Koki writes: “Robocode is an easy-to-use robotics battle simulator that runs across all platforms supporting Java 2 and is designed for anyone interested in programming – from the beginners to the hackers. There’s also this cool contest called Robocode Rumble where you can win a PS2 and an IBM Thinkpad! Don’t forget to read up on the secrets of the Robocode masters and I’ll see you on the battlefield!”

proclus writes: “Here is the round up on Microsoft’s latest world domination plan.

ZDNet:
MS: Why we can’t trust your ‘trustworthy’ OS
The Register:
MS to eradicate GPL
Washington Post:
Microsoft Wants Security Hard-Wired in Your Computer
Slashdot:
MS Palladium patent
Read the
Palladium FAQ

Microsoft’s notions of “security” and “trust” are obviously one-sided, and
such a system would certainly be used to squash fair use and first sale rights.
Moreover, mono-culture is bad policy for computer security; Damages will
be widespread when the system is inevitably compromised.
The internet is our public common, but in this scheme Microsoft would be the
sole gatekeeper. Free software can protect you from such outrages, because the
source code is anchored to the common for all to see. Use free software
instead of Microsoft products.

GNU-Darwin free software recommendations
Web browser:
Dillo
Word Processor:
AbiWord
Spreadsheet:
Gnumeric
Email app:
Postilion
Graphics editor:
The Gimp
Presentation SW:
ImageMagick
Personal encryption:
GnuPG
Web Services:
DotGNU

All of this software is available for Apple computers and Intel PCs,
from The GNU-Darwin Distribution

“

ladislav writes: “Before we start, here is the link: boot.iso. Click on it, then save it to your hard disk. By the time you finish reading this review the ISO image will have downloaded. It will only take a couple of minutes to burn the 16MB image onto a bootable CD, which upon boot, provides easy, logical and well-structured instructions. Several hours later, you will be greeted with a beautiful screen running on top of one of the most popular Linux distributions – SuSE 8.0. The full review is by DistroWatch.”

LPH writes: “TuxReports has a quick comparison of a document in KWord 1.1.1 and 1.2 beta 2. There are a few snapshots so you can see some of the changes.”

–By Grant Gross –

It was a holiday-shortened news week here in the United States, but leave it to Microsoft to still make some news in the Open Source world. This bit of news didn’t come from Microsoft flacks; some Linux advocates noticed Microsoft has a booth at the upcoming LinuxWorld Conference and Expo. Robin “Roblimo” Miller suggests Microsoft’s need for dialog with the Linux community smacks of desperation.
Also this week, DesktopLinux.com announced the winners of its wIndependence Day essay contest. Poor Microsoft, seems like everyone’s picking on the company lately.

Enough about Microsoft. Also brewing some controversy this week was PGP author Philip R. Zimmermann, who suggested the current owner of the encryption program, Network Associates, should either open-source the program or sell it back to him. The company isn’t biting, at least so far.

Open Source can equal a business plan, really

There were a couple of stories this week on how to make money with Open Source software. Linux Magazine gives individuals advice on how to make money using their Linux skills, while Robin profiles Marty Roesch, who’s built a successful company from his Snort Open Source project.

Odds ‘n’ ends

An anonymous donor will reward $200,000 to the team who gets Linux to run on Microsoft’s X-box gaming console.

The Free Standards Group launched a Linux Standards Base certification program.

One brave soul has tried to estimate how much Linux would cost to develop if it weren’t Open Source. Let’s just say it’d cost “a lot.”

Success story of the week

Jack Bryar reports that several manufacturers in Asia, including a couple of large steel-makers in Japan, are turning to Open Source software, including Linux.

Newly released (because Open Source projects don’t take holiday weeks off)

KDE 3.02 was released.

Opera 6.02 for Linux was made available this week.

Pepper, a programmer’s editor for FreeBSD and Linux, was released this week.

Newly reviewed

Russell C. Pavlicek takes a Walmart.com PC preloaded with LindowsOS for a test drive and can’t quite recommend it.

New at NewsForge/Linux.com

Among the other stories we reported first this week:

The folks at Hacktivismo.com have announced a Free Software browser-based steganography application that allows activists and human rights workers around the globe to hide data in Web site pictures.

The Glen Burnie LUG, advertising itself as a different kind of advocacy group, has kicked off and is already working on Linux converts.

Stock news

The Nasdaq closed Friday at 1,448.36, diving from 1,463.21 June 28. The mini rally the week of the 28th didn’t last. Of the 11 companies on our Open Source-related list, five were up, five down, and one was even. Hardware-related companies like IBM, HP and Sun did the best this week.

In business news, MandrakeSoft laid out its reasons for not joining the UnitedLinux coalition. The French Linux company is suggesting UnitedLinux has taken the wrong path.

Here’s how Open Source and related stocks ended this past week:

Company Name	Symbol	6/28 Close	7/5 Close
Apple	AAPL	17.72	18.74
Borland Software Int’l	BORL	10.30	9.13
Caldera International	CALD	0.70	0.661
Hewlett-Packard	HPQ	15.28	16.30
IBM	IBM	72.00	73.50
MandrakeSoft	4477.PA	e2.30	e2.30
Red Hat	RHAT	5.87	5.39
Sun Microsystems	SUNW	5.01	5.39
TiVo	TIVO	3.71	3.65
VA Software	LNUX	1.00	.90
Wind River Systems	WIND	5.01	5.15

From Computer World:
“While Oracle Corp. is committed to the open source movement and its standards, database code will remain proprietary because there will be
difficulties in providing services if customers make alterations to the source code.”

From Linux Journal:
“At a time when the standard Linux story covers yet another corporate savings move or grand strategy by an industrial giant, it’s nice to run across
small but terrific efforts that happen to run on the world’s handiest operating system. I ran into two of these efforts last week in New York. As it
happened, both projects focus on what people can do for themselves and their government.”

Linus has released Linux kernel version 2.5.25. The full changelog is available at
kernel.org.

LinuxSecurity Contributors writes “This week, advisories were released for openssh, apache, mod_ssl, and squid. The vendors include Conectiva, Debian, EnGarde, Mandrake, SuSE, and Trustix.”

Anonymous Reader writes: “DesktopLinux.com contributing editor Malcolm Dean examines Microsoft’s reported attendance at LinuxWorld, warning that their infiltration of Linux venues should be watched carefully. Dean further issues a call to arms much like noted Quaker Milton Mayer warned of the danger of the lack of discourse in the seventeeth century: ‘What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little…'” Read it at DesktopLinux.com.