Slashdot readers debate an article about Slackware developer David Cantrell on Userlocal.com. He talks about his start in Slackware Linux and what he does there.

From BusinessWire: LinuxWizardry Systems, Inc. (OTCBB:LNXWF) is pleased to announce a new
product for the Magic Passage DSL/Cable Router product line. The new model will be designated the Magic Passage 1400 and will be an
entry-level alternative to the current Magic Passage 2540.

ZDNet UK has a story on companies reworking their e-business strategies with IBM chief executive Lou Gerstner advising that companies need an end-to-end infrastructure ­-
preferably run on Linux ­- rather than other systems such as Unix.

From the Linux Journal: “This year, why not give the gift of Linux for Christmas or Hannukah? Sure, I admit it: When your loved ones see a Linux CD in with the rest of their
gifts, they might look at you as though you are a little bit strange. Then again, don’t they already think that?”

LinuxPlanet’s Kevin Reichard comments on the Green Institute’s adoption of Linux: “On a global scale, this is barely worth a mention. But on the local level, the level where the Green Institute and thousands of others
nonprofits exist, this is huge news. The Green Institute isn’t exactly flush with cash, so the potential to save on resources devoted to
a computing system is enormous.”

SecurityFocus reports: “A tiff between two IT contractors that spiraled into federal court ended last month with a U.S. district court ruling
in Georgia that port scanning a network does not damage it, under a section of the anti-hacking laws that
allows victims of cyber attack to sue an attacker.”

From ZDNet UK: “Will consumers buy the concept of getting phone calls to
remind them of pizza coupons whenever they’re near a
store? Big Brother is proving to be a tough sell. While location-based
advertising services for wireless devices have a great deal of
potential, the pesky little fact that customers value their
privacy could slow adoption of the technology.”

BizJournals reports: “After taking a beating on Wall Street for most of the last year, VA Linux Systems Inc. may finally be winning over skeptics who have questioned the company’s ability to make money over a product that is essentially free.” VA Linux owns NewsForge.

LinuxPlanet’s Michael Hall takes a look at the next generation of Emacs: “I’ve spent a few days playing around with this release now, and, having struggled to read the change summary past around line
2000, I can only say that the Emacs sitting on my desktop today is different. How different is dependent on the user, but that
incredible customizability is obviously still there, and fairly easy to take advantage of for making some interesting changes to the
way Emacs works.”

The latest version of MySQL is now available. A complete list of changes can be found at LinuxToday; download at MySQL.com.