NewsFactor Network writes “As a sysadmin, I see OS X as a fantastic replacement for a UNIX workstation. But there are a few things Apple should think about if it really wants to compete in the UNIX space. I’m not saying that if OS X doesn’t have these things, UNIX people won’t look at it as an alternative. However, I believe that the following alterations would make OS X much more appealing as a replacement for current UNIX workstations.”

Anonymous Reader writes, “Subsequent to Lineo’s recent decision to divest itself of several
“non-core” product lines, the original founders of Rt-Control Inc.,
which was acquired by Lineo in February 2000, have formed a new company called Arcturus Networks. Rt-Control and its founders were notorious as the creators of the tiny uCsimm SBC and its companion (and now highly popular) Linux operating system, uClinux. To learn more about this new company formed by Rt-Control’s former founders, LinuxDevices.com spoke with Michael Durrant, one of the key founders of Arcturus Networks. Read the story at LinuxDevices.com.”

Anonymous Reader tells us about this story: http://www.linuxworld.com/site-stories/2002/0211.scale.html. “A long and sometimes bitter thread entitled ‘A Modest Proposal: We need a Patch Penguin’ has been the center of attention for many on the Linux kernel mailing list the past few weeks. (See Resources for the URL to join the list, but beware before subscribing, it has very high traffic.) Underlying the debates on the best methods and/or tools to improve the kernel hacking process is a more troubling question: can Linus Torvalds continue to successfully lead Linux development?”

NewsFactor Network writes, “Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems, appeared in a penguin suit at a meeting of financial analysts recently, hoping to show his company’s support for Linux and introduce new server offerings aimed at the lower end of the server spectrum. Sun may be feeling the heat as IBM begins to eat into its market in the server space. IBM’s marketing engine has played up the difference between Sun’s Enterprise 10,000 series mainframe-sized servers and its own large RS/6000 offerings.” Read more at osOpinion.com.

Timothy R. Butler writes, “OfB.biz’s Steven Hatfield takes a look at how his mother, who uses much of the same functionality on her computer as an office worker, migrated to Linux. Was the switch-over successful? Find out at OfB.biz.”

“I’m pleased to announce the release of StandaloneZODB, the Python
object persistency system also known as the Z Object Database. ZODB
is the object-oriented database underlying Zope; the StandaloneZODB
project’s goal is to provide those same facilities to non-Zope related
Python applications.”

From:	 barry@zope.com (Barry A. Warsaw)
To:	 python-announce-list@python.org
Subject: RELEASED - StandaloneZODB 1.0 final
Date:	 Fri, 8 Feb 2002 19:44:33 -0500


I'm pleased to announce the release of StandaloneZODB, the Python
object persistency system also known as the Z Object Database.  ZODB
is the object-oriented database underlying Zope; the StandaloneZODB
project's goal is to provide those same facilities to non-Zope related
Python applications.

Today we are releasing StandaloneZODB 1.0 final.  A brief description
of the changes since release candidate 1 is outlined below.

StandaloneZODB is based on the same code as the ZODB in Zope, albeit
on a separate release branch.  Its inspiration comes from Andrew
Kuchling's StandaloneZODB project on SourceForge.  While there are
still some differences, the Standalone 1.0 release is the first on the
path toward convergence.  Subsequent releases should complete the
merge of Andrew's and Zope Corporation's packages.

The StandaloneZODB release includes the following components:

    - Core ZODB, including the persistence machinery
    - Standard storages such as FileStorage
    - Supporting modules such as ExtensionClass
    - The persistent BTrees modules
    - ZEO
    - Experimental Berkeley storages
    - Some documentation <wink>

See the README file for details on building and installing
StandaloneZODB.  For details on using ZODB, see Andrew's included user
guide.

StandaloneZODB 1.0 is released under the ZPL 2.0.  It should be
compatible with all Python versions from Python 2.1 to Python 2.2.  It
may or may not work with versions earlier than Python 2.1.

Download StandaloneZODB-1.0 from:

    http://www.zope.org/Products/StandaloneZODB

and visit the StandaloneZODB Wiki page at:

    http://www.zope.org/Wikis/ZODB/StandaloneZODB

See also:

    http://www.zope.org/Wikis/ZODB/FrontPage

for more information about our long-range ZODB plans.

Enjoy,
-Barry

Barry A. Warsaw
Zope Corporation, Pythonlabs
barry@zope.com

-------------------- snip snip --------------------
What's new in StandaloneZODB 1.0 final?
Release date: 08-Feb-2002
=======================================

All copyright notices have been updated to reflect the fact that the
ZPL 2.0 covers this release.

Added a cleanroom PersistentList.py implementation, which multiply
inherits from UserDict and Persistent.

Some improvements in setup.py and test.py for sites that don't have
the Berkeley libraries installed.

A new program, zeoup.py was added which simply verifies that a ZEO
server is reachable.  Also, a new program zeopack.py was added which
connects to a ZEO server and packs it.

-- 
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-announce-list

LinuxSecurity Contributor writes, “The chroot() function can be a powerful mechanism to secure your system, but only if used
correctly. Anton provides a good foundation for implementing it in your programs and services
running on your system.”
http://www.linuxsecurity.com/feature_stories/featu re_story-99.html

John Buswell writes, “TuxPPC has done it again. We have Linux running on the new iMac G4. You can find an initial installation guide here, complete with photos of Linux running on the iMac. Including cat /proc/cpuinfo!! We have also put up some pictures of the iMac G4 here. This is just an initial guide, we will be testing and tweaking patches this week to improve support for the iMac G4.”

Net-security.org has the article. “In the following article I’ll discuss, in brief, compiling of a new kernel, or an old one, which ever pleases you most, on a example of the upcoming kernel 2.4.0, by using the 2.4.0-test9 version, and some references on new and improved firewalling implemented in it, called iptable.
“

InformationWeek.com has a story on the prospects of Linux use growing in large businesses. ” Linux has long been the perennial bridesmaid of the computing world: Good enough to drive Web servers and other front-end applications, as well as being a favorite with academics, but not steady enough to pair with most companies’ critical back-end operations.

Proponents have argued recently that the situation is changing. This year, the open-source operating system may be closer to making big inroads into the enterprise, with a slew of brand-name vendors introducing products and services for advanced Linux-based computing models.
“