Wired.com reports that HP CEO Carly Fiorina has been offering clues that something big was afoot before this week’s announcement that Hewlett-Packard would buy Compaq.

From LWN.net: “The Open Group is pleased to announced the general availability release of
the LSB-FHS test suite for the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard Version 2.2,
used to test the filesystem hierarchy aspects of the Linux Standard Base.”

Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ)
today further extended its solutions for small-to-medium
business (SMB) customers, with the announcement of a new
Multifunction Small Enterprise solution based on the
industry-leading Compaq ProLiant server platform. The new
ProLiant server offering is an affordable, turnkey network and
security solution that integrates the robust technology and
capabilities of high-end ProLiant servers with Linux-based
software and services from Mitel Networks, to provide small and
medium businesses enterprise-class flexibility, scalability and
support for a variety of applications.

The Multifunction Small Enterprise solution was developed to
meet the needs of cost-conscious small businesses that are
looking for reliable, simplified and secure solutions for
running their day-to-day business operations. The new solution
is a fully configured hardware and software package that
includes applications such as email, file/print sharing,
Internet access, firewall, Web hosting and network-delivered
services.

“Compaq has listened to our SMB customers and has brought to
market a truly integrated solution developed specifically to
provide the right performance, features, and price point for
their growing businesses,” said Brad Anderson, vice president
Mainstream Servers, Compaq Industry Standard Server Group.
“Compaq does not compromise – our SMB customers can expect to
find the latest, server-proven Intel Pentium processor in every
ProLiant server. We aggressively bring innovation and value to
the small- and medium-sized business customer based on market
leading industry-standard ProLiant server platforms.”

The fully configured Multifunction Small Enterprise solution
delivers simplicity without sacrificing scalability to meet
networking and security needs. It integrates the best-of-breed
Compaq ProLiant ML300 series of servers with the full featured,
upgradeable and customizable Mitel Networks’ SME Server V5 with
ServiceLink, based on Linux.

“We’re excited to be working with Compaq to help introduce
Mitel’s new SME Server V5 with ServiceLink,” said Kim Morrison,
GM, Network Server Solutions Group, Mitel Networks. “The
combination of Compaq’s industry-leading ProLiant server
platform with our award-winning software and services delivers
an unbeatable solution to small to medium-sized businesses and
remote branch offices.”

Compaq is leveraging its deep heritage with the channel
distribution model to deliver this SMB solution. As part of a
key initiative targeted for small businesses, PC Connection will
initially distribute the solution for 120 days as a proven,
tested, supported and ready-to-run solution.

“While other vendors offer Celeron-based technology, or closed
boxes that limit expandability and flexibility, Compaq provides
advanced, cutting-edge Intel Pentium III technology and the
versatility to support growing business needs,” said Bob
Gregerson, President of PC Connection Sales Corporation. “We
are pleased to be working with Compaq in launching this new
Multifunction Small Enterprise solution on ProLiant servers.
SMB customers can rely on PC Connection to provide the guidance
and support to satisfy their IT needs so that they can focus on
their business.”

The solution will be available to order through PC Connection on
September 4, 2001. Pricing for the new solution will start at
$1199. For more details please visit
http://www.compaq.com/products/servers/linux.

Company Background
Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation (“Compaq”) is a
leading global provider of enterprise technology and solutions.
Compaq designs, develops, manufactures and markets hardware,
software, solutions and services, including industry-leading
enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical
solutions, communication products, and desktop and portable
personal computers that are sold in more than 200 countries.
Information on Compaq and its products and services is
available at www.compaq.com.

Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov
and his employer Elcomsoft appeared briefly in court today
regarding charges of providing electronic book format
conversion software in the United States.

At the hearing — described as “pretty routine” by defense
attorney Joseph Burton — the case was continued to 9:00 AM
on September 24, 2001, in the same San Jose Federal court
building. The case was continued so that Elcomsoft will
have sufficient time to choose their legal representation
and so that both prosecution and defense teams may present
a joint schedule for motions and discovery in the case.

Last Thursday, the court heard a five-count grand jury
indictment against Elcomsoft and previously jailed
programmer Sklyarov on charges of trafficking and
conspiracy to traffic in a copyright circumvention device.

Sklyarov — who is out of custody on US $50,000 bail —
could face a prison term of up to twenty-five years and a
US $2,250,000 fine. As a corporation, Elcomsoft faces a
potential US $2,500,000 fine.

“Dmitry has programmed a format converter which has many
legitimate uses including enabling the blind to hear
eBooks,” explained Cindy Cohn, Electronic Frontier
Foundation Legal Director. “The idea that he faces prison
for this is outrageous. The EFF will support Dmitry through
the end of this ordeal.”

“We were hoping that the government would see the wisdom
and justice in not pursuing a case against Sklyarov,”
said his attorney, Joseph M. Burton of Duane Morris in
San Francisco. “Even if one were to ignore the serious
legal questions involving the DMCA, this case hardly
cries out for criminal prosecution. Sklyarov’s and
Elcomsoft’s actions are not conduct that Congress
intended to criminalize. We will vigorously contest these
charges.”

The next court appearance scheduled in the case is
9:00 AM Pacific on September 24 before Judge Ronald
Whyte in the San Jose Federal Court building.

Background on the Sklyarov case:
http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/US_v_Sklyarov/

Calendar of protests related to the Sklyarov case:
http://freesklyarov.org/calendar/

Sklyarov Defense Fund:
http://www.elcomsoft.com/aebpr.html

About EFF:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression, privacy, and openness in the information
society. EFF is a member-supported organization and
maintains one of the most linked-to websites in the world:
http://www.eff.org/

Marc.Merlins.org has an extensive personal account of LinuxWorld San Francisco, complete with pictures.

Posted at LWN.net: “After many months (ok, years) of inactivity I have started to update
the Linux Administrator’s Security Guide.”

– by Tina Gasperson –
Linux Island is holding on for dear life, and its president is making payroll out of his own pocket while the company waits for more capital from the increasingly scrawny pool of investors willing to give it up for an Open Source-based business plan.Rob Walther, the president of Chicago-based Linux Island, had to ask 26 interns to stay home when the company — which provides Linux certification classes, on-site support, and pre-configured Linux systems — ran out of money. “We’d known August was going to be a short month,” says Walther. “We told everyone to hold on, until financing comes through.” Walther says that he also had to let go of “four or five” full-time staff.

Interns are those who successfully completed Linux Island’s certification classes. Included in the $3,995 price tag for those who make it through the training is a six-month full-time internship working at Linux Island. Now those interns are without employment before the six-month period has expired.

Walther sounds earnest in his determination not to cheat any of the interns if at all possible. “It is our intention to restore their positions, including back pay for their inconvenience. The investors know of these plans,” he says.

“Payroll was not available Friday,” Walther says, “but they will all receive payroll this week.” He says he is funding the payroll account from his own pocket, but would not share the dollar amount.

Walther is optimistic about the prospects for Linux Island, if the financing comes through. “The interns have been working very hard developing prototypes for our pre-configured systems, and they are in fact ready for sale. We have also scheduled seminars and are planning a free ‘Introducing Linux’ seminar at the ITEC show.”

Walther believes these seminars will generate the service and support contracts the company is lacking. “Our priority was to get the pre-configured systems going, and get the seminars ready, knowing that once they were done, they would bring in the contracts. We have several proposals in the works for contracts.”

“We’ve developed a project management system to run the projects,” once they come in, he says.

Comparisons between Linux Island and its predecessor, Linuxgruven, are inevitable. Walther says his situation is different. “We’re a small company. When Linuxgruven went under, they had 150 on the payroll. Not only did they not pay, their students showed up to locked doors.

“We’ve told everyone to hold on, there’s a bump in the road, but we’re not going to shut the doors. Just hang in there — we’re gonna get through this.”

Answer at LinuxDevices.com. In short, fewer than at the last LinuxWorld New York or last year’s LinuxWorld in Silicon Valley.

LinuxSecurity.org has a story item. “Dug Song is a highly respected OpenBSD, OpenSSH programmer, the
author of Dsniff and numerous security papers including a common
vulnerability in many firewall applications and servers.

He has censored his own website, citing the DMCA.”

Posted at DebianPlanet: “Visit http://xine.sourceforge.net and:
http://dxr3.sourceforge.net and enjoy playing DVD’s on
your TV (if you got a dxr3 mpeg2 decoder card), or on
your screen.”