Silicon News reports that “Hack attacks, worms and viruses could be a thing of the past, according to academics at a top German research institute who’ve invented a security system they claim outperform firewalls…”

International Data Group reports that Transmeta CEO David Ditzel is stepping down from his post. He will be replaced by Mark Allen, currently Transmeta’s president.

Linux World explains how to use a procmail filter to block out unwanted email, or spam.

Kelly McNeill writes “I was at a Linux World Expo in San Jose a couple of years ago and attended Linus Torvalds’ keynote speech. Before Linus took the stage there was an introduction by John “MadDog” Hall. The audience members were asked to raise their hands if any of them had contributed anything to Linux that was generally included in one of the major distributions. Several hundred (maybe more) hands were raised. Hall then asked if anyone attending had contributed anything that was generally included with Windows. Just one or maybe two people raised their hands.”

Florida Today reports that after five years in development, NASA’s replacement for the space shuttle has been scrapped. NASA, the American space agency, notes the space shuttle has only done a quarter of the missions it has been designed for.

Patrick Mullen writes “While Linux is well-known for security, stability, and speed, many open services and other various pieces of software can either slow down or leave gaping holes on your server. The Duke of URL has just reviewed Trustix Secure Linux 1.2 which looks to remedy this situation with its high security and minimal installation. The review covers the installation, usage and much more.”

E-Commerce Times reprints on OS Opinion article: “If Linux is ever going to succeed on the mainstream
desktop, it needs to give users a reasonable hope
that the application they want will run on Linux
and that the hardware they use has a driver for Linux.
This means Linux can’t be the No. 4 or No. 5 choice for an
application writer thinking about which operating system she
should port the application to, or a hardware vendor
thinking about which operating system it should write
a driver for.
It has to be No. 2, and trying harder.”

Can’t wait to get your hands on a shiny 64-bit Itanium processor? You may have to wait just a little longer. CNET News.com reports that Intel has pushed back the date for general availability of its next-generation server chip — this time, it’s a vague “second half of 2001” promise.

From TheStandard.com: “For months the wireless industry has been backpedaling on promises of the speeds of third-generation wireless technologies. As the industry gathered in Cannes, France, last week for the 3GSM World Congress, more indications surfaced that 3G – which will offer high-speed Web browsing and digital video – would arrive later and be slower and less compelling than previously promised.” How late is late? Qualcomm’s chief says 2005, maybe. How slow is slow? Alcatel says top speeds of 14.4Kbps are expected.

EE Times reports that Red Hat’s purchase of Planned Technologies is a good thing for the greater Linux community. Analysts said the buy “provides the strongest sign yet that Linux is moving from its current stronghold in infrastructure applications to the enterprise market.”