Posted at LWN.net: “I thought I’d mention the policy for 2.4.x patches so that nobody gets
confused about these things. In some cases people seem to think that
‘since 2.4.x is out now, we can relax, go party, and generally goof
off’.

Not so.”

From the New Zealand Herald: “The open source operating system Linux is set to get a
bigger push in this country when distributor Base10
Technology adds Caldera OpenLinux to its portfolio.

Caldera Systems is buying the server software and
professional services divisions of The Santa Cruz Operation
(SCO), whose commercial Unix Base10 already distributes.”

NuSphere Corporation, provider of NuSphere (TM) MySQL(TM), the leading packaged software product for the open source database marketplace, announced today version 1.13.5 of its distribution. The new version continues to enhance the usability and platform support of NuSphere MySQL for users in Windows, Java, Linux and UNIX environments by including security and database driver compatibility and performance enhancements to applications requiring Perl scripts.
Version 1.13.5 includes two new database drivers for the creation of reports and analysis of usage in the MySQL database. Through MyODBC version 2.50.36, developers in Windows environments will have open database connectivity (ODBC) support. MM.MySQL.JDBC version 2.0.3, a Type-4 Java database connectivity (JDBC) driver under the GNU Library License, will offer Java database connectivity support allowing Java developers to make connections to MySQL servers from both Java applications and applets.

Version 1.13.5 of NuSphere MySQL builds upon previous versions by offering the Apache web server with secure socket layer (SSL) support. As a result, NuSphere MySQL can now be used to control access and ensure the security of critical information.

The newest version of NuSphere MySQL also includes enhanced mod_perl support for Windows. This feature will eliminate the performance limitations associated with running Perl scripts on the Apache server. By embedding the Perl compiler/interpreter, mod_perl NuSphere MySQL developers will now be able to create more scalable database applications with Perl.

“This latest version of NuSphere MySQL demonstrates our commitment to make the MySQL database innovative and usable across a variety of platforms,” said D. Britton Johnston, chief technology officer for NuSphere . “We know that MySQL is quickly being adopted for more complex applications. By offering a wide range of compatibility and providing critical tools for developers, NuSphere MySQL 1.13.5 will enable the community to take advantage of the latest technology being utilized throughout the Web and IT environments.”

Emmett Plant writes, “D. Clyde Williamson shares his pain (and his solution) for finding proper videoconferencing tools to work with Linux. Check out his story at Binary Freedom.”

PCWeek reports that, even before the release of 2.4 earlier this month, the Linux development community was hard at work on a
wish list for the next development cycle for the open-source
operating system.

Torvalds and his team will continue to tweak the 2.4 kernel for some
time, with patches and bug fixes released as 2.4.x versions. At some
point he will create the 2.5 development tree and begin the cycle
again. Linux vendors are working on commercial versions of the
operating system, which are due within six months, that are based on
the kernel.

From ZDNET.co.uk: “The release of the first mobile chip based on AMD’s Athlon core — which
replaced the K6 in late 1999 — was announced this week.

Duron, AMD’s “value” chip based on the Athlon core, will be available in
NEC’s LaVie U series of notebooks from 25 January and are shipping in
volume immediately. The chip is available in speed grades of 600MHz and
700MHz for $75 and $123, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities.

From FreeOS.com: “Mandrake is known for its user-friendliness and you can tell that this is something
the people at Mandrakesoft take very seriously. User-friendly starts right from the
installation as we quickly found out. We’ve reviewed the installation and we also
have a guide that will take you through it.”

“A year ago, it all looked so good.

The purportedly communist Linux and
open source model was viciously
capitalized by Wall Street. Paper fortunes
weremade, including record breaking
Nasdaq IPO increases. Armies of press
corps bored over never-ending Microsoft news and supposed Pentium
breakthroughs took up the Linux anthem, occasionally just to look smart.
Some were.” From Byte.com.

Our friends at LinuxToday have posted the news about (finally) reiserfs support in a new patch for 2.4.

Anonymous Reader writes “MP3newswire.net ran a story today on why troubled EMusic will not fold like Riffage and MusicMaker. The reason is their coveted list of users who ARE willing to actively pay for digital downloads and the fact that since most of the music they sell is from independent labels, the major label who buys them acquires the digital rights (and control) of this music too making the music world even more of an oligopoly. With the company’s stock trading below $1, an acquisition may happen quite soon.