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Horst Knorr released a new test version of Knoda. With this release Knoda is the first KDE database frontend reading MS Access databases natively and is getting closer to its goal to be a full replacement for MS Access. Knoda is a database-frontend for KDE. Besides tables and queries Knoda comprises forms and reports, which are scriptable via Python.

The release of Libranet 3.0 continues a tradition that dates back to 1999. Like previous versions, Libranet 3.0 offers one of the easiest approaches to Debian available, providing an easy installation and a wide array of current software. Setup support is available from a small but obliging team, with more general help available from an active discussion forum or an on-line manual written by volunteers. Currently available as a download for $90 for new users and $65 for existing users (with CDs available at the end of May), version 3.0 continues the Libranet tradition of correcting the perceived weaknesses of Debian and making Debian accessible -- but it is not without some flaws.

A new "hack for the dole" scheme will allow unemployed people to meet their mutual obligation requirements by working on open-source software projects. Linux Australia has gained approval for the scheme being launched as part of its CommunityCode.org project to encourage software development. It is trying to attract skilled enthusiasts to work as mentors.

The open-source movement has received another boost with an announcement from the South African Revenue Service that is will migrate its SAP system onto Linux. SARS has awarded the server platform portion of its tender to Novell/SuSE Linux, which will run on Dell hardware in terms of a pre-existing hardware supply contract. The support and maintenance part of the tender has yet to be awarded, says SARS CIO, Ken Jarvis, but this will go to a local Novell partner.

Forthcoming government report to pave way for greater OSS use in UK schools Becta, the Government's lead agency for ICT in education, is set to release a new report which will say that schools could save significant sums by switching to open source software, eGov monitor can report.

In founding Friendster, Chairman Jonathan Abrams sought to create an online network through which friends could connect with friends. When it launched, the service was powered by a Java back end running on Apache Tomcat servers with a MySQL database. That original architecture was soon crushed by the coming load of traffic.

A rift over development procedures has exposed fractures at the highest level of the Linux community and raised questions about the future direction of the open-source operating system.

How one professor designed a class on Linux system administration--and how you can follow the class along on-line.

Security administrators put in considerable time setting up e-mail quarantines and checking on threats that have been cordoned off. But that's too much work, according to senior vice president of Sendmail Inc., John Stormer, and J.F. Sullivan, Sendmail's director of product development. In this FYI interview, Stormer and Sullivan provide an introduction to the aspects of commercial Sendmail that could make the traditionally time-consuming quarantining process much easier for administrators.

School is almost out, and before you know it Duke’s Unix computers will be as well. This summer, the Office of Information Technology’s division of Academic Technology Services will be at work replacing the machines that run with Unix—an operating system commonly used in scientific fields—in labs around campus, including the engineering lab in 106 Teer Library. The current crop of Sun Ultra 10s and Sun Blades will be replaced with new Dell hardware. These new machines will run CentOS 3.3 as supported by Linux@DUKE. CentOS is a distribution of the popular open-source operating system Linux.

Andrew Morton, one of the main developers of the Linux kernel, pointed out some structural problems in the kernel development at Linux.conf.au 2005 in Canberra, Australia. He believes that not enough attention is paid to testing during the development of the kernel. New functions, he claims, are not tested enough because testers do not receive any thanks - much less money - for their time-consuming work. He feels that errors will thus find their way into the kernel.

Beehive is a new Apache project that simplifies Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and Web services programming. This article shows how to get started with Beehive and offers a sneak preview of Pollinate, an Eclipse plug-in that creates Beehive applications.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – PathScale has optimized its EKOPath™ Compiler Suite and InfiniPath™ low-latency interconnect to provide enhanced support for the new Dual-Core AMD Opteron™ processors.

A free trial download of the compiler is available at http://www.PathScale.com

Novell today announced it has completed the acquisition of Tally Systems Corp. to expand its Novell(R) ZENworks(R) systems management offering. Novell will ship Novell ZENworks Asset Management, a set of integrated tools with discovery and inventory, license management, and software usage and trend analysis capabilities next week.

Taking a page from Microsoft's playbook, MontaVista today announced an embedded Linux platform aimed specifically at mobile phones. "Mobilinux" is based on a 2.6 kernel with real-time and power-management enhancements, and targets "feature-phones" as well as the higher-end devices targeted by Microsoft with its Windows Mobile for Smartphones offering.

Mad Penguin has the first review of Libranet's newest release, complete with plenty of screenshots and their new "See It In Action" flash animations. Read the full review here

SugarCRM is taking steps to push open source business apps to a new level, adding a raft of new upgrades to its open source customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Sugar Suite 3.0, which will be available April 30, will add a wide range of sales-savvy support tools, including campaign management, email marketing, document management, sales forecasting, and even a wireless access option for access from the road. The new features are built on top of SugarCRM's core open source sales force automation (SFA) and CRM platform.

IBM and Israel's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labour have agreed to a pact to foster development of open-standards technology by Israeli start-ups.

PGI-compiled LS-DYNA delivers 30 percent faster performance on dual-core processor than previously published single-processor results

As system and network administrators, we play many roles. We are the ones who provide stable and secure environments for electronic business in all of its forms, from email to accounting systems to mission-critical Web applications. However, despite our best efforts, disaster will occasionally strike. In this series, I'll present what I feel are the 10 most important steps a systems administrator can take to ensure that when that dreaded 3 a.m. page hits, you're prepared to react quickly, assess the situation, and make everything right again. I call these the Ten Commandments of system administration.