From Wired.com: “Since 1986, Patent No. 4,698,672 has done little more than languish in the archives of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Government examiners first issued the patent, which covers a “coding system for reducing redundancy” to a San Jose, California, company called
Compression Labs. The approval came more than a decade before the digital imaging technology known as JPEG reached mass-market popularity.

Sixteen years later, however, the Austin, Texas, software developer that now owns the patents is seeing fresh value in an old document. The company,
Forgent Networks, says the patent directly applies to a compression technique used in the creation of JPEG images.”

LinuxSecurity Contributors writes “Linux Advisory Watch is a comprehensive newsletter that outlines the security vulnerabilities that have been announced throughout the week. It includes pointers to updated packages and descriptions of each vulnerability. Vulnerabilities this week include tcpdump, ktrace, bind, squid, modssl, openssh, and libpng.”

Slashdot is summarising a number of articles about what is coming with Linux development kernel version 2.5.

Anonymous Reader writes “New computers and monitors will cost up to $10 more if H.R. 5158, also known as CHWIP, is approved. The bill, introduced by California congressman Mike Thompson, calls for the establishment of a federal bureaucracy to dispose of old computers. Linux and Main reports that Thompson offers frightening statistics in support of his bill, but he doesn’t say where the statistics came from.”

Puget Sound Technology, a provider of BSD, Linux and open source
training and technical services, will be teaching a hands-on introductory
GNU/Linux class on Saturday, August 24 in Everett, Wash.

“The class has been designed for those just beginning with using open
source Unix operating systems and for users seeking to test out the
GNU/Linux operating system,” said Heather Reed, Puget Sound Technology
vice president.

In this class, the students will install Linux and open source
software and learn about common installation prerequisites and
steps. The full-day training will also cover basic maintenance
tasks, such as installing software, adding users and groups,
reviewing log files, and using local documentation.

Puget Sound Technology provides a variety of ongoing open source
seminars and classes. Upcoming training includes: NetBSD
Administration; Configuring and Troubleshooting Domain Name (DNS)
Services; and Exploring the KDE Graphical Environment.

Seating is limited. For more information or to
register, visit
http://www.pugetsoundtechnology.com/training/class es/.

About Puget Sound Technology

Puget Sound Technology provides technical support, outsourcing
solutions, server maintenance contracts, and training services for
Linux, BSD and open source Unix environments. To learn more about the
Washington state company, visit http://www.pugetsoundtechnology.com/.

Matthew A. Nicholson writes: “‘Today the campaign to free Blender’s sources has officially started…’ This was posted yesterday on the new site of the blender foundation. Make your donation to free blender today.”

IDG.net: “VMware has quietly emerged as one of the crucial tools in any IT manager’s arsenal when it comes to controlling system costs. By creating a platform that allows multiple instances of an operating system to run on the same server , VMware has helped IT organizations save hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the last week, VMware released Version 2.0 of its departmental server software, which adds support for a broader range of Windows and Linux implementations. In an interview with InfoWorld Editor in Chief Michael Vizard, company CEO Diane Greene explains the multifaceted role virtual machines can play in any Intel-based IT environment.”

PCWorld.com: “Sales of the Simputer , a Linux-based handheld computer designed by Indian engineers, have languished at about 150 units since the prototype of the product was ready in April last year. But Encore Software of Bangalore aims to change that with upgraded versions of the product to be launched next month.”

Forbes: “Biotechnology companies have been turning to clusters of computers running the Linux operating system to help them manage the weight of data generated by modern biology. Modern approaches to biology, like genomics, which looks for individual genes amidst the clutter of human DNA, or proteomics, which tries to describe some of the most complicated molecules in the body, require sifting through massive amounts of data.” Read more in this, the latest installment of Forbes.com’s Special Report: The Cult of Linux.

Debian: “The Debian Project is pleased to announce the release of Debian GNU/Linux version 3.0. Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system, which now supports a total of eleven processor architectures, includes KDE and GNOME desktop environments, features cryptographic software, is compatible with the FHS v2.2 and supports software developed for the LSB.” Read more in the following Debian.org announcement.