IBM offers an online tutorial fromGentoo Technologies president Daniel Robbins: “n this conclusion to the awk series, Daniel introduces you to awk’s important string functions, and then shows you how to write a
complete checkbook-balancing program from scratch. Along the way, you’ll learn how to write your own functions and use awk’s
multidimensional arrays. By the end of this article, you’ll have even more awk experience, allowing you to create more powerful scripts.”

From ZDNet: “Linux open source code developers are trying to compress
the cycle with which they bring out new versions of the
Linux operating system kernel, the core system on which all
Linux distributions are built.

At the end of the first Linux kernel developer’s summit, held
last weekend at the San Jose Hyatt, speeding the
development cycle was foremost on a list of goals discussed
in an end of the workshop announcement Tuesday.”

CNET News.com reports that Microsoft will once again revise the terms of service for Passport, the offering that ties together popular sites like Hotmail and MSN. This time around, the Redmond software giant will remove controversial provisions that would have given it control over all content generated by users via Passport. Microsoft officials are still puzzled as to why the public didn’t fall in love with the idea.

The Dallas Morning News says “The good news: This oft-delayed operating system – the first since 1984 – sets a
new standard for computer desktops with gorgeous, easy-to-use graphics and
navigation.

The bad: It’s not ready for daily use.”

Slashdot’s Jon Katz wonders if p2p isn’t yet another tired, pathetic attempt by self-styled Internet gurus and virtual roadside hucksters to invent yet another trendy Internet market that users don’t want, don’t need, and could care less about. You know, like push, or maybe even… well, like push.

NewsBytes has a story about Richard M. Stallman speaking in Thailand and urging the government to use free software. By using free software, Thailand can save paying currency to a few rich Americans. It is stupid to
recognize foreign copyrights,” he said.

Inter@ctive Week reports that speedier development was among the topics discussed at the end of the Linux kernel summit last weekend. Theodore Ts’o said development on the 2.5 kernel should start in about a year. TechWeb has more information a summit wrapup teleconference call.

Upside.com reports that embedded software maker Wind River Systems has bought two operating-system companies, “including one of the major strains” of BSD. Wind River bought, for the usuual
undisclosed sum, Berkeley Software Designs Inc., the
maker of the BSDi operating system. Wind River also
purchased the Virtuoso operating system from
Belgium-based Eonic Systems. Here’s the press release from BusinessWire, and BSD Today has even more information.

DeebianPlanet.org has an item asking for volunteers. ”
As you know, Debian is a community effort. I’m asking for help from
intermediate to advanced users to make Debian even better than it is.

As per Debian’s Policy, every executable file in Debian has to supply a man
page. However, many packages don’t follow this requirement yet. I have
created a listing of all executables for which no corresponding man page is
available yet. If you use any of these packages listed below, please consider writing a man page
for its executable files and submit it to the Bug Tracking System, http://bugs.debian.org.

Writing man pages is not very difficult.”

The announcement is posted at LWN.net, and 2.4.3ac3 is available at ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/people/alan/2.4/.