After some doubt, LinuxFEST in Belgrade, Yugoslavia will happen. Their press release is at linuxfest.org.yu.

Upside Today looks at the state of software today as the art of software design matures.

“An attacker with read access to the victim user’s home directory, and therefore to the configuration file in which the encrypted password is stored, could potentially gain access to the victim user’s private mail messages. If an administrator’s account is exploited in this way, system passwords or other sensitive information could be disclosed, supporting further breaches of the host’s security.” Full details at SecurityFocus.

From Linux Journal: “Today, PocketLinux is taking on the ambitious task of putting a full Java environment, XML and a web server onto a PDA. Oh, and user interface themes, the silly
but cool-looking software innovation du jour. Their target platforms are the PDAs we all want, such as the Compaq iPAQ.”

From LinuxWorld: “Virginia Beach, Va., was forced to pay Microsoft $129,000 for software licenses, even though the city had probably
already paid for the software and did not receive due process. Some companies have suffered the same fate; others
likely will. Joe Barr explains the wherefores of Redmond’s scare tactics and suggests that open software is the best
defense.”

“Apparently, no part of the software food chain goes untouched by open source. Well, that’s not really true. There’s still the BIOS. But don’t despair . there’s a movement to make an open source BIOS.” Full story at Linux.com.

“kio_gphoto is an IO slave and a KControl panel module which allow you to access folders and images within any digital camera supported by the upcoming gPhoto2 libraries. If you have a supported camera, you can start using it with most KDE applications in two easy steps.” Details and download at theKompany.

“Donovan Systems, the premier developer of 64-bit Linux systems, has launched a series of training courses to introduce beginners to the basics of Linux and develop the Linux skills of IT professionals. The three courses Linux Fundamentals, Basic System Administration and Advanced System Administration are designed to meet the growing demand for Linux skills and certification.” Press release at Linux PR.

“To find out more about BSD/OS’s past, current and future security plans, I spoke with Paul Anderson, the BSD/OS product manager. Anderson, who is based in Minneapolis, Minn., has been using BSD for about 19 years, starting with Unix systems programming as a freshman in college. His experience includes maintaining machines, developing device drivers and working with embedded systems for medical devices.” Read the interview at BSD Today.

“Russian antivirus company Kaspersky was red faced today after the discovery of a hack attack on what appears to be one of its corporate websites,” reports VNU Net.