Giant Industries Inc. turned to Linux to solve its computer crashes and poor system performance. This SearchEnterpriseLinux.com story reveals that down time at the company is now almost zero and costs are decreasing. (Disclosure: VA Linux, mentioned in the story, owns NewsForge.)

–Max Kincora

“Linux is downloaded more frequently than NT or any other operating system. As soon as we announce any product on Linux, we see an incredible spike in our developer registrations.” So says Charles Rozwat, executive vice president of server technologies for Oracle Corp., in an interview with SearchEnterpriseLinux.com. Oracle was one of the first vendors to port its software to the Linux operating system. Today the company says the gamble paid off and from now on everything they make will run on Linux.

–Max Kincora

“Coresma, a leading provider of programmable broadband technology, will be previewing its CICM 6001RD internal, host-based cable modem reference design running on Linux and Windows at the Western Cable Show 2000 Booth #3661. Built around the Coresma 6001 MAC chip, the CICM is a fully operational internal DOCSIS 1.1-ready cable modem that adapts to various broadband applications that require large, high-speed data transfers and use Linux or Windows as their operating system.” Press release available at Internet Wire.

“When running slocate, users are able to specify a database of their own as a commandline parameter. A subtle vulnerability exists in slocate’s reading of these user-supplied databases that may allow a local user to execute arbitrary code with effective gid slocate.” Full details at SecurityFocus.com.

From ZDNet News: “Pioneer of the first ever GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), Nvidia is now introducing a programmable GPU, seven times faster than the original Geforce 2 Ultra, the NV15. Confidential documents seen by ZDNet from the graphics chip manufacturer state the new chip will outperform previous processors even in complex 3D environments.”

ZDNet UK reports on the creation of the European Free Software Foundation: ” After receiving a blessing from the founder of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman, the assembled programmers released a declaration of intent posted at the Foundation’s new European Web site, www.fsfeurope.org and also launched its official mailing list.”

Open Country.Net of Santa Clara recently announced that their web site www.opencountry.net is active, in beta stage, and they are eagerly seeking members of the open source community to test it out and give their feedback.Open Country is a community publisher, looking for home/small office users of Linux that have written programs that they might want to share with fellow users, while receiving rewards for their creation.

They also plan to include those who might be interested in writing, promoting or testing open source software. All efforts will be rewarded, and include free, un-biased software review by Open Country’s top “Geeks” (Linux Gurus).

Open Country was founded in 1998 by Paul Cubbage of Los Gatos. (Two new executives have been added to the team, with an announcment to come later this week.)

Long considered a “Unix Guru” in Silicon Valley, he has enlisted a talented team of “true believers” as he calls them. (Most work for deferred salaries, stock options or small stipends while awaiting funding.) Ever optimistic, Cubbage says, “We’ve several contingent funding offers, though, so all this sacrifice should be rewarded soon.” He was once the head of APX, the Atari Program Exchange which used a similar model, finding end users of Atari software that wanted to share their stuff with the world. A lot of former Atari programmers are now Linux “hackers”.

“Being rewarded with royalties, prizes and other incentives gives everyone a chance to be involved in the Open Source Movement,” said Cubbage, who is a big proponent of spreading the corporate wealth. “We also plan to give back to the community in a big way, once profitable (expected by 2002).”

For more information, or to submit a program or idea, please visit their site at Opencountry.Net or phone their headquarters in Silicon Valley at(408)248-8530. –Justine tenZeldam

– by Robin Miller –
Applixware is arguably the most stable and mature Linux office suite
available, but it will no longer be aggressively marketed as a desktop product,
according to VistaSource marketing vice president R.J. Grandpre. [Updated] 1725 US EST — letter from VistaSource PR person appended… VistaSource is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Applix
(NASDAQ: APLX) that was formed specifically to market
Applixware products.

Despite a recent price cut for the Applixware Office package from $99 per copy to $49, it couldn’t compete in the marketplace with Sun’s
StarOffice,
which costs nothing. And with KOffice — also free — rapidly becoming mature and stable enough to
be useful for everyday work, it was time for Applix to
throw in the desktop towel. “We typically come out on top when compared to StarOffice,” Grandpre says, “but it has been impossible to
differentiate ourselves enough to get people to pay for Appplixware when they can get [other Linux office suites] for free.”

Future Applix products will concentrate on the serverside marketplace. An online demo version of the next generation of “Web-enabled”
Anyware
Office, which works on any operating system, is scheduled to be available through the VistaSource Web site
“in a couple of weeks,” says Grandpre. A current version is available now; Grandpre says the new one will incorporate a “smaller and more
stable Java applet that will be surprisingly fast to download and run through all but the slowest connections.”

Adobe has apparently withdrawn its plans to release a
commercial version of Framemaker for Linux, but this may be a result of the beta version’s poor reception by testers rather than lack of
faith in Linux.

Corel’s relationship with Linux is also in doubt; but this may reflect
Corel’s internal problems rather than problems with the Linux.
software marketplace.

But, Grandpre speculates, the current lack of a solid market for commercial Linux applications may not last. “It could come
full circle in two or
three
years,” he says, with commercial Linux desktop applications becoming “hot” again as the operating system increases its penetration of the
home and office desktop marketplace. The market could also turn upward as more end users who are accustomed to buying shrinkwrapped software, rather than downloading free,
GPL-licensed
applications software, start using an increasingly user-friendly Linux as their everyday desktop operating system.

the following is a reponse to the above story from Allison Antalek of VistaSource, Inc.

It is the belief of VistaSource, Inc. that some of the statements made
in this article are incorrect, and some of the quotations made by RJ
Grandpre were taken out of context. To correct some of the statements
made in this article, please note the following:

* VistaSource is not “throwing in the desktop towel.” VistaSource will
still produce and sell its desktop product through traditional and
online retailers and through its own online store. VistaSource has also
committed to future releases of Anyware Desktop (formerly Applixware)
and will continue to provide the same quality product and level of
service to its existing customers.

* The real news is the change of focus from a company that focuses on
desktop applications to one that is forging the way server-centric and
web-based applications. This shift in focus was announced on August
15th, 2000 at Linux World in San Jose. For the complete release which
further describes this strategic shift, please visit:
http://www.vistasource.com//news/press/pr_966348464

* Active development continues for BOTH Anyware Desktop (Applixware) and
the server version, Anyware Application Server. Both products are
recognized as integral components of the VistaSource product mix.

Thank you for your attention and promptness in correcting this matter.

Regards,
Allison Antalek
Marketing Communications
VistaSource, Inc.

NewsForge editors read and respond to comments posted on our discussion page.

EE Times reports that Intercept Technology will produce a gridless autorouter for the CAD market, available in the first quarter of 2001. Tentatively named Connex, the product is designed to make Intercept’s Pantheon design software less dependent on third party routers. Connex will be bundled with new versions of Pantheon for Linux, UNIX, and Windows platforms.

“If a U.S. online buyer runs into a problem with an order during next month’s holiday rush, chances are that instant online help will come from a customer services representative halfway around the world in India.” Wired News reports on India’s booming Customer Relationship Management industry.