The Salt Lake Tribune offers an introduction to Linux, that operating system the author says “your computer person” knows all about. Naturally, the first example used to define a proprietary operating system was NetWare, from Utah-based Novell (Windows came in second).

“Ximian’s distribution of GNOME is built around the proposition that in addition to the building blocks of the basic desktop
environment, some added polish in the form of easier installation and more user-friendly tools are required to truly complete
the end-user experience. To that end, Ximian provides not only an easy-to-use installer that’s simple to launch, but a few
other add-ons and enhancements designed to ease use and maintenance of a Linux (or Unix) workstation.” From LinuxPlanet.

The latest Linux in education report is now available from Simple End User Linux.

Kelly McNeill writes “As Linux grows in popularity, we can expect an ever-growing list of places where our preferred operating system will be found, but don’t just expect the inevitable data-center or consumer desktop locations. If osOpinion’s future predictions prove correct, we can expect even bigger plans

Linux Weekly News posts the latest edition of news and links of interest to the Python developer community. In this issue, Tcl for Palm OS; Snack 2.1b1 released; and notes on multithreading.

eWEEK’s Matt Hicks asks: “Why does the burden to prevent spam lie
with consumers like me and not with the marketers profiting from it? I never inquired
about hot stock tips, the latest herbs that send you flying high or sexual enhancers.
And when these messages first started flowing into my work e-mail account, I was
offended. What if I were unlucky enough to work at a company that monitored all my
e-mails and decided these were an inappropriate use of company resources? I
would face the burden of explaining their presence.”

ZDNet reports on efforts in Washington to bring high-speed Internet access services to rural parts of the United States. A bipartisan bill introduced last week would allow the Baby Bells to provide long-distance data services without having to meet competition-promoting requirements. Opponents have labelled the bill an “incumbency protection program,” arguing that passage would reduce or eliminate competition.

“The Web Application Server demo for Linux contains the program
saposcol that is setuid root. Due to improper usage of popen(3) it may
be possible for local users to gain unauthorized root access.” Full details at Help Net Security.

From the San Francisco Chronicle (via Computer News Daily): “Napster is blocking so much music these days, its
members are starting to play a dirge for the popular online
song-swapping service. The effect, some users say, has stripped Napster of the content that
made it a worldwide phenomenon. Indeed, a random check by The
Chronicle on Friday found only 12 of the Billboard’s Top 20 hits still
available on Napster, compared with 19 a month ago. Many of the top
hits that remained were misspelled and had fewer copies.”

An anonymous reader pointed us to this article at Consulting Times: “10 years ago, an association of top Unix Resellers located throughout the US and Canada formed an association. They stated their purpose as one in which
they could work with one another to provide Unix (and now, Linux) customers with what they claim as the best possible products, support and service.

Their members have worked successfully together on many projects and bring their expertise to the Linux/UNIX channel. They quietly do the work that allows
Linux to thrive. You don’tt hear much about them but they make up a large part of what allowed Compaq to do close to a billion dollars in server sales in the
Intel UNIX and Linux space last year.”