Wired: “The e-mail worm that won’t go away is scheduled to deliver a nasty attack on random infected users on Oct. 16. If it hits, you’ll need plenty of advice.”

Kelly McNeill writes: “Given the many Internet security breaches that have occurred this past year, from Code Red to the Nimda virus, many are wondering whether — and how — the Internet can help in thwarting future incidents or aiding in rescue and recovery efforts. In the aftermath of September’s cataclysmic events in New York and Washington, the Internet aided mostly through its ability to help find missing persons and to connect others to agencies that were assisting in recovery efforts, such as the Red Cross.”

Camille Jacks writes: “Web-based database solutions provider site www.ecriteria.net launches its new free Open Database Project. This is hitting the news when anything free should be getting attention. Details of the project may be found at the “Spotlight” sections at the home page or by following the link www.ecriteria.net/open.
Based on eCriteria technology,the ODBP allows free access to both business and personal database content in a broad range of categories. The project is likened to a search engine for database content.

Individuals, businesses, and organizations may use the site to access thousands of public databases published by other users for free and unlimited consumption. Users need not contribute data in order to access the repository. If the data author allows it, users may also download search results to their desktop PC in plain text, or xml format.

Users may elect to create their own databases and contribute the data content to the project. Using a web database publishing wizard process provided by eCriteria.net, users may import data from spreadsheet applications and create a new web database in 15 minutes without any programming or database knowledge.

Users creating new databases may choose database names in a manner similar to selecting domain names. For instance, an organization might pick its trademark name for a database, so that when someone searches ODBP, entering this keyword will locate data associated with the organization. There are no limits on searches, updates, or creating with the ODBP (open database project).”

Kelly McNeill writes: “Although we are only seven months into the release of OS X, Mac users have a lot to be excited about. For the benefit of those new to or considering the new platform, here’s a Top 10 list of reasons to love OS X. Take a look at the list. The bottom line is that OS X comes out on top of its competitors with its astounding choice of applications and platforms. There’s only one OS that allows you to simultaneously run and use software such as Excel, MySQL, GIMP, Photoshop, iMovie and iTunes, and play a DVD.”

IDG: “ARIS (Attack Registration and Intelligence Service) Predictor, is an alerts, patch and information service that melds the information and strengths of SecurityFocus’ Bugtraq vulnerabilities e-mail list with specialized information to provide customized security advice before attacks happen.”

Kelly McNeill writes: “‘Legacy’ is defined as a ‘gift of personal property,’ but it can also mean a bequest of dishonor or disease. Legacy systems are the old technologies and processes used by a business in the face of newer systems it has yet to adopt, or, worse yet, alongside the newer systems. Legacy systems also happen to be one of the worst drains on a business. The amount of effort wasted in keeping an older system supported is often extremely counterproductive in terms of sales and investment. Businesses have to ask whether it really is worth keeping the legacy equipment.”

– by Tina Gasperson –
Michael Yu Chak Tin was running the CPU Training Centre, a Hong Kong-based computer training school that offered Windows, Unix, and Linux certifications. “Almost all of our courses were full, with the exception of Linux,” Tin says. He set out to discover why, and his research produced some interesting results.”Most enterprises are reluctant to deploy Linux as an alternative to Win NT, because of issues such as user interface,
hardware compatibility and support costs … etc,” he says. “To them, deploying Linux requires a separate full time staff, which is not cost effective. They’d rather spend a little more to buy NT, so that less support and training cost is introduced. With this, we started to think about some ‘crazy,’ yet exciting, new ideas.”

One thing led to another, and after exploring the efficiency of other Linux business models, Tin decided the free operating system’s strength lay in custom configurations. “The beauty of Linux is the possibility of developing our own custom version for specific functions without the need to start
developing a system from scratch. And to be able to do this, general Linux admin skills won’t do the trick.”

So Tin and his colleague, Lawrence Yiu Tak Lung, created the Linux System Integration Certification Project, or OpenCERT for short. The Web site’s background information sheds additional light on the OpenCERT philosophy:

“There has been much hype about Linux in the past
couple years. Today, we have to believe that, Linux
is not going to be able to replace Windows, both in
the server market and the desktop market.

According to the report released on July 24, 2000 by
IDC, titled “Server Operating Environments Market
Forecast and Analysis, 2000-2004,” Linux shipment
growth will outpace all other server operating
environments through 2004. Despite this high
growth, Linux server operating environment
revenues will barely exceed $85 million in 2004, and
total Linux server shipments will remain a far second
to Microsoft’s Windows Server product family.

According to Dan Kusnetzky, vice president of
System Software at IDC: “While there has been
much hype about Linux, our research indicates the
total market for Linux operating system software in
1999 was about $67 million — or about the same
amount of revenue that Microsoft’s operating
systems business generated by noon on the third
working day of January 1999.”

So, how do we survive by implementing Linux? Our
belief: Going Specific. Linux is the OS of choice if we
want to develop a lean and stable system to provide
specific services. We can customize and trim the
kernel and the modules. We can easily develop our
own distribution, with the minimal efforts, compare
to using other OS. And Microsoft is not going to be
able to get into every market.”

OpenCERT offers certification in embedded Linux skills and systems integration on three levels. Tin says there is no charge for most of the exams, though some carry a small fee to cover manual grading of projects. Tin and Lung have spent over a year developing the examinations. “In terms of
defining the skill sets, we did a comparative analysis of all the existing Linux certifications’ objective lists against our goals
of systems integration. By doing this, we found out what objectives can be applied to our exams, what objectives need to
be enhanced / enriched, and what objectives need to be added,” says Tin.

“We distributed surveys through the major training centres/test centres in our region, and conducted focus groups, to find out how the candidates think about/react to the certification test items they
encountered. We also investigated the exam formats of Cisco CCIE and Sun JAVA Architect, as they require LAB/Project Assignment respectively.”

“We then proceeded with creating the test questions. During this phase, some psychometric techniques were used.
Items were created, small scale beta processes were performed, and statistical methods were used to identify the proper
questions/topics to include, their weights, and the cut scores. Of course, since we have very limited resources, we could not
yet perform a full scale exam development effort.”

Tin wants his new certification company to remain non-profit. “We do not have to to be driven by the
pressure to
make money,” he says. “Of course, things will go slower without the profit
driving
factors, but we believe that, we want to treat this project as
most of the
open Linux projects found on the Web, that everyone can
participate and
provide inputs and feedback freely.

“Also, we are the ‘small guys.’ I do not think we are powerful
enough to
provide things that are of the highest commercial quality as yet.”

Once test-takers have progressed through Tin’s planned third level of Linux systems integration certification, he plans to invite them to work with him to “jointly develop new Linux distributions to serve specific functions.”

Those interested in registering for one of the free certification exams should visit www.systemreview.net/examreg.htm, or send email to michael@systemreview.net.

CNN reports: “Three Japanese companies are testing what they say is the world’s first photo-processing service using disposable digital still cameras. Asahi Optical, which makes Pentax brand cameras, electronics manufacturer Sanyo Electric, and printer maker Altech have announced the three-month trial.”

From Business Week: “Should you upgrade your current computer to Windows XP? There’s no question that moving to XP is desirable, but whether it’s practical, or even possible without buying a new computer, depends on what you’re starting from.”

From ZDNet: “Palm CEO Carl Yankowski began the annual shareholders meeting on a conciliatory note Thursday, mindful that virtually everyone in the crowd had lost a bundle on his company’s stock.”