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In my everlasting quest for the best multi chat protocol client, I decided to check out Centericq. The Centericq chat client, despite its name also supports aim (and .mac accounts), yahoo, jabber (and therefore peripherally talk.google), irc, gadu gadu (the polish chat protocol), and msn. The client is purely terminal based. After trying Centericq for a few days, I must conclude that there are a few things left to be desired. I didn't enjoy the annoying key combos to bring up menus (Esc-Esc [wait then] b for the basic menu) or the mislabeled menu keys that obviously are already assigned in OS X (F9, F2 etc). To change between chat conversations, the key combos actually work on OS X (Ctrl-B or Ctrl-N to scroll forward or backwards).

X-Micro TV-BAR DVB-T is the latest external & mini-sized DVB-T USB TV solution presented by X-Micro Technology. Not like other PCMCIA solution, X-Micro TV-BAR DVB-T adopts USB2.0 interface to provide users the flexibility of watching TV on PC or laptop. In addition, X-Micro TV-BAR DVB-T performs impressively in different aspects: Hardware design, Driver supported Software Features and friendly user interface.

ORLANDO -- A team of IT staffers at the University of Indianapolis recently showed off a bundle of open-source tools and scripts it uses to trap and isolate PCs infected by viruses or spyware.

Dubbed Shelob, after the sinister giant spider in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," the software identifies suspect traffic patterns, identifies the computers involved and then shunts them to a closed virtual LAN. Users get an appropriate Web screen, explaining what's happened and how to fix their PC or whom to call for help.

SCALE is inviting all Open Source organizations to participate in the fourth annual So Cal Linux Expo.

Looking for an effective way to tell your product story and demonstrate its latest features to both new users as well as Linux veterans? Join other prestigious members of the Open Source community as they combine forces at the preeminent Linux exposition in the West. The fourth annual Southern California Linux Expo brings together businesses, academic institutions and the Linux community in Los Angeles on February 11-12, 2006.

The computer club spent many weeks learning how to hook up hard drives and DVD-burners, and they studied the Linux Operating System that they installed so they could teach their buyers how to use the software on their custom-built computers.

The word "Maven" is a Yiddish colloquialism that is defined as a self-appointed expert who shares knowledge with others. It's also a very appropriate name for a software project management tool, developed through the auspices of the venerable open source Apache Software Foundation (ASF).

Pamela writes: "Carlo Daffara sent me a fascinating email about the European COSPA project, that is doing a controlled study of migrations to Free and Open Source software by European governmental administrations. They are measuring and facilitating migrations in a two-step strategy, initially to OpenOffice.org and later to GNU/Linux on the desktops. They already have thousands of desktops migrated, with thousands more planned. The data on switching to OpenOffice.org is very encouraging. "

What have they found so far? What makes the transition work well? Are there steps one can take to improve user acceptance and ease transitional issues? He told me some of what they found, and I asked him if he'd be willing to elaborate on the findings for Groklaw, and he graciously agreed.

Xandros has said that the German Edition of its Windows desktop alternative is undergoing final beta testing prior to general release in November at the Frankfurt LinuxWorld conference and expo. The new release comes in response to growing demand in the German speaking market for desktop products based on Debian Linux, and marks a major expansion in Xandros' European sales and support.

Alejandro Toledo, president of Peru, signed legislation this week that allows public institutions to consider adopting open-source software, another step forward for the open-software movement. The legislation, which Peru's Congress approved in September, allows government agencies and schools to choose between proprietary software from companies like Microsoft or Oracle, as well as open-source alternatives.

In the short time that I've spent using Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger), I've really come to like it. The installation was painless, all my hardware was detected and configured correctly, package management was easy, and the clean-cut GNOME desktop is terrific.

“It's not clear how much Microsoft actually believes that the web is the platform of the future. After conquering its immediate adversary, the company tends to retrench and fall back on developing its core assets. That may work again this time. But, eventually, it may not be enough to forestall the Internet tidal wave that will eventually arrive.”

The National Center for Open Source Policy and Research (NCOSPR) was recently announced, and represents a big step forward in open source advocacy in government. The non-profit's mission is to "recruit experienced and innovative thinkers to help craft development, implementation and acquisition policies that will facilitate the continual adoption and growth of open source within the public sector IT communities."

The university began teaching console game programming in 1998, focusing on the PlayStation console. The course was redesigned in 2002 to concentrate on the PS2 console, using PlayStation2-Linux development kits donated by Sony.

I recently broke my glasses though I admit I don't wear them much and I started to notice that I was squinting more. Sometimes I could make out what was going on on my Linux desktop, which is set to a whopping 1920 x 1200 resolution, but I couldn't quite make out some items without closer inspection.

That's like the way I think businesses and government agencies have come to view Linux and Open Source. They've been squinting at the "Open Source movement" knowing that there's something worth looking at there but not quite making out the details. I think those days are ending since the drought in IT spending has left the wary IT buyer looking for more efficient and cost-effective solutions that give them big returns on their IT dollars - or at least don't waste them on what, in hindsight, turns out to be frivolous solutions that don't return what was promised.

Server software company could cut 1,000 or more jobs in attempt to restore its financial strength.

IBM Named Tech Innovator of the Year

Opinion: The new browser's developer preview has some bugs now, but it's poised to take advantage of tagging, blogging and all things Web 2.0.

Bob Young hung up his red hat this week, content that the software company he co-founded 12 years ago has lived up to his revolutionary expectations and is now better off without him.

The decision by the former chief executive officer of Red Hat Inc. to walk away from the Raleigh, N.C.-based company was hardly a dilemma at all. Instead, he said it was simply a case of recognizing the different traits that define an executive and a serial entrepreneur.

Today is a good day. I've been dragging home a Windows laptop every weekend for the past 19 months, for one simple reason - VPN access. When Mandriva switched to the 2.6 kernel, I switched right away, and immediately broke the Cisco VPN Client build. Getting it to work with x86-64 (I've been using Mandriva x86-64 since December of 2003) was completely out of the question.

Mainstream database software companies that have been watching open-source upstart MySQL in their rearview mirrors must be having some uncomfortable thoughts right about now.