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Galeon2 is on its way

“While all may seem quiet in galeon world, we are working hard on Galeon 2, a new major version based on Gnome 2. We decided to do a full rewrite of the our code base because of the huge changes in Gnome architecture, to improve maintainability and stability.”

Link: galeon.sourceforge.net

Category:

  • Linux

MS plays volume licensing upgrade card against Naked PCs

“Businesses wanting to deploy standard configurations across a number of machines frequently take out one of Microsoft’s volume licensing programs, set up their own standard distribution then use it to hose whatever OS the PCs they bought came with. Frequently they are under the impression that this involves them paying for two Microsoft operating systems, and sometimes they’ll buy (if they can) machines with no OS instead, in order to avoid wasting money in this way….”

Link: theregister.co.uk

SCO: We’re still a Linux company, really

By Grant Gross

Monday’s GeoForum for resellers was dedicated to changing Caldera’s name to The SCO Group and re-emphasizing SCO’s Unix brands, but Tuesday morning started with SCO talking up the Linux side of its business.
The morning began with a 75-minute panel discussion about SCO’s partnership in the UnitedLinux coalition, featuring SCO’s UnitedLinux board member Andy Nagle and representatives of Intel, HP, IBM and Computer Associates talking about how cool UnitedLinux is. Although former Caldera/SCO CEO Ransom Love is supposed to be working on UnitedLinux for SCO, he wasn’t in Las Vegas for the GeoForum, and PR reps said he’s thinking about what to do next. He may be considered for the open general manager position, Nagle told the reseller crowd. UnitedLinux is still actively looking for a general manager.

Before the panel, Jeff Hunsaker, general manager and v.p. of SCO’s Americas business, emphasized SCO’s Linux commitment, after apparently reading some questions in the Linux press following Monday’s SCO announcements. “We are 100% committed to our Linux initiatives, period,” he said. “We are a Unix and a Linux company.”

The panel fielded several questions about UnitedLinux from the reseller audience, including the possibility of a desktop product. Nagle said it’s up to each of the four UnitedLinux partners to come up with its own desktop products, but he and other SCO officials said they haven’t ruled out a new desktop-focused Linux OS.

SCO officials also said they don’t plan to completely abandon the Linux-focused Caldera brand, although they’re not sure what they’ll do with it yet.

Robert Cole, of Linux education company Questnet, asked if there’s ISV pressure for Red Hat to join the UnitedLinux initiative. Al Burstiner, Computer Associates’ divisional v.p. for strategic business alliances, said his company is happy right now to have to support only two major Linux distributions instead of four or five.

SCO’s Nagle said UnitedLinux representatives met with Red Hat people at LinuxWorld in San Francisco earlier this month, and “we committed to each other to keep the door open for future conversations.” In simple terms, they agreed that they might want to meet again, but the timing isn’t right for greater cooperation right now.

“I think as momentum for UnitedLinux builds … it’s going to be harder and harder to avoid saying, ‘Why not,'” Nagle said of Red Hat joining the UnitedLinux group.

The resellers seemed to be comfortable with SCO’s level of Linux involvement. Nearly half of the 400 resellers in the room raised their hands when asked if they’d already implemented a Linux solution for customers. And Cole, who questioned HP’s Judy Chavis Monday when she said the timing wasn’t right for her company to push Linux on the desktop, said he’s comfortable with SCO’s new direction, including the emphasis on Unix products OpenServer and UnixWare.

Cole, who encourages his customers to use Linux on the desktop, said he’s questioned the old Caldera’s lack of action on its Linux brand during the past year, but he said the relative quiet makes sense now, in light of Caldera’s rebranding as the still-familiar SCO name. “I think this commitment is going to help the Linux product because of the name,” Cole said. “I think SCO Linux will be easier to sell.”

Notes from the SCO GeoForum:

SCO had a mini vendor fair featuring about 16 companies, open during the reseller show. Among the companies were some names you’d expect, including Borland, IBM, Netraverse and EBIZ Enterprises, which was giving away stuffed penguins.

Also there were a couple of smaller companies including Rasmassen Software, selling a print wizard and advertising Telnet for Windows; Faximum, which said it’s fax software is now available for Linux; Progress Software; Microlite and Lone Star Software. The last two were both pitching server backup products for Linux and Unix.

HP, as the premium sponsor of the GeoForum, had the largest booth at the vendor fair. The HP booth included Compaq laptops hooked up to the Internet, where you could check your email. The machines were running … Windows XP.

SCO’s press room also had a couple of laptops running Windows, much to the chagrin of some of the Linux press, but they were rented machines. Outside the vendor fair, SCO had IBM workstations set up in an email farm, and they were running SCO Linux.

What tech recession? SCO gave the press and analysts first-class treatment in Las Vegas. The guests stayed at the swanky MGM Grand hotel (albeit at off-season rates), and SCO took the press and analysts out to dinner at a fancy restaurant Monday night. SCO even had a box of chocolates and other sweets delivered to the reporters’ and analysts’ rooms. My girlfriend’s reaction: “Can they afford it?”

The junket seems to have brought SCO some benefits. Its stock price went from 1.98 at last Friday’s closing to over 2.50 Monday, and the company received a ton of press from its captive audience this week. For a company looking to raise its profile, maybe this royal treatment was the right strategy, even if the press wasn’t all positive.

Category:

  • Linux

New MP3 license terms demand $0.75 per decoder

Uh oh! Looks like there won’t be any more Free/free MP3 players. Is Ogg Vorbis ready to rule the world? When Free MP3 client software is outlawed, will only outlaws have Free MP3 clients? This is (shall we say) a rather lively Slashdot discussion.

Link: slashdot.org

Virus writers ‘obsessed with sex and computer games’

“Virus writers are sados obsessed with sex and computer games, not the evil geniuses Hollywood and fear-mongering Washington politicians portray them as.”

Link: theregister.co.uk

Category:

  • Security

Is Mac OS X ready for business?

“Apple has launched an assualt on a server operating system market dominated by Microsoft with the launch of Mac OS X 10.2 aimed squarely at businesses.”

Link: www.silicon.com

Survey: Unix the favorite of IT pros

“Unix has topped the popularity stakes in an IT Manager Channel poll which asked Australian tech executives to rank which server operating system they would opt for in an ideal world.”

Link: zdnet.com

Category:

  • Unix

Linux, the GPL, and a new model for software innovation

In this whitepaper published at LinuxDevices.com, Matt Asay (former Linux naysayer-turned-disciple) analyzes the GPL, picking apart what it means (and does not mean) for users, and whether it is enforceable. Assay also details how its terms inhibit and foster innovation, and why we should care. In this next generation of software, those who understand ‘copyleft’ licenses like the GPL will have the upper-hand, and will be best positioned to take on closed-source shops like Microsoft. Assay wrote this paper while attending Stanford Law School, where he studied the the GNU General Public License under Professor Larry Lessig. Also included, is a proposed revision to the GPL entitled Suggested Revision of the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE, Version 3.0, May 2001.”

Link: linuxdevices.com

Category:

  • Linux

Tonight Live: Caldera… err… SCO… speaks out

Tuesday, August 27th, 2002: from the home of Wayne’s World, Aurora IL –
Tonight LIVE on
www.thelinuxshow.com:
At 6pm pt, 7pm mt, 8pm ct, and 9pm et…. Kevin Hill, Jeff Gerhardt, Doc
Searls (Linux Journal), Arne Flones and Russ Pavlicek; have another down right spooky show lined up tonight on The Linux Show!!

Segment One- The News. We will cover THE HOT NEWS of the last few weeks tonight. In particular, a Gnomedex Update from Doc Searls.

Segment Two- To SCO or not to SCO– News from Caldera GeoFORUM.
Tonight Jeff will be sitting in the press room of the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip. He will be calling in LIVE with Opinder Bawa the new Senoir VP of technology from Caldera/SCO.

With the name change, the redirection to Unix, the continued support of
Linux, and turning their business model on its ear, there have been a lot of changes at SCO in the last 48 hours. Opinder will help us wade through their new direction to help us make sense out of all the kaos.

From JeffI have to tell you all, I know there have been a lot of knee jerk reactions about these changes, with comments like “here goes Caldera again”. But what you have to understand here is that this company has gone through a transition. It is no longer a “Linux” company, but a Unix company that will also support Linux. It is NOT the same creature, and there are good and even interesting reasons. Join the show before you judge.

Do not forget the:
Tell Ten Friends Campaign

We ask that you tell 10 of your friends and associates about the AOTC and GeekPAC and the need to contribute to BOTH organizations. Also ask them to Tell Ten Friends of their own. This will make the AOTC nd GeekPAC grow like an organic entity, like a political virus.

It is important that people contribute to both organzations, if they can legally do so. ONLY US voters may contribute to GeekPAC. Anyone may contribute to the AOTC, even our friens from around the world. Donation forms are located at http://www.aotc.info/joinhelp/joinform.html for the AOTC, and http://www.geekpac.com/joinhelp/joinform.html for GeekPAC.

If you are in a band or represent an artist, please contact us asap to be added to our play list.
Please join us on the show, and check our IRC Chat(irc.thelinuxshow.com
#linuxshow).
Remember tune in at 6pm pt, 7pm mt, 8pm ct, and 9pm et. NOTE: we are now on
Daylight Saving Time in the US.
Catch the Linux show at www.thelinuxshow.com

Category:

  • Linux

LinuxCertified announces “Linux Fundamentals” course

LinuxCertified, Inc. announces “Linux Fundamentals” course for busy IT professionals – September 19th – 20th, 2002. All attendees get a free Linux laptop.

Linux is fast becoming a key component of the Network age of today and the future. Linux is now core of systems ranging from small smart devices to supercomputer clusters. A working knowledge of Linux is critical for professionals who use computing devices as tools for their work.

“Linux Fundamentals” bootcamp is designed for busy professionals with no prior experience with Linux or any other flavor of UNIX. This two-day introduction to Linux broadens their horizons with a detailed overview of the operating system. Attendees learn how to effectively use a Linux system as a valuable tool. They get familiar with the architecture and various components of the operating system, learn both graphical and command line tools, and learn to do basic networking. This class is scheduled for September 19th – 20th, 2002.

In addition to carefully designed lecture material delivered by experienced Linux professionals, there is a heavy emphasis on hands-on learning. Attendees get a powerful Linux laptop on their arrival, alongwith other class materials. At the end of the class they take this laptop with them to further enhance their Linux expertise. Professionals with basic UNIX experience can enroll in the the popular “Linux System Administration Bootcamp” class.

About LinuxCertified, Inc.

The mission of LinuxCertified, Inc. is to bring Linux to mainstream IT usage. We firmly believe that Linux has an enormous potential, once it crosses over from the early adopters to the more mainstream users. Our goal is to help this transition by providing:

– Linux trained and certified professionals

– Linux certified products that cater to mainstream users rather than early adopters.

Contact:

info@linuxcertified.com
http://www.linuxcertified.com/
—————–
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
All other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.”