Keillie writes “The developerWorks Linux Zone has a new tutorial to prepare you for the Linux Professional Institute’s 102 exam. In this first, no-charge, tutorial in a series of four, you will learn how to compile programs from sources, how to manage shared libraries, and how to use the Red Hat and Debian package management systems. You can also build your skills in fundamental Linux tasks through advanced admin with these preparation tutorials for Linux Professional Institute’s 101 exam: LPI 101 Part-1 Linux fundamentals, LPI 101 Part-2 Basic administration, LPI 101 Part-3 Intermediate administration, LPI 101 Part-4 Advanced administration“

Linux Journal: “SSC has published a yearly buyer’s guide in print form for many years now and last year’s Buyer’s Guide contained over 1500 product listings… By having it on-line, we can ensure information that is both up to date and searchable. It also gives us the ability to add new features, such as adding additional buyer education, as time goes on.”

Andrea Bingham writes “Linux NetworX announced today that the first genomics ASP (application service provider) is powered by a Linux NetworX cluster supercomputer to provide users with online genetic research access.”Andrea Bingham writes “SALT LAKE CITY, May 7, 2002 — Linux NetworX announced today that the first genomics ASP (application service provider) is powered by a Linux NetworX cluster supercomputer to provide users with online genetic research access. SEQUENOM, Inc. (Nasdaq: SQNM), a discovery genetics company, is providing the ASP, known as RealSNP.comTM, to include its database of millions of gene sequences to offer the most comprehensive online genomics research tool available today.

With the click of a mouse, researchers from small and large organizations that otherwise would not have access to gene sequences and supercomputing technology, can access SEQUENOM’s online database, RealSNP.com, to search for genetic codes and to design and test their own genetic sequences. In the past, researchers in academic and commercial organizations were often restricted in the amount of research they could conduct because of the large cost associated with sophisticated computers and licensing fees for genomic databases. With the combined efforts of SEQUENOM and Linux NetworX, the computing power and genomics data are available online, providing researchers with affordable and convenient access to necessary research tools.

“Genetic information that was previously expensive or time consuming to generate is now readily available for researchers for a variety of uses including detecting the medical impact of genes and genetic variations,†said Rick Lapp, computational biologist for SEQUENOM. “With the cluster from Linux NetworX, we are able to provide our customers with quick access to genomics information and supercomputing power to further enhance research endeavors in the life sciences.â€

Cluster technology is a method of linking multiple computers, or computer nodes, together to form a powerful, unified system. Linux NetworX clusters can match the performance of traditional supercomputers for a fraction of the cost. The design of clusters also create a very reliable platform for ASP and ISP (internet service providers) models.

A major factor contributing to SEQUENOM’s decision to use a Linux cluster was their need for a computing system that could function as a web server, database provider and number cruncher all in one machine. With the use of a Linux NetworX cluster, SEQUENOM
is able to provide all the functions the RealSNP.com online database needs to produce fast and accurate genomic information. SEQUENOM was also attracted to the expertise Linux NetworX demonstrated in its products and services.

“In today’s bioinformatics industry, access to accurate and validated information is vital, but not every research organization has the need for an in-house cluster system,†said Clark Roundy, vice president of marketing for Linux NetworX. “An ASP model using Linux cluster technology literally brings supercomputing power to the masses.â€

About Linux NetworX

Linux NetworX (www.linuxnetworx.com) brings its powerful and easy-to-manage cluster technology to those demanding high performance and high availability systems. Linux NetworX provides solutions for organizations involved in oil and gas exploration, aeronautical and chemical modeling, biotechnology research, graphics rendering and visual effects, Web serving, ISPs, ASPs, and other technological research fields. Through its innovative Evolocity hardware, ICEâ„¢ cluster management tools and professional service and support, Linux NetworX provides end-to-end clustering solutions. To date, the company has built some of the largest cluster systems in the world, and boasts numerous Fortune 500 customers.

# # #
SEQUENOM(TM) and RealSNP.com(TM) are trademarks of, and all trade rights therein are owned by, SEQUENOM, Inc.

CONTACT:
Brad Rutledge
Linux NetworX
801-562-1010 ext. 218
brutledge@linuxnetworx.com”

SuSE: “Imlib could, under certain circumstances, revert to using a netpbm
library which is well known to have security problems and should not
be used for handling untrusted data. Furthermore a heap corruption
could occur in the imlib code.
An attacker could send a maliciously formated image file to trigger
a Denial-of-Service attack or even execute arbitrary code on the
victim’s machine.
Thanks go to Al Viro and Alan Cox who discovered these bugs.”

____________________________________________________________________________

                        SuSE Security Announcement

        Package:                imlib
        Announcement-ID:        SuSE-SA:2002:015
        Date:                   Tuesday, May 7th 2002 11:30 MEST
        Affected products:      6.4, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.0
        Vulnerability Type:     remote privilege escalation
        Severity (1-10):        3
        SuSE default package:   yes
        Other affected systems: all systems/applications using imlib

    Content of this advisory:
        1) security vulnerability resolved: imlib fallback and Denial-of-Service
           problem description, discussion, solution and upgrade information
        2) pending vulnerabilities, solutions, workarounds
        3) standard appendix (further information)

____________________________________________________________________________

1)  problem description, brief discussion, solution, upgrade information

    The imlib library can be used by X11 applications to handle various
    kinds of image data.

    Imlib could, under certain circumstances, revert to using a netpbm
    library which is well known to have security problems and should not
    be used for handling untrusted data. Furthermore a heap corruption
    could occur in the imlib code.
    An attacker could send a maliciously formated image file to trigger
    a Denial-of-Service attack or even execute arbitrary code on the
    victim's machine.
    Thanks go to Al Viro and Alan Cox who discovered these bugs.

    The imlib RPM package is installed by default and affects all applications
    linked against imlib, like imager viewers, browsers, mail clients and
    so on.

    About 140 applications shipped with the SuSE Linux distribution depend
    on imlib. You need to update your system, as no temporary workaround is
    possbible.

    Please run ldconfig(8) as root after updating imlib and restart all
    applications using imlib.


    Please download the update package for your distribution and verify its
    integrity by the methods listed in section 3) of this announcement.
    Then, install the package using the command "rpm -Fhv file.rpm" to apply
    the update.
    Our maintenance customers are being notified individually. The packages
    are being offered to install from the maintenance web.



    i386 Intel Platform:

    SuSE-8.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/8.0/gra1/imlib-1.9.10-324.i386.patch.rpm
9137d95a9205a335871a71341c2c70b4
    SuSE-8.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/8.0/gra1/imlib-1.9.10-324.i386.rpm
4abd84a67aacb2c2fa21582e228e6a1d
    SuSE-8.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/8.0/gra3/imlib-config-1.9.10-324.i386.patch.rpm
43103d0ff1e60f008499a69519d722d3
    SuSE-8.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/8.0/gra3/imlib-config-1.9.10-324.i386.rpm
02df11424f082e4aed1c93527f7bab69
    SuSE-8.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/8.0/gra3/imlib-devel-1.9.10-324.i386.patch.rpm
7680c38f5fef811bc96ff2fc00baafad
    SuSE-8.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/8.0/gra3/imlib-devel-1.9.10-324.i386.rpm
bb449e5db3bf0827168b78d7636accac
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/8.0/zq1/imlib-1.9.10-324.src.rpm
d7cb0ddd0e18d645191f967b5b6e8109

    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.3/gra1/imlib-1.9.10-305.i386.rpm
b114e4ea9babf4ac8bd241674b0be0fd
    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.3/gra2/imlib-config-1.9.10-305.i386.rpm
7b3cd1c19161ed500bc4a0306eb66d0c
    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.3/gra2/imlib-devel-1.9.10-305.i386.rpm
41af6a469645a4ce4399935604cbf4c0
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.3/zq1/imlib-1.9.10-305.src.rpm
1839a719883e4aa5e543ee1bd22dc780


    SuSE-7.2
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.2/gra1/imlib-1.9.9-100.i386.rpm
9ec9fb90418a6ba76432334cb7e15bb8
    SuSE-7.2
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.2/gra2/imlib-config-1.9.9-100.i386.rpm
584e88a451341910524740cc54ca9c64
    SuSE-7.2
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.2/gra2/imlib-devel-1.9.9-100.i386.rpm
c8c25f5396d565f75f68d48d7911813b
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.2/zq1/imlib-1.9.9-100.src.rpm
a5691ba54118a52454d394e346a6b8b4


    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.1/gra1/imlib-1.9.8.1-132.i386.rpm
dc9d57492cd4faa497e23e14fcf5e57b
    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.1/gra2/imlib-devel-1.9.8.1-132.i386.rpm
58f03af3039c42db5b5a9d1a6acd9c27
    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.1/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8.1-132.i386.rpm
b82aa8abda460e45094fb4a0d683971f
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.1/zq1/imlib-1.9.8.1-132.src.rpm
f16db540325f4626aa5fda6ab5aa196b


    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.0/gra1/imlib-1.9.8.1-132.i386.rpm
c089d699c31addadba09fd967677e535
    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.0/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8.1-132.i386.rpm
ee3c4bf8ab5e7068afcfb7160c38653f
    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.0/gra2/imlibdev-1.9.8.1-132.i386.rpm
253759ffd47eb19831e61c52673ebc6f
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/7.0/zq1/imlib-1.9.8.1-132.src.rpm
2bb8b096627c72e25949d4e22fc26c3a


    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/6.4/gra1/imlib-1.9.8-13.i386.rpm
b3175095dade1c545822b42707a99820
    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/6.4/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8-13.i386.rpm
a54bfa0d5b6333c20497dfd6ae1c65f6
    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/6.4/gra2/imlibdev-1.9.8-13.i386.rpm
6d5815e9cfc1e9020dd758fcf3e15f0b
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/6.4/zq1/imlib-1.9.8-13.src.rpm
ce83d062fb32cf34ed6921490c732a51



    Sparc Platform:

    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.3/gra1/imlib-1.9.10-110.sparc.rpm
58f0df8b16d05b7b28d919c53b20ddfd
    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.3/gra2/imlib-config-1.9.10-110.sparc.rpm
92c1e1a5a67b0a73197f793101af5955
    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.3/gra2/imlib-devel-1.9.10-110.sparc.rpm
744db88a54bcff79068a7b2392e34fc2
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.3/zq1/imlib-1.9.10-110.src.rpm
fa4c576fea3185bc7624e50620dbaaf5


    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.1/gra1/imlib-1.9.8.1-109.sparc.rpm
dc3336004bc77ceca74035cb05b050f9
    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.1/gra2/imlib-devel-1.9.8.1-109.sparc.rpm
a27820491016c5ff1fac5706b7042158
    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.1/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8.1-109.sparc.rpm
b8b28901c088bc6763f462753ca58b7c
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.1/zq1/imlib-1.9.8.1-109.src.rpm
7605166c8ee6fa6439ade68e0d67c5c6


    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.0/gra1/imlib-1.9.8.1-109.sparc.rpm
8b1e28d9aa91061aed4569015e058fac
    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.0/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8.1-109.sparc.rpm
01c5dae090bfe25d641d3389a11c16c2
    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.0/gra2/imlibdev-1.9.8.1-109.sparc.rpm
3be7654afc64fb5a10c145f67dce9ba3
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/sparc/update/7.0/zq1/imlib-1.9.8.1-109.src.rpm
6531693204e86106ceee748758038a07



    AXP Alpha Platform:

    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/7.1/gra1/imlib-1.9.8.1-114.alpha.rpm
a84242de9afeec0b77f9d85b54f51f5b
    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/7.1/gra2/imlib-devel-1.9.8.1-114.alpha.rpm
a2829f4eba557fbc3160b6b4ffec0ac5
    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/7.1/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8.1-114.alpha.rpm
691b3d75dab0a3487b9f57c9b3501b17
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/7.1/zq1/imlib-1.9.8.1-114.src.rpm
58697086bf51f5231a1708765db8312c


    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/7.0/gra1/imlib-1.9.8.1-114.alpha.rpm
fbbf3f167844f0b046aafc14fed3b50e
    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/7.0/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8.1-114.alpha.rpm
e5a8c05ca99ce4b38de47b35258423d7
    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/7.0/gra2/imlibdev-1.9.8.1-114.alpha.rpm
26cc11948b4d61d6e4c0aa35472d2d7d
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/7.0/zq1/imlib-1.9.8.1-114.src.rpm
90df4b7a6860281ad6130b09e7e634e3


    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/6.4/gra1/imlib-1.9.8-12.alpha.rpm
2b231d47fed0f5ac88299abbb6abb1cd
    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/6.4/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8-12.alpha.rpm
99b4a22d820a3d846fc1bf0ca94843e4
    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/6.4/gra2/imlibdev-1.9.8-12.alpha.rpm
a7e9b77c92c28fe6bd07d4d8634a5253
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/axp/update/6.4/zq1/imlib-1.9.8-12.src.rpm
11a996b48ee33c34b34acffad3a2a56c



    PPC Power PC Platform:

    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.3/gra1/imlib-1.9.10-199.ppc.rpm
f9c093c06636b62507846c6679e1e86d
    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.3/gra2/imlib-config-1.9.10-199.ppc.rpm
973e484ba78847b5c47d5d6ef3972f56
    SuSE-7.3
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.3/gra2/imlib-devel-1.9.10-199.ppc.rpm
e06812ab04e4cbdc781d8e8d29dc3372
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.3/zq1/imlib-1.9.10-199.src.rpm
8f85b9a40d36d328deb20b3255ddc05c


    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.1/gra1/imlib-1.9.8.1-103.ppc.rpm
4a22c12194b6f1b80123a3466fe944c3
    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.1/gra2/imlib-devel-1.9.8.1-103.ppc.rpm
85139eb233c567783c053f110baadb66
    SuSE-7.1
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.1/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8.1-103.ppc.rpm
ae31194e59d40267b36e38344b1ad139
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.1/zq1/imlib-1.9.8.1-103.src.rpm
6558c6ca5bee620485fd52a9a7ec316d


    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.0/gra1/imlib-1.9.8.1-103.ppc.rpm
e34ddef90edd1effb95771b5d7f6f935
    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.0/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8.1-103.ppc.rpm
13eb42a163f919c9a4c097d8dc55a4a3
    SuSE-7.0
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.0/gra2/imlibdev-1.9.8.1-103.ppc.rpm
9e73db46c744ee38118c9cd4b97bda7a
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/7.0/zq1/imlib-1.9.8.1-103.src.rpm
d321ee18493970c45b232362653dc447

    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/6.4/gra1/imlib-1.9.8-13.ppc.rpm
3d255a622cd006656a662b0e7a5efb87
    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/6.4/gra2/imlibcfe-1.9.8-13.ppc.rpm
311ac75ac7622c6b453c5d6ed5ef9c28
    SuSE-6.4
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/6.4/gra2/imlibdev-1.9.8-13.ppc.rpm
c5a86e6598a9fc801f56533e060dcc61
    source rpm:
      ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/ppc/update/6.4/zq1/imlib-1.9.8-13.src.rpm
294626d55b89e1a5b940b4441172b578



____________________________________________________________________________

2)  Pending vulnerabilities in SuSE Distributions and Workarounds:

  - screen
    A security report about a locally exploitable bug in screen's braile code
    was published on Bugtraq. SuSE ships screen without this code enabled.
    On SuSE version 8.0 screen isn't even running with higher privileges
    anymore.

____________________________________________________________________________

3)  standard appendix: authenticity verification, additional information

  - Package authenticity verification:

    SuSE update packages are available on many mirror ftp servers all over
    the world. While this service is being considered valuable and important
    to the free and open source software community, many users wish to be
    sure about the origin of the package and its content before installing
    the package. There are two verification methods that can be used
    independently from each other to prove the authenticity of a downloaded
    file or rpm package:
    1) md5sums as provided in the (cryptographically signed) announcement.
    2) using the internal gpg signatures of the rpm package.

    1) execute the command
        md5sum <name-of-the-file.rpm>
after you downloaded the file from a SuSE ftp server or its mirrors.
       Then, compare the resulting md5sum with the one that is listed in the
       announcement. Since the announcement containing the checksums is
       cryptographically signed (usually using the key security@suse.de),
       the checksums show proof of the authenticity of the package.
       We disrecommend to subscribe to security lists which cause the
       email message containing the announcement to be modified so that
       the signature does not match after transport through the mailing
       list software.
       Downsides: You must be able to verify the authenticity of the
       announcement in the first place. If RPM packages are being rebuilt
       and a new version of a package is published on the ftp server, all
       md5 sums for the files are useless.

    2) rpm package signatures provide an easy way to verify the authenticity
       of an rpm package. Use the command
        rpm -v --checksig <file.rpm>
to verify the signature of the package, where <file.rpm> is the
       filename of the rpm package that you have downloaded. Of course,
       package authenticity verification can only target an uninstalled rpm
       package file.
       Prerequisites:
        a) gpg is installed
        b) The package is signed using a certain key. The public part of this
           key must be installed by the gpg program in the directory
           ~/.gnupg/ under the user's home directory who performs the
           signature verification (usually root). You can import the key
           that is used by SuSE in rpm packages for SuSE Linux by saving
           this announcement to a file ("announcement.txt") and
           running the command (do "su -" to be root):
            gpg --batch; gpg < announcement.txt | gpg --import
           SuSE Linux distributions version 7.1 and thereafter install the
           key "build@suse.de" upon installation or upgrade, provided that
           the package gpg is installed. The file containing the public key
           is placed at the toplevel directory of the first CD (pubring.gpg)
           and at ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/pubring.gpg-build.suse.de .


  - SuSE runs two security mailing lists to which any interested party may
    subscribe:

    suse-security@suse.com
-   general/linux/SuSE security discussion.
            All SuSE security announcements are sent to this list.
            To subscribe, send an email to
                <suse-security-subscribe@suse.com>.

    suse-security-announce@suse.com
-   SuSE's announce-only mailing list.
            Only SuSE's security annoucements are sent to this list.
            To subscribe, send an email to
                <suse-security-announce-subscribe@suse.com>.

    For general information or the frequently asked questions (faq)
    send mail to:
        <suse-security-info@suse.com> or
        <suse-security-faq@suse.com> respectively.

    =====================================================================
    SuSE's security contact is <security@suse.com> or <security@suse.de>.
    The <security@suse.de> public key is listed below.
    =====================================================================
____________________________________________________________________________

    The information in this advisory may be distributed or reproduced,
    provided that the advisory is not modified in any way. In particular,
    it is desired that the cleartext signature shows proof of the
    authenticity of the text.
    SuSE Linux AG makes no warranties of any kind whatsoever with respect
    to the information contained in this security advisory.

Type Bits/KeyID    Date       User ID
pub  2048R/3D25D3D9 1999-03-06 SuSE Security Team <security@suse.de>
pub  1024D/9C800ACA 2000-10-19 SuSE Package Signing Key <build@suse.de>


Bye,
     Thomas
-- 
  Thomas Biege <thomas@suse.de>
SuSE Linux AG,Deutschherrnstr. 15-19,90429 Nuernberg
  Function: Security Support & Auditing
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LindowsOS’ CEO Michael Robertson: “I just bought a new pair of basketball shoes, even though I liked my old
pair just fine. It wasn’t until I strapped on the new ones on that I
appreciated how improved they were. I had grown so accustomed to the old
pair that I hadn’t noticed the lack of cushion in the sole, the tendency for
the laces to come undone and the lack of traction from the worn
tread –making the old ‘comfortable’ shoes not such a perfect fit after all.”

I think that's the case with Microsoft products, while the familiarity feels
comfortable, sometimes there are deficiencies which take a competitor's heat
to fully illuminate. Our goal at Lindows.com is to bring choice to the
computer and improve on those deficiencies that so many people have resigned
themselves to accept or have simply forgotten about. I'm a former Microsoft
Windows 2000 user, but around the New Year, I switched over to LindowsOS. I
thought I'd share with you some of the benefits I've experienced which have
ultimately helped me save time and money.

1) LindowsOS Buyers Receive Permanent Access to software they purchase

In an attempt to cut costs, it's not uncommon for new computers nowadays to
ship with zero software CDs. This leaves the buyer without an operating
system software CD and if something goes wrong there is little recourse to
secure the software - short of begging the computer manufacturer. This is
exactly what happened with one of my computers and the computer manufacturer
said I'd have to buy an individual copy of the software from the store -
even though I had already paid for the software when I purchased the
computer. This isn't right, paying consumers shouldn't be treated so
shabbily. If you purchase a product it should come with either a physical
media or permanent digital access. I did ask one computer builder why they
didn't send out CDs to buyers, his response was that Microsoft requires a
mound of paperwork to send out a replacement CD, and therefore strongly
discourages any shipments to customers -despite the fact the customer has
already paid for the software.

Every purchaser of LindowsOS receives a copy in their my.lindows account so
they can access their software whenever it's needed. We even encourage users
to create a couple CDs to store at home or work, if that's what they'd like
to do.

To view screenshots of my.lindows, visit,
http://www.lindows.com/myapplications

2) LindowsOS Can Be Completely Digitally Downloaded Making it Cheaper and
More Immediate

Software should be the first product availing itself to Internet
delivery -it is a logical and practical way to deliver goods. But thanks to
Microsoft's resistance, it's easier to download music and movies than
downloading operating system software. While Microsoft undoubtedly feels
this serves their corporate profits, it hurts consumers who should be
benefiting from cost efficiencies and the immediacy of complete digital
delivery.

NOTE: They do ask Microsoft Windows XP users to download 75mbs or more of
fixes, but they won't allow them to download the *actual* software.

Buyers of LindowsOS can digitally download the entire operating system
(about 300MBs). This means they can purchase the software and be up and
running, 24-hours-a-day, without driving to computer stores for cardboard
boxes or waiting a few days for mail orders. Because we're dealing direct,
there is a significant cost savings passed onto customers as well. If
LindowsOS users experience a computing emergency (or other emergency, such
as theft or fire) they can download their software via Lindows.com.
LindowsOS users can also order a CD and have it shipped to them, if that's
what they desire. Lindows.com always makes sure customers have a digital
copy at their digital fingertips.

3) LindowsOS is More Stable with Fewer Time-Consuming Restarts and  Crashes

Now, I had always heard that Linux® was more stable than Microsoft products,
but I had to experience this for myself to become a believer. Because
LindowsOS makes it trivial for people to experience Linux, I was able to
witness this first hand when I converted from Microsoft Windows 2000 to
LindowsOS. Prior to the conversion, I'd experience crashes midway through a
day of computing. I'd open too many browser windows (which I'm prone to do)
or my email folders which were just too big. I'm really enjoying using my
system without the hang-ups requiring me to restart. I typically have more
than 30 browser windows going to different locations and LindowsOS never
stopped working.

I just finished an entire week of computing with LindowsOS without system
hangs requiring me to restart. At one time, I had more than 30 browser
windows going to different locations and LindowsOS never stopped working.
Nice!

4) Installing Software is Quicker and Easier

Another bothersome Microsoft Windows trait is the lengthy installation
process. Each time you want to add a piece of software, it's a marathon
experience of multiple restarts, installation screens, serial numbers,
activation codes, etc.  Yuck! At times, I'd spend the better part of an
afternoon just wrestling with a piece of software I wanted to try out.

For LindowsOS users, software installation is a one-click experience using
Click-N-Run (http://www.lindows.com/clicknrun).  Owners of LindowsOS simply
browse for a software title and a single mouse click downloads and installs
the software so it's ready to run --no restarts required! It's an elegant
and easy way to add software. We hope to have hundreds of high-quality
software titles in our Warehouse (http://www.lindows.com/warehouse) when the
next version of LindowsOS is released. Join the Insiders to be one of the
first to access next version of LindowsOS.

To see the Warehouse in action,  visit http://lindows.com/warehouse

5) LindowsOS Users Save Money and Time due to Friendlier Licensing Terms

Microsoft's licensing terms are getting progressively more costly for
computer owners. With the advent of activation codes, they are not only
costly but bothersome. If you have a laptop and a desktop, you'll need to
purchase two copies of Microsoft's software even if you're the only user of
those computers and won't be using them simultaneously. Keeping track of
lengthy serial numbers, which are required before software you've fully paid
for works, is an unreasonable intrusion on customers. It's an unfair and
illogical policy meant solely to benefit Microsoft with no regard for the
consumer.

LindowsOS and software in the Click-N-Run Warehouse is licensed under
friendly licensing terms that allow you to install the software on multiple
computers for your use. There are no serial numbers to keep track of and no
activation codes required to register the software. This will mean real
savings in lower cost and lower support hassles for anyone with more than
one computer in their home, school or place of business.

So, if your shoes are a bit old, then you should consider trying on the next
version of LindowsOS called SPX for size. Or you can sign-up as an Insider
(www.lindows.com/insider) and see how our most recent version called SP2
fits you. NOTE: As an Insider, you'll get future versions of LindowsOS as
well.

Michael Robertson

Lindows.com just launched http://support.lindows.com for Insiders and
Lindows.com visitors. Please feel free to visit http://support.lindows.com
to get the answers to your questions you may have about LindowsOS or
Lindows.com.

Bringing choice to your computer!

Lindows.com has released LindowsOS Sneak Preview 1 and 2 to a select group
of Insiders. The Sneak Previews are not fully completed products but
showcase many of the unique features such as a "Friendly-Install" alongside
an existing Microsoft Windows operating system, a streamlined installation
process which requires no computer knowledge and the ability to run popular
Windows-based programs. This will be followed by Version 1.0 which will go
on sale later this year. For more information see www.lindows.com/products

LindowsOS and Lindows.com are trademarks of Lindows.com, Inc. Linux® is a
registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Microsoft® Windows® operating system
is a registered trademark or service mark of the Microsoft Corporation.

OpenSourceSchools.org responds to recent Microsoft claims that schools cannot remove Windows from computers donating to them. “… Spokesman Leon Brooks refuted statements on Microsoft’s website which have been widely interpreted as a roadblock to the acceptance of donated computers by schools and other needy organisations.

‘Using Linux, OpenOffice.org and other Open Source software, a school or charity can safely accept almost any donated computer,’ he said. ‘Simply wipe it and replace the software with Linux[1] and Open Source applications[2], then use the computer as a powerful workstation or server. It’s an excellent idea to erase the existing operating system anyway – this also erases viruses and trojan horses, protects the donor’s privacy, and complies with the typical EULA[3] – so why not upgrade to Linux while you’re there?’ ”

Anonymous Reader writes, “In part three of an Embedded Linux Journal series of articles by Kevin Dankwardt on Real-time Linux, Dankwardt reviewed the sub-kernel approach as used in RTLinux and RTAI and provided some benchmark numbers. Following publication of Dankwardt’s article, MontaVista Software’s Kevin Morgan issued a “response” to Dankwardt’s article in which he offered “a few clarifications (or points of view)”. Next, Victor Yodaiken and Matt Sherer (of FSMLabs) reacted to Kevin Morgan’s response to Dankwardt’s article, taking exception to Morgan’s assertion that RTLinux is “not appropriate for the placement of comprehensive applications”. Confused yet? Here’s the whole interesting trio of articles for your edification and reading pleasure.”

Amanda McPherson writes: Today at the Networld + Interop conference, Covalent Technologies announced Enterprise Ready Server (ERS) 2.1, the first Apache Web server product optimized for the Windows operating system, resulting in a highly manageable, high performing and secure alternative to Microsoft?s IIS Web server. Using Covalent ERS, customers will be able to install all major components of a Web server in minutes. Traditionally it has taken multiple days for a system administrator to deploy Apache. Covalent?s Enterprise Ready Server 2.1 is available today.
Support for Windows is significant for enterprise customers who wish to use Apache as their Web server of choice. With Covalent ERS, customers are now able to deploy Apache from one central management console across all major platforms, resulting in lower costs of ownership and reduced management complexity. According to industry studies, Apache is the world?s most widely used Web server.

Higher Performance, Easier Management on Windows
Previous versions of Apache on Windows were not performant and difficult to manage. Covalent ERS is an enterprise solution that solves both the performance and manageability issues.

Performance

Covalent ERS 2.1 is based on Apache 2.0, and thus takes advantage of its Apache Portable Runtime (APR) for dramatically improved performance on Windows. Apache APR uses native calls whenever possible. On Windows this advantage has provided Apache with a major performance boost. Covalent has further refined its own proprietary elements of Covalent ERS to promote security, performance and reliability on the Windows operating system.

Management
Covalent ERS includes the Covalent Management Portal. CMP provides enterprises with a robust set of management functionality, previously unavailable for Apache in Windows environments. Highlights of CMP include: consolidated view of server resources, access controls, deployment, configure, control, monitoring, historical activity reports, and server activity alerts. Covalent ERS has brought Apache?s manageability on par with Microsoft?s IIS, offering users a secure alternative that can handle all of their Web serving needs.

In this release, Covalent ERS also offers users a Single Server Edition designed to streamline set-up for those customers who wish to deploy on only one machine.

New Features in 2.1
Covalent Enterprise Ready Server includes the first one-to-many graphical management tool for deploying and managing Apache Web servers, a J2SE application server and enhanced security and reliability features. The combination of these features results in the first “enterprise ready” solution for the Apace Web server.

New features of Covalent Enterprise Ready Server 2.1 include:

• Windows optimization resulting in increased performance
• FTP over SSL support providing secure FTP communication (available as an add-on to Covalent ERS)
• Enhanced caching capability in authorization/authentication services
• Streamlined installation resulting in deployment in minutes
• A single server deployment option, offering users a choice that best suits their infrastructure needs

Benefits of Covalent Enterprise Ready Server 2.1
Covalent has focused its efforts on enhancing the already powerful Apache 2.0 platform in three key areas: manageability, security and reliability. The benefits of these enhancements include:

• Manageability ? Covalent?s Enterprise Ready Server lowers the cost of managing and maintaining complex Internet infrastructures through the advanced Covalent Management Portal (CMP), a centralized management tool for deploying, configuring, controlling and monitoring Apache Web servers and virtual hosts. A single administrator can now manage, configure, and install hundreds of Web servers and virtual hosts located in dozens of data centers from a central location.
• Security ? Covalent ERS utilizes the most secure SSL encryption technology available?the RSA B-safe libraries. Covalent ERS enhances Apache?s standard authentication and authorization capabilities. It combines the most requested functionality of several authentication modules and provides a rich set of authentication options, including ANON, DB, Oracle, LDAP, NIS and several others.
• Reliability ? Covalent?s Logging Services provide the first real-time, shared infrastructure environment for monitoring and analyzing Web usage. Covalent Logging Services makes it easy to get a complete and consolidated view of multi-server environments, no matter where the servers reside. The Logging Service also ensures data integrity across restarts and downtimes.

Apache 2.0
Covalent Enterprise Ready Server is based on the secure and flexible Apache 2.0 platform. Apache 2.0 is HTTP 1.1 compliant and includes support for distributed authoring and versioning; proxying and caching; IP and named-based virtual hosting; and Java, Perl, and PHP applications. Apache 2.0 also contains a completely new and innovative internal processing architecture. Apache?s Multi Processing Module (MPM) lets administrators choose between a stable parent-child process model and a hybrid prefork/threaded model.

What?s Included
Covalent Enterprise Ready Server 2.1 includes the complete binary for Apache 2.0, Tomcat 4.0 Java server, Covalent Management Portal, Covalent UserTrack, Covalent Logging Services, Covalent Authorization and Authentication Services, Covalent SSL, SNMP support, PHP and mod_Perl. FTP support is available as an add-on to the product.

Platforms, Pricing and Availability
Covalent ERS ships on Solaris, Linux, HPUX and Windows for $1,495 per CPU. Covalent Enterprise Ready Server is available today from Covalent?s direct sales force at 800/444-1935 or at Covalent?s web site at www.covalent.net.

About Covalent Technologies, Inc.
Covalent is the leading provider of enterprise management solutions for the Web server. Founded in 1998, Covalent has developed a comprehensive Web server solution offering enhanced security, reliability and manageability. Funded by leading venture capital investors including Sequoia Capital, Menlo Ventures and Granite Ventures, Covalent is the only company offering a comprehensive suite of products, services and support for Apache. Companies such as Lucent Technologies, Dow Jones and others depend on Covalent for their Web Server infrastructure. More information about the company can be found at www.covalent.net.

Arabnews.com, which bills itself as Saudi Arabia’s first English daily, has a story that takes awhile to get to the point of the headline, but it’s in there. ” Linux is no longer the OS of university computer labs. For the Kingdom, the Middle East and the developing world, Linux is the OS of the future. Linux is Open Source software. It is different from proprietary software like Microsoft’s which can only be used after payment of a licensing fee. Linux can be used by anyone, free of charge.”

theKompany.com is pleased to announce the 1.0.4 release of Rekall, a personal, programmable DBMS system for KDE. Rekall is the only viable alternative to MS Access for Linux. With Rekall you will be able to quickly and easily build database applications using Rekall forms and reports. A full complement of widgets means that applications built in Rekall will be able to have the look and feel of any other application. Rekall applications can be extended in their functionality to perform virtually any task via embedded Python as a scripting language.
Ever since the release of dBase many years ago, the idea of a programmable DBMS has become increasingly popular. Major systems have been written in applications like Paradox and MS Access. By focusing on the database, users are able to leverage their business knowledge into working applications. One of the limitations of the aforementioned products is that their native database didn’t scale well or support multiple users very well. Rekall avoids this problem by dispensing with a native database.

Rekall 1.0.4 Changes
====================

* Direct support for Mandrake 8.2 has been added with SuSE 8.0 coming soon.
* Python versions 1.5.2, 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 are now all directly supported.
* Ability to select which Python version you want to use
* Various enhancements

Rekall 1.0.3 Changes
====================

* Fix for saving forms, reports, etc into MySQL/PgSQL databases
* Fix for crash when combinging nested blocks and scroll bars
* Fix for table update using XBase/XBSQL with unique indexes

Rekall 1.0.2 Changes
====================

The following list summarizes the changes since 1.0.1 (including changes from xbsql-0.7 to xbsql-0.8)

* Much faster display of tables with large numbers of columns

* Much faster display of MySQL tables with large numbers of rows

* Selection (and deletion) of multiple rows in table data and form data view

* Automatic for Python 1.5.2, 2.0 or 2.1 as installed.

* Online help (in progress, more to come)

* Added Enter/Return as equivalent to Tab key

* Support for eight-bit character sets

* Added “group by” and column aliasing to query designer

* Support for insert/update/delete where table does not have a primary key.

* Various other bug fixes

* Indexing fixed for XBase/XBSQL

* Added “group by”, “having” and aggregate functions to XBSQL (note, this is under development, please verify correct operation).

Rekall 1.0.1 Changes
====================

The following list summarizes the changes since 1.0:

* In table design, control returns to first row after the table definition is saved.

* Fixed “sort ascending” spelling

* Support for boolean types added to drivers and to check box control. Note that XBase/XBSQL still has problems.

* Better keyboard navigation. Ctrl-Up and Ctrl-Down go to first/last record, and Ctrl-Left and Ctrl-Right to
first/last control. Home and End operate within text controls.

* Indexing in table design believed to work now

* More documentation including basic descriptions of control types.

* Default values now work, and can be set to script expressions.

* Tab order dialog behaves more sensibly if controls are not named.

* Entry to query design mode no longer immediately marks the query as changed.

Rekall Components and the Demo Database
=======================================

(1) RPM installation

If you are installing Rekall to run under KDE2, there are four RPMs to install:

korelib-0.8 library loader package
xbase-2-0.0 XBase routines
xbsql-0.8 SQL wrapper for XBase routines
rekall-1.0.4 Rekall itself

Pick the set appropriate to your distribution. These are built against the packages as supplied with the distributions, and use the version of QT2 supplied with the installation.

(2) QT-Only installation

The QT-only version should run on any Linux i386 X-windows system. There is not currently a demo version of this package.

Unpack the rekallqt tarball, then cd into the ‘rekallqt-1.0.2’ directory and execute the command “./install”. This will install rekallQT into the directory /usr/local/rekallqt, with an entry “rekallqt” in /usr/bin. Rekall can then be exucuted using the command “rekallqt”.

If you need to, you can change the install script to install into any directory, however you will need to edit the “rekallqt” script in the installation directory to match.

RekallQT includes its own copy of QT3 (3.0.1), plus the Korelib, XBSQL and XBase components.

The tarball RekallDemo.tgz contains a demonstration database. There are actually three copies of the database, one using MySQL, one PostgreSQL and one XBase/XBSQL.

By purchasing Rekall you are getting the source for the application and free electronic updates to the application. With the next major release of Rekall we will be adding Windows support and Mac OS X support will soon follow, you get all supported platforms for one price regardless of when they are released. Rekall is priced at $79.95 for the physical package and $69.95 for the electronic package.

Rekall can be purchased or demos downloaded from here.

About theKompany.com

theKompany.com is a California-based company with developer teams in North America and Europe. theKompany.com fills a need in the Linux community for mass-marketed, quality Linux software by producing developer tools and desktop applications. theKompany.com’s products are marketed both online and through B&M channels such as Microcenter and Fry?s Electronics. Visit www.thekompany.com for more information.