Wired: “The Taliban believes the Internet is unholy, but there was an “official” website until right after the September terrorist attacks. Its current status, however, is a mystery.”

“Free software is like free lunch — it doesn’t exist. It takes time and tools to develop software and resources to market and
distribute it. But just as you have the freedom to take lunch, some believe you should have the freedom to copy, modify and distribute
software. This freedom is not available with freeware, shareware or proprietary software — source code does not accompany these
products. But source code does accompany open-source software.” More at Network Computing.

OReilly.net: “In this week’s Security Alerts, Noel Davis reports on a bug in the Linux kernel that can allow files that exceed a user’s quota limits; an old daemon hanging around in SSH 2; and vulnerabilities in Red Hat’s printing system.”

MSNBC: “Whenever Napster’s new service does come back online, Hilbers
reiterated that digital song downloads will include technology that prevents
unlimited copying and free distribution.

All five major labels have
vowed to come out with
subscription online music
services before year’s end.
Sony and Universal have
partnered to form pressplay
while MusicNet is the joint
venture of Warner, BMG and
EMI.”

Kelly McNeill writes: “Apple Computer’s next-generation operating system Mac OS X is making waves on the desktop and is causing IT personnel to take another look at the Mac for the demands of the server function. The maturation of Mac OS X couldn’t have come at a more opportune time – it’s happening at the same time as Microsoft’s rollout of Windows XP. Many businesses are questioning the purchase of new hardware to accommodate XP’s demanding requirements.”

LogError writes: “This is another article in the series of articles dedicated to basic system maintenace and security. This time, I plan to cover the topic of logging, and why is logging a must for every serious admin, or for any system that plans to be exposed to any kind of multi user enviroment. Before I go on further, a small suggestion you should take seriously, no matter if you plan reading or just skimming through the introduction: log everything! Yes, be paranoid, log everything you can. Now that I have said that, let’s discuss it altogether…””

Daniel James writes: “Opting to replace a Unix server farm with main-frame Linux made
headlines for Telia Net last December. Ten months on, Russ Foster
returns to find the big iron making big savings. More at Linuxuser.co.uk.“

Anonymous Reader writes: “The problem with Linux,” Ballmer says, “is that they have a collaborative model: there’s lots of people involved in any changes and they can’t innovate as fast as we can.” The Microsoft chief is quoted in silicon.com.

Prot writes: “Linux is much more than (the highly marketed) Red Hat or Mandrake. Assuming you got the skills required, a Linux distribution can be created, distributed or sold by anyone. This is what Free Software is all about anyway. Two Swedish Linux coders are offering their own, home-brewed Linux distros for some months now (with newer versions on the way). Per Lidén has put together CRUX from scratch, while John Eriksson has evolved a lightweight Slackware version to his own ROOTLinux. OSNews interviews both the developers regarding their (part-time/hobby) projects and their future prospects.”

Kelly McNeill writes: “I sent e-mail to my U.S. representatives this week expressing concern about how the antiterrorism law signed by President Bush poses extensive threats to civil liberties. In response, I expected the usual replies from those officials in the form of canned “Thank-you-for-sharing your-thoughts-and-concerns,” but the message I got back instead was cause for greater concern.”