea than any of the established database vendors.

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is warning of the interoperability disadvantages and long-term higher costs of open standards and open source software again, this time calling the Massachusetts directive adopting the OpenDocument format as standard for the state "bad procurement policy."

DistroWatch reports - Featherweight Linux is a live CD based on Feather Linux, but expanded to include a minimal KDE desktop. Version 1.3 has been released.

OSDir has some great shots of Featherweight Linux 1.3.