Linux.com

Open-source fans and European patent officials are busy debating whether software developers should be allowed to patent their applications at Munich’s Diplomatic Conference to Revise the European Patent Convention. From Wired.com.

Jarek Sygitowicz of Linuxnews.pl writes: “Recently we received a screenshot of the internal IBM version of native
Linux LotusNotes client. It’s based on GTK+ and GNOME libs. It’s
not very functional yet but we have information that IBM is working
on it. You can check out the screenshot here.

If IBM will release it sometime, we don’t have to use Wine to run
this software no more :)”

NetworkWorldFusion reports that Toshiba Corp. and Identix Inc. on Monday announced
the release of the Toshiba PC Card Fingerprint Reader,
which will allow users to log on to their Toshiba laptops
by placing a finger in the device. This fingerprint reader
will provide a higher level of security as well as
convenience, because users will not have to remember
passwords nor key in their user names, the companies
said.

Some Oracle users downplayed the news that Gary Bloom, an executive vice president who ran database development and other key functions, is leaving the company. But analysts said his exit will further thin Oracle’s management ranks. From a report at Computerworld.com.

MSNBC tell us that, “before realizing the inaccuracies between the Microsoft
Money 2001 Net Worth report and the Net Worth over Time
report in an Investment Account, most folks more than likely
would be beaming over their financial savvy.”

Alleging that Compaq Computer Corp. manufactured PCs that use unlicensed,
patent-protected MPEG-2 video compression standards, six electronics companies and Columbia
University have sued the Houston-based original equipment manufacturer. Computerworld.com has the report.

Stuff.co.nz reports that the New Zealand Army is among a growing band turning to open source operating system
Linux, using it to stage virtual combats.

Some outside Microsoft said that as you peel
back layers of .Net, it boils down to Windows 2000 or
Windows NT, rather than the cross-platform Web
applications implied by .Net. From ZDNET.

“CGIForum is a free forum. We can set ‘thesection’ parameter to view files
on the vulnerable system with privileges of the user “nobody”, reports Net-Security.org.

ZDNET:German software company SAP AG, a Microsoft
partner, offers its R3 enterprise resource software in
versions written for Microsoft NT, Sun, and Linux. But in
order to keep the software functionality the same in all
three versions, SAP renounced compatibility with
proprietary standards built into each.