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This guide explains how to install memcached and the PHP5 memcache module on a Debian Etch system with Apache2. memcached is a daemon that can store objects in the system's memory (e.g. results of database queries) which can speed up your web site tremendously. You can use memcached over a network (i.e., install your web application on one server and memcached on another server), but usually you install both on one server to avoid the networking overhead.

When we left off, Fedora was taking quite a long time to install over the network on this Power Mac G4/466. I returned to the office to find the Fedora 9 install finished. I rebooted. No X. After Debian Etch installed with no problems whatsoever, I don't know why I expected Fedora 9 to do the same thing, but I did.

Here's hoping everyone's having an enjoyable day at work (or, even better, an enjoyable drink on the beach :). I'm currently wading through a sea of bureaucracy the complexity of which demands to be taken in with nothing less than total awe. The term Byzantine been taken to another level of meaning for me. It's always an interesting thing in life when you realize that, just the other day, you thought you had it all figured out ;)

This morning EMC, Microsoft and IBM announced they had worked together over a two-year period to create a content interchange standard for enterprise content management systems. There are lot of benefits to this agreement for content management customers, but I think the real story here is that three huge companies came together for the benefit of the many over the benefit of the one. It doesn't happen every day and it's worth pointing out.

The SCHED_FIFO scheduling class is a longstanding, POSIX-specified realtime feature. Processes in this class are given the CPU for as long as they want it, subject only to the needs of higher-priority realtime processes. If there are two SCHED_FIFO processes with the same priority contending for the CPU, the process which is currently running will continue to do so until it decides to give the processor up. SCHED_FIFO is thus useful for realtime applications where one wants to know, with great assurance, that the highest-priority process on the system will have full access to the processor for as long as it needs it.

Will Linux NetBooks like the Dell Mini 9 Inspiron and Asus EeePC shift from low-cost devices to no-cost devices? MSPmentor thinks so. Here's why.

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has failed spell out to the markets the precise cause of Monday’s catastrophic seven hour trading outage. The exchange carried out a series of upgrades and tests last weekend, but all LSE representatives are saying is that “there was a combination of software activities that coincided”, and these had caused the problem. The stock exchange has reiterated that the fault was not due to an upgrade on its high-speed trading platform TradElect.

Coworkers at the University of Tel Aviv have presented a prototype for a new host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS) for Linux. Named Korset, it uses static code analysis and promises zero failures.

Standard practice for most proprietary software vendors is to say nothing until an issue finds its way into the press somehow... and then only respond with the minimal amount of information possible... usually denying everything until it can no longer be denied. That CERTAINLY WAS NOT the case with Red Hat / Fedora. They were out early with information... so early it was incomplete... and they did it of their own accord rather than as a mandatory response to some third party.

Back in May when OLPC announced the XO-2 the organization also indicated that an XO-1.5 would be released in spring 2009. To date the only official information regarding the XO 1.5 is that it's supposed to have fewer physical parts and cost less than the XO-1.

Mark your calendars: this year's Software Freedom Day is September 20 (the third Saturday in September). If you're looking for an occasion to help out with the spread of free and open source software, that's a great one.

GNOME enthusiasts have a couple of good options when it comes to searching, launching, and otherwise manipulating and accessing files, applications, and information right from the desktop: GNOME-Do, and the GNOME Deskbar applet. GNOME-Do is a desktop search and application-launching applet similar to the now-defunct GNOME Launchbox. It's inspired by Quicksilver, an applet for Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Do was built for the GNOME desktop but also runs on KDE. Developers call Do an "intelligent launcher tool" because it uses predictive technology to guess what you want to do when you start typing the first few letters of the name of an application, file, or contact.

I used to think that Gnome 1.4 was the Last Good Gnome. Because when Gnome 2.0 came along, everything I liked was gone. It was dumbed-down to the point of unusability, and the roadmap called for yet more dumbing-down. So I switched to KDE for my main workstation, and IceWM, XFCE, and Blackbox for lower-powered PCs. For all these years I haven't seen much to like in Gnome. Not until Ubuntu Hardy Heron, that is.

Each year, Linden Labs, the folks behind online virtual world Second Life hold the Linden Lab Innovation Awards, dubbed the Hippos. This year Linden recognized the achievements and contributions of seven members of its open source community. The awards ceremony was held live in Florida, but also took place simultaneously within Second Life.

In recent years, Linux distributions have successfully made the transition from being the exclusive domain of technical users to being suitable for even brand new computer users. However, unlike with proprietary software and operating systems, GNU/Linux is built mainly on the efforts of users who volunteer their time and expertise to write programs. The result is that the success of free and open source software (FOSS) depends on feedback and contributions from its users. New users, or users without programming skills, may not understand how to contribute, or even see the need for contributions. But non-programmers can contribute a great deal to FOSS projects, benefiting not only other users but also themselves in the process. Even you can help.

Sun Microsystems Inc. plans to release the code for its open-source server virtualization software Wednesday, and will make a commercial version of the xVM Server available next month. XVM Server can virtualize Windows, Linux and Sun's own Solaris operating system on x86 hardware from such vendors as Sun, Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM and Dell Inc., said Steve Wilson, Sun's xVM vice president. Previously, Sun's server virtualization strategy focused on its own operating system and the Sparc chip set, he said.

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Black Duck Software has joined as a Foundation member. Black Duck provides solutions for software development teams and legal counsel to manage the hybrid software development process, which involves the assembly of internal software, open source software and other third-party code.

Linden Lab, creator of the online virtual space Second Life, recognized the accomplishments of outstanding individuals in its open source community this week at its Linden Lab Innovation Awards. Seven winners were announced at a "mixed reality" ceremony held both at a convention center in Florida and simultaneously within the Second Life system. Linden's head of open source development Rob Lanphier emceed the awards ceremony at the Second Life Community Convention (SLCC). It was the second such annual event, initiated last year at the 2007 SLCC following the release of Second Life code as open source. A panel of six judges selected winners in five categories, with each winner receiving a "Hippo Award" prize package.

Are you ready to throw out your old, slow, bug-filled Windows PC? Before you do so, consider this story about how Ubuntu 8.04 saved an aging Compaq Presario 2100 from certain death. The blog entry appears on Works With U, the independent guide to Ubuntu Linux.

Up until very recently every system, desktop and laptop, in their catalog ran Windows and sported a Windows logo in the ad. While the majority still do a half a dozen laptops, all low-end netbooks, are sold with Linux preinstalled and the Tux logo is prominently featured in some of the ads