ZDNet reports that world’s largest PC maker, Dell, doesn’t see a market for Linux on the desktop, although it does see potential for graphics workstations. “Instead of the mass market, the biggest target for Linux at the moment is the high-end graphics
workstations used by engineers and industrial designers, according to Dell. So far Linux hasn’t
made much progress there because of lack of support for graphics cards.”

Patrick Mullen writes, “The Duke of URL has posted its 10th iteration of its Linux Buyer’s Guide. The guide covers 4 systems (high end, SMP, mid range, low end) as well as a set of Linux-compatible peripherals and information on many components Linux compatibility.”

An anonymous reader writes: “Two years ago, French startup Future Sound Technologies (FST) set about creating “the
ultimate music appliance” for today’s wired music enthusiasts. Founders Martin Guerin
and Eric Morisset envisioned a device that would make it easy for people to fully enjoy
their favorite online and downloaded titles anytime, anywhere — without the hassles of
being tethered to a PC. At the recent MIDEM 2001 global music trade show in Cannes,
France, FST unveiled the outcome of the company’s two-year quest: the “Hi-Muse”. The Hi-Muse is an innovative Linux-based entertainment gadget that offers a combination
of both standalone and Internet-based music and sound functions. Basically, you can use
the Hi-Muse to record, play, and store your music from CDs and other sources; it also
provides a simple means by which you can locate, listen to, and store music from
Internet radio stations, music portals, and other online sources — without the use of a PC. More at LinuxDevices.com.“

ZDNET: “There’s no delicate way of
putting it: I would guess that
well over half of the spam I
get is either from people
selling illegal
medications–some of which
might give me an
erection–or selling online
pictures which would kill it
stone dead even if I had one.”

Wired: “The National Science Foundation will award scholarship money to computer security students who take government jobs upon graduation. Reactions are mixed.”

The Register: “The fortunes of Wall Street’s Linux poster children, Red Hat and VA Linux Systems,
continue to diverge. While Red Hat boasted of bullish figures, VA yesterday
reported a drop in sales of 41 per cent on last year’s equivalent period.” Newsforge is a part of OSDN, a VA Linux subsidiary.

Wired: “The White House’s official site suffers a denial-of-service attack — not to mention attacks from critics for its paucity of content and design.”

ComputerWorld: “Big Blue is decidedly upbeat as it makes a series of announcements on wireless and mobile technologies, despite admissions that U.S. customers want proof that wireless projects will be productive in harder economic times.”

Wired: “Max Butler lived three lives for five years.

As “Max Vision,” he was an incredibly skilled hacker and security expert who boasted that he’d never met a computer system he couldn’t crack.

As “The Equalizer,” he was an FBI informant, reporting on the activities of hackers who considered him a colleague and, in some cases, a friend.”

The Dot: “A second beta of KOffice-1.1 is now available. The improvements since the first beta are considerable,
particularly in KWord. If you are looking for a stable and full-featured word processor under Linux, give it
a try! This release also features improved filter support throughout the suite including better MS Word and
MS Excel support, and a new Quatro Pro filter.”