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Last month I decided to switch from Windows to Linux full-time. My reasons were many, but it really gets down to two things: Windows wasn't working for me the way I wanted it to, and after testing out Mandrake 10 on my server box, I decided that if any distro was ready for the desktop, it was Mandrake 10.

Builder Australia recently caught up with PHP innovator Rasmus Lerdorf, to find out about the success of PHP, the open source movement around the world, other scripting languages and what we can expect to see in the next generation of the dynamic scripting language.

Linux without KDE or GNOME? You bet! GNUstep Live CD uses the popular and appealing GNUstep desktop environment. Who said Linux has to look like Microsoft Windows anyway ;)

As further testament to the growing popularity of open-source software among regional governments, South Korea's education ministry could soon switch to the Linux operating system.

The largest open-source project in the South Korean public sector - the National Education Information System or NEIS - is hitting its stride. Bearing Point Korea on Friday submitted a final advisory report for NEIS to the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MOE), the organisation managing the project.

For those who deal with setup/maintenance/administration/upgrades of servers, the choice of using proprietary or open source software can either add to our busy schedule or make it more simplified. Kasey Speakman submitted the following editorial to osOpinion/osViews, which compares the advantages and disadvantages of Linux and Windows server systems as well as the benefits and disadvantages of proprietary and open source software.

A couple of months ago, Novell announced that anyone who wanted to try its new Linux offerings and utilities could sign up for what's called the Novell Linux Technical Resource Kit. Well, if a company with real marketing had been behind it there would have been great fanfare and much hoopla. This announcement simply showed up on a Web page. This is Novell we're talking about after all, and, as the old saying goes, its extremely difficult for the leopard to change its spots.

Thin client firm Wyse Technology has joined Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), the chief consortium working to encourage firms to adopt Linux. The move makes Wyse the only member focused on thin client systems, and the firm said it will participate in OSDL's steering committee on desktop Linux initiatives.

Interaction with a legacy Oracle database can be done simply in only a few hundred lines of code, using Perl, DBI and DBD::Oracle.

The book focuses on the version of Linux it comes with, but for the intended audience and goal I think this serves the purpose well. If you want to see what Linux is about, check out Linux For Non-Geeks.

Linux users soon will have an opportunity to buy keyboards specially designed for the open source operating system. In late September, Cherry GmbH will launch what the company claims is the world's first Linux keyboard.

With Linux having penetrated the enterprise computer room to the extent that it now runs on everything from the smallest x86 white box server to the largest mainframes, it should be no surprise that almost every storage software vendor these days is making its management offerings available on Linux. Products are now available both from new companies and industry leaders. With some modest research, you can find something suitable for your site no matter whether you work for one of the very largest companies or for something quite a bit smaller.

When Lycoris released a new version of its popular Linux operating system, Desktop/LX 1.4, this week, it also debuted a new application integration infrastructure, nicknamed AI2 (A-I-squared). The company claims that AI2 "bridges the gap" between commercial Linux applications and the Linux desktop. Already, one major Linux application vendor, NeTraverse, has had its flagship desktop product, Win4Lin Workstation, integrated with Lycoris' Desktop/LX operating system using the AI2 system. But is AI2 really as revolutionary as Lycoris claims? Even if it is, does it matter?

If the Linux desktop is ever to be more than a niche player, it needs a hand from PC vendors, including real support from the ones that already claim to back it.

The road to browser Nirvana is not always paved with improved productivity and better security. Switching browsers may be more challenging for hard-core Web surfers and business users. Many users who consider breaking with IE also have to resolve concerns about cost, staff training and compatibility issues.

On Monday, August 23rd, Vocalocity will announce its acquisition of ScanSoft's open source VoiceXML interpreter, OpenVXI.