Showing all newswire headlines

A newly published online article explains how to customize a bootable Knoppix Linux disk to be used as an emergency substitute in the event of a regular Linux or Windows meltdown.

Developers Patrick Luby and Edward Peterlin released NeoOffice 1.2, a port of OpenOffice.org 1.1.5 to Mac OS X, in early February. I decided to kick the tires a bit and see how well it performs. NeoOffice isn't perfect, but it's a great alternative for Mac users who don't want to shell out big bucks for Microsoft Office, and want a suite that's more full-featured than Apple's iWork.

Maandag 24 april 2006, 10:12 - A Mission Viejo, California, security researcher has posted code that exploits a number of newly discovered and unpatched bugs in the Mac OS X platform.

[The article is in English, but the rest of the site is Dutch. Here's to our Duth readership! - dcparris]

As more and more people use Linux, the number of malicious threats against it grows as well, on Friday Kaspersky Labs released the results of its database analysis for 2005, and has reported that the number of malware targeting Linux has doubled to 863 pieces compared with 422 in 2004. Windows had over 11,000 in the last of 2005 alone. But an interesting note in the article said to watch Apple as the biggest alternate target to Windows.

[So what does this bring the total number of malicious Linux threats to - 20? Compared to 11k for Windows in the last 6 months of 2005, I'll take my chances with GNU/Linux. - dcparris]

We all know and love Squid, the versatile HTTP caching proxy. Squid conserves bandwidth, speeds up Web surfing, and comes with all kinds of controls to rein in unruly users: bandwidth throttling, domain filtering, and user access controls, to name a few. But no matter how skillfully you configure your Squid server, it's easy to bypass it. All your users have to do is delete the references to it in their Web browser configurations. If all you're doing with Squid is caching, this makes no sense, but then some folks just like to get away with stuff. If you're using Squid for filtering, bandwidth control or any other restrictions, you will certainly have a rebel underground to deal with. Unless you set up Squid as a transparent proxy, that is.

rPath, a company recently launched by leading ex-RedHat engineers Erik Troan and Billy Marshall, has outlined a strategy in which developers can use the company's rBuilder to combine an application with a tailored version of rPath Linux.

KAM Industries has locked horns with the Java Model Railroad Interface (JMRI) open source software project over alleged patent violations.

Big news for Lego Mindstorms fans: the next generation of Mindstorms, NXT, will be open sourced.

I read with interest and a growing amount of consternation, a report that you are in full support of the current DRM model. Now, you are free to believe anything you like. As you said, you have no power or influence in the matter. Who are you kidding? Just as soon as this gets on the front pages, You will be called before Congress as an "expert witness", and your testimony will carry far more weight than it should.

Clint Oram (pictured) will present a session on Secret Ingredients to Open Source Development at the Enterprise Open Source Conference and Expo June 5-6 in New York. Oram, who co-founder SugarCRM and is General Manager of Sugar Online, outlined his presentation in an exclusive SYS-CON interview.

The multimedia capabilities of the handheld electronic devices we carry has increased over the last few years. Devices such as the iPod and even several cell phones have become music-oozing gadgets for people on the go. While you can copy your favourite MP3s directly into a handheld device, DVDs (if you have the right to copy them) take some effort, due to the fact that the devices have tiny screens and lack the processing power needed for playing high-quality DVDs. HandBrake, designed initially for BeOS and then ported to Linux and Mac OS, helps encode DVDs for your portable device. User Level: Beginner

In this extended article, ZDNet Australia examines three enterprises that migrated from Windows to Linux for back end server systems. Two ended up going back.

[We do take issue with the idea that GNU/Linux is not being used to make coffee. The Linux Documentation Project has a How-To just for this purpose. We won't mention the MooBella icecream machine that recently hit our newswire. ;-) - dcparris]

Look mama, no apps

A panel of open source CEOs took the stage at the recent LinuxWorld conference for a panel called "The death of the enterprise software business model." While one-sided, the discussion provided insight into the opportunities and challenges facing the community.

MS v EU: Day one Microsoft is back in court today to try and get the Court of First Instance to overturn the record fine imposed on it by the Competition Commission.

Novell has bought e-Security Inc for $72 million, a move it figures will make it a pioneer in delivering a single view of security and compliance activities across the entire enterprise.

Iomega today announced the release of two new StorCenter network storage products: the StorCenter Wireless Network Storage 1TB, and the StorCenter Network Hard Drive 500GB.

Contrary to Larry Ellison's apparent desire to control Linux, IBM prefers to have at least two independent Linux distributors serving corporate customers, an IBM executive said on Wednesday.

Last night I spent an hour or two visiting unfamiliar websites while researching a topic for an upcoming column. In the process, I discovered a new and exceedingly obnoxious trend: Some members of the Firefox community have decided that you shouldn’t be allowed to view their sites correctly – or, in some cases, at all – unless you’re using the One True Browser.

[I think a better approach than what is mentioned in this article is to just use proper CSS and let readers know that they should use a web browser that renders proper CSS. - dcparris]

HP has made it easier to manage Linux blades with the release of Control Tower. It acquired the technology last year when it bout RLX.