From Slashdot “CERT Advisory CA-2001-01 announced today that the Interbase server database contains a compiled-in back door account. The thing is, it was not the result of a malicious code infection, but a direct addition by the original Borland/Inprise authors done before the program was released as open source.”

From Bloomberg via CNET: “The law firm of Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP announces that a class action lawsuit was filed on January 11, 2001, on behalf of
purchasers of the securities of VA Linux Systems, Inc. (“Linux” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: LNUX) between December 9, 1999 and December
6, 2000 inclusive. A copy of the complaint filed in this action is available from the Court, or can be viewed on Milberg Weiss’ website at:
http://www.milberg.com/valinux/. (VA Linux owns NewsForge)

PR Newswire has this: Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown equity
research analyst Phil Rueppel today published an industry report, “Open Source
Infrastructure — A Manifesto for the Coming Big Bang.” Additionally,
yesterday he expanded his coverage of the Linux Market industry by initiating
coverage of Red Hat, Inc. (Nasdaq : RHAT) with a BUY rating ($7.0).

From the humor site Segfault: “Chris Wubbins never thought much of it. He had just downloaded a freeware utility that claimed to
“optimize hard drive throughput by using advanced disk-cache access algorithms.” … Wubbins opened the installation program and was met with the familiar “End User License Agreement”
– the EULA. Having encountered many of these and seen that they are all similar, he accepted without
bothering to read it.

Therein lies his error. The developer of the program, which turned out to be a joke program that moves
all your desktop icons around, inserted a clause at the end of the EULA stating that, ‘the User, by
agreeing to this license to use the Software, agrees to, if requested by said Author of said Software, to
wear a funny T-shirt for the personal amusement of the Author.’ “

A Salon.com column says “everyone can find some reason to worry
that the Internet is out of control, but
what’s the alternative?” Is more regulation the answer?

A LinuxWorld columnist fights with his software to get his scanner working, only to find it was a bad motherboard that was screwing things up.

CNet interviews Michael Tiemann, who says he wants to make running Linux less of a chore. “We feel that the technology industry is at this point where the technology has exceeded a lot of people’s capacity to take
advantage of it,” he says.

At LWN.net: ” Linux.conf.au (Sydney, 17-20 Jan 2001) will be the first free software
conference since the release of kernel 2.4.0. Alan Cox will be presenting
the opening keynote, entitled “World Domination: Classified Progress Report
and Briefing”, which covers the scope and history of the new series of
kernels. The kernel track covers many of the most interesting new features
in Linux 2.4.x and plans for 2.5.x developments …”

From Techweb: Resembling the infamous “I
Love You” virus, this app spread through Microsoft Outlook e-mail
program, crashing computers in dozens of organizations. The virus
altered file extensions by adding text that read: “change at least now
to LINUX.” In addition, each attack ended with a message signed by
“the penguin” — the de facto Linux mascot.

CRN.com reports: “Microsoft’s President and CEO this week named Linux as the company’s
biggest problem going into 2001.

Speaking at an Internet conference hosted by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter,
Steve Ballmer said that both Unix and Linux threaten Windows’ stronghold
in the marketplace, but that the latter is the bigger headache.”