From LinuxPR: Easy Software Products today announced
the 3.0 release of the ESP Package Manager (“EPM”), a cross-platform
software distribution program for UNIX.

EPM v3.0 adds support for AIX, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD packages, a
new graphical setup program, a new packaging manual, and a new install
command replacement that builds list files.

IT-director.com has a feature on the Free Standards Group and its attempts to create a Linux Standards Base. “This is a specification that software developers can use as an
application development guide, with the surety that applications that
comply with that specification will run without change on any version of
Linux that supports the specification.”

MacWorld says the feature-rich server is in dire need of a backup solution.

From the Toronto Globe & Mail: “Despite all the years of hearings and rulings,
including last week’s decision by the U.S.
Appeals Court, a central question in the
Microsoft antitrust case remains unanswered,
and it is this: How ignorant and/or lazy are
computer users – or rather, how much credit
should the U.S. government give them for having
any kind of free will? Should Microsoft be forced
by the courts to make it easier for people to use
another company’s software to play MP3 files
or videos, or to surf the Internet?”

From IDG News Service (via CNN): “People in developing nations could soon be using
modified Linux game consoles equipped with
satellite links to help them learn about vital health
issues. The project, sponsored by Western and
Asian business leaders working through the World
Economic Forum (WEF), aims to narrow the
so-called digital divide.”

From the folks at Betabites.com: “When it gets to the point your system won’t play certain games, it is
time
to buy a new PC or upgrade your system. Being relatively broke, I chose
to
rebuild my system, my way. In the BB review entitled, ‘Rebuilding the
PC,’ I
take you through my research, my motherboard and processor selections,
case
and power supply, and my memory problems. Find out what I selected, and
how
much I spent and why. Check out the BB Rebuilding the PC Review!”

Augustus writes, “In our on going effort to standardize benchmarking under Linux, LinuxHardware.org has posted its latest review guide draft. The CPU Review Guide is designed to standardize the review process for processors under the Linux operating system. The initial draft is totally open to criticism as we try to make the review process cater to the desires of the community as a whole. If you are interested in contributing to what we’re doing please head over and comment on this draft. While you’re there check out the Video Card Review Guide and the Motherboard Review Guide.”

Transvirtual Technologies Inc. (www.transvirtual.com)
announced it has secured $4 million in a private equity-financing
round led by H&Q Asia Pacific. Transvirtual, which has developed a new,
open standards information appliance communications platform named XOE, said
the investment solidifies its position in the embedded systems software
marketplace.

“Transvirtual is an exciting investment opportunity for us given our
extensive wireless platform in Japan, the rest of Asia, and the U.S.,”
said
Brian Yeh, Vice President of H&Q Asia Pacific. “The company’s
eXtensible
Operating Environment (XOE) is well-positioned to capture a significant
share of the exciting and explosive market for Information appliances.”

Developed by Transvirtual, XOE integrates the eXtensible Markup
Language
(XML) with the company’s Open Source Kaffe® Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
The
result is a faster, cheaper and more flexible solution specifically
engineered for small, resource-constrained information appliances such
as
PDAs, Web-enabled mobile phones, automotive telematics and TV set-top
boxes.

Transvirtual plans to use the proceeds from this offering to support
the
continued expansion of operations, product development, marketing and
sales.
Founded in 1997, Transvirtual Technologies is focused on the
development of
software architecture enabling communication across all
resource-constrained
computing devices.

“It is gratifying that venture funds of this caliber have shown such
interest so early in the life of our company,” said Daniel Lewin,
Executive
Vice President of Transvirtual Technologies. “The support of investment
leaders such as H&Q Asia Pacific enables us to meet the demands of our
growing list of customers.”

Lewin noted that in the past year, the company has greatly expanded
marketing activity in the orient and has grown substantially. The
company
recently moved into new facilities in San Francisco. A technology demo
and
open house will be held July 12 in the new offices. The event includes
a
presentation by H & Q Asia Pacific Chairman Dr. Ta-lin Hsu. XOE’s
formal
product launch is set for November 2001.

XOE is the commercial implementation of PocketLinux, which has been
developed for information appliances running the Linux OS. Developers
interested in finding out more about Transvirtual’s Open Source efforts
can
visit http://www.transvirtual.com/developers.htm.

CNN.com follows up on earlier reports accusing Chinese Linux hackers of not sharing their code.

From Wired.com: “A self-styled ‘saint of e-commerce’ has been sentenced to three years of court-ordered psychiatric treatment for
posting the credit card numbers of thousands of Internet shoppers on his websites …
During his month-long crusade, [he] managed to collect at least 23,000 credit card numbers, including one
belonging to Bill Gates, which Gray said he used to send a shipment of the impotence-curing drug Viagra to Gates’
home.”