October 1, the project for developing Free Software components
for email encryption following the Sphinx standard of the
German “Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik” (BSI).
was started.

The bid was accepted for the well-known Free Software companies
g10 Code GmbH (Werner Koch), Klarälvdalens Datakonsult AB (Kalle Dalheimer)
and Intevation GmbH (Bernhard Reiter).
The project prepares the base for Sphinx-enabling free mail user agents.
The popular programs KMail and mutt are already part of it.
Additionally, OpenPGP support and the address book of KMail will
be improved. All results of the open development are released
under the GNU GPL.

The specification project Sphinx was initiated by the BSI for secure
email exchange (signatures, encryption) based on S/MIME and X.509
for use by German authorities.

“The project realizes a future important element for GNU/Linux as
an alternative desktop for authorities and companies”,
explains Jan-Oliver Wagner, Managing Director of Intevation
who coordinates the project.

Developers can get information on the web page
www.gnupg.org/aegypten.

All developments of this project (entitled “Ägypten”)
are planned to be finished for the CeBIT 2002.

About Intevation:

Intevation GmbH, located in Osnabrück, Germany is a high level
free software consulting company. Beyond the technological
implications it empowers its clients to utilise the advantages
of free software culture and usable IT-solutions.
Intevation is main sponsor of the FreeGIS project and supports
the FSF Europe.

About g10 Code:

g10 Code GmbH is a software consulting company dedicated to the
development of security solutions using Free Software. g10 Code takes
responsibility for further development of GnuPG and consults for the
GNU project on cryptographic questions.

About Klarälvdalens Datakonsult:

Klarälvdalens Datakonsult AB is a small international software company with
headquarters in Hagfors, Sweden. Its employees work in Sweden, Germany, and
Denmark. The company specializes in platform-independent software solutions
and names DaimlerChrysler, IBM, and Intel among its customers. In 2001,
Klarälvdalens Datakonsult AB has launched a series of applications and libraries mainly targeted at developers. Courses and mentoring are also part of the
company’s offerings.

Anonymous Reader writes: “The layoffs have finally hit Sun Microsystems. Here is a snippet: Scott McNealy announced today in a WSUN Special Report that, “We need to have a reduction in force, layoffs, not just the small, targeted redeployments that we have done in the natural course of business over the last 20 years. We held off as long as
we could. Longer than many other companies. But this doesn’t make it any easier to deal with, to do, or even to justify.” McNealy stressed the difficulty of the message and said that he wanted to deliver it personally. “It’s going to be tough,” he said. “I really, really do care about each and every Sun individual. But we have to ensure the long-term health of the business and all of its employees and shareholders.”

LogError writes: “Aleksandar Stancin reviewed the new book by Marcel Gagne. As the cover says it clearly “..comprehensive, hands-on guide to Linux system adminstration… both for those who are new to Linux and and those who are already proficient and wish to hone their skills.””

BBC: “Microsoft is taking a big gamble with the next version of Windows,
say analysts.

Making sweeping changes to Windows to combat piracy, aid
industry partners and help Microsoft move to a new way of doing
business could irritate anyone adopting the software.

Some believe the changes create so many obstacles that many
users will be driven to alternative operating systems, such as Linux,
that give them more freedom.”

LogError writes: “September 11, 2001- that date will be engraved upon the memories of most Americans for many years to come. That is the date when terrorists brought their battle to the U.S. soil. One week later, the Internet came under attack by the Nimda worm. Many claimed this was an act of information warfare. This was not the first attack on the Internet, and it certainly won’t be the last, but was this an act of Info War? I don’t believe it was. Let’s compare the tragic events from the 11th with the Nimda worm to see if we can draw some conclusions about information warfare.”

Kelly McNeill writes: “Many of us have been aware of Microsoft’s intentions for the future for some time, but only recently has the company fully outlined the direction it is taking with its operating systems. A recently published manifesto titled “Operating Systems for the Next Millennium” draws the conceptual outline of a new computer environment far different than most ever imagined. According to the document, “the system” will determine where computations execute or where data resides. The key phrase here is “the system.” Who makes “the system”? That’s right, Microsoft.”

IDG: “Nearly a month after Microsoft released all the details about its Pocket PC operating
system, users can finally buy devices running the product, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, said Thursday.

If the first version of Microsoft’s Pocket PC operating system was a breakthrough, then the new version of the
operating system has smoothed all the edges, Ballmer said at the launch here, comparing the upgrade to that
of Windows 3.1 from Windows 3.0 on the desktop.”

Kelly McNeill writes: “Something that really irritates me about software companies that garner some measure of success is that they rob the very people that make their success possible. I know this is a bold statement, but this problematic situation has gone on too long without being brought to light. I — like so many others in the IT field — am being robbed by the bogus training and certification nonsense that now is all the rage.”

ZDNET: “How to build your own supercomputer: Take a few off-the-shelf, stripped-down PCs, add some network
switches, a maze of Ethernet cabling and some homegrown Linux software, and you’ll be well on your way.

Hewlett-Packard, together with a national laboratory in France, tried this recipe out. To the great surprise of many
scientists, it worked. What they ended up with is the “I-Cluster,” a Mandrake Linux-powered cluster of 225 simplified
PCs from HP that has benchmarked its way into the list of the top 500 most powerful computers in the world.”

Kelly McNeill writes: “Five years ago, IBM Corp. set out to revive its fortunes in Unix computing. Today, the company shows off the results of its efforts – a powerful machine largely developed in Austin that gives Big Blue another product to use in its battle with market leader Sun Microsystems Inc. Analysts say the new machine solidifies IBM’s position as the main rival to Sun in the hyper-competitive Unix computer market, which historically has created the computers of choice for advanced scientific and technical computing as well as many “mission-critical” business and e-commerce jobs.”