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Contents: Distro News News in General Software Announcements

June 2000 Linux Journal

The June issue of Linux Journal is on newsstands now. This issue focuses on People Behind Linux.

Linux Journal has articles that appear "Strictly On-Line". Check out the Table of Contents at http://www.linuxjournal.com/issue74/index.html for articles in this issue as well as links to the on-line articles. To subscribe to Linux Journal, go to http://www.linuxjournal.com/subscribe/index.html.

For Subcribers Only: Linux Journal archives are available on-line at http://interactive.linuxjournal.com/

Best

Best Linux 2000 R2-Moscow is a Russian-language version of the Best Linux distribution, which is also available in English, Swedish and Finnish.

Bluetooth

Las Vegas, NV May 9, 2000 Today at Networld+Interop (N+I), Axis Communications is demonstrating a new wireless solution that provides broadband access to the Internet and LANs for a wide range of emerging wireless devices. General availability is expected in the fourth quarter. The Bluetooth Access Point will be used to create local "hot spots," areas where instant wireless broadband access to the Internet or a network is available to Bluetooth enabled devices, such as cell phones, PDAs, laptops and emerging Webpads. These hot spots will enable new and innovative services for a variety of user environments, in the office, home, hotels, retail establishments and other public places such as the airport.

In the hotel of the future, while you check into your room, your laptop checks into the office - retrieves e-mail, voicemail and accesses corporate Intranet services - all with broadband speed. Phone calls will be routed automatically via telephony services to your personal mobile phone, providing one number simplicity and lower-cost phone bills. The hotel will offer new conveniences: such as easy wireless faxing and printing from anywhere in the hotel to the business center, poolside food service ordering and streamlined checkout payment all from your PDA.

The Bluetooth Access Point from Axis is the first to support both data and voice services. The product platform is based on Axis' integrated system-on-a-chip technology and embedded Linux, which includes a Bluetooth stack for Linux developed by Axis and recently released under GNU General Public License (GPL) to the open source community.

Newlix

OTTAWA, Ontario - May 2, 2000 - Newlix Corporation announced today a strategic relationship with 3D Microcomputers Wholesale and Distribution to market its Newlix OfficeServer, a Linux-based network operating system.

Newlix is focusing on building an outstanding array of 'set-and-forget' performance features into a reliable, cost-effective network operating system, which runs on standard Intel-based hardware. The company's flagship product, Newlix OfficeServer, is a robust network operating system which features plug-and-play software installation coupled with easy-to-use, web-based configuration tools.

3D Microcomputers is the largest Canadian-owned manufacturer of computer systems. The company provides products and services to 6,000 computer resellers across Canada.

Ottawa, ON - May 3, 2000 - Newlix Corporation and Look Communications Inc. today announced a marketing partnership to promote the use of Newlix OfficeServer, a turnkey Linux-based network operating system for small and mid-sized businesses looking for secure, company-wide Internet access.

Look Communications is a leading wireless broadband carrier and one of the largest Internet Service Providers in Canada. The Newlix OfficeServer will be included in a host of Web-based applications Look offers to support business Internet requirements.

Newlix Corporation (www.newlix.com) is a privately funded company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario and founded in 1999. Corel Corporation (Nasdaq: CORL; TSE: COR) is an investor in the company. Newlix develops software for an easy-to-use Linux-based network operating system that meets the networking and internetworking needs of small to medium-sized businesses and provides OEMs, VARs and other partners with the essential building blocks to custom tailor networking solutions. The company's flagship product, Newlix OfficeServer, provides a robust, worry-free, 'set-and-forget' communications and networking platform, designed to be delivered in partnership with hardware vendors, connectivity providers and application service providers.

Red Hat

Red Hat releases 64-bit Itanium Linux (ZDnet article)
( Official press release from Red Hat)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--April 25, 2000--Red Hat, Inc., announced today that it is now taking orders for developer tools and services for the embedded Linux market. The Red Hat Embedded DevKit (EDK) begins shipping immediately and answers the demand for open source software and tools in the growing embedded space, which includes Internet appliances and handhelds.

The Red Hat EDK provides an integrated development environment (IDE) to deliver software developers everything needed to quickly and easily create embedded Linux applications on a wide spectrum of pervasive computing platforms. The targeted markets include manufacturers who are building Internet infrastructure appliances and consumer Internet appliances, as well as the traditional telecom, datacom, industrial and embedded enterprise markets.

The Red Hat Embedded DevKit is a completely open source software package and is sold via redhat.com with varying levels of services starting at $199.95.

A key advantage to the Red Hat Embedded DevKit is access to the premium support services that Red Hat has pioneered in the open source space. Red Hat Support customers receive assistance on the usage of the Embedded DevKit and response to questions about embedded Linux. In addition, customers are entitled to priority response on corrections to any EDK or kernel problems they submit. This ensures that customer projects stay on schedule.

For EDK, Red Hat offers two types of premium support:

Incident support for small workgroups, and Platinum Support for larger development teams. Incident packages provide the customer with priority response on a fixed number of requests. Platinum packages provide priority response on an unlimited number of requests, but are based on the number of software developers using the EDK.

www.redhat.com/store

LuteLinux

A distribution from Vancouver, Canada.

www.lutelinux.com

Filesystem Hierarchy Standard 2.1

FHS 2.1 is done!

I'm pleased to announce the release of FHS 2.1, a updated version of the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. FHS is part of the draft Linux Standard Base specification, which will soon be updated to reflect FHS 2.1.

FHS 2.1 supersedes both FSSTND 1.2 and FHS 2.0. There have been some significant improvements and bug fixes since FHS 2.0. Please see the FHS web site for details. (It has been a few years since the last official release, so check it out if you're using a previous version of FHS or FSSTND.)

What is FHS?

FHS defines a common arrangement of the many files and directories in Unix-like systems (the filesystem hierarchy) that many different developers and groups have agreed to use. See below for details on retrieving the standard.

The FHS specification is used by the implementors of Linux distributions and other Unix-like operating systems, application developers, and open-source writers. In addition, many system administrators and users have found it to be a useful resource.

FHS or its predecessor, FSSTND, is currently implemented by most major Linux distributions, including Debian, Red Hat, Caldera, SuSE, and more.

FHS 2.1 and other FHS-related information is available at http://www.pathname.com/fhs/

Information on the Linux Standard Base is available at http://www.linuxbase.org/

Daniel Quinlan <quinlan at pathname.com>
FHS editor
Linux Standard Base chair

Upcoming conferences & events

News from the E-Commerce Times

The E-Commerce Times has a Linux section: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/linux/

Caldera sponsors Linux Professional Institute's (LPI) exam-based certification program, TurboLinux partners with Computer Associates for Unicenter, WordPerfect hits the 1-million-download mark.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles2000/000517-tc.shtml

One Year Ago: Penguin and Linux Taking Center-Stage. (An article originally published in May 1999.) For Linux, 1998 was kind of like the year its voice broke....
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles2000/000503-tc.shtml

The End of Linux Hysteria? 2000 could be the year that Linux comes fully into its own....
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles2000/000509-1.shtml

IBM and Linux: A Test of Metal
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles2000/000522-1.shtml

Cobalt news ONS

NAMPA, Idaho and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., - May 17, 2000 - HostPro, Inc., (www.hostpro.net), a Web hosting subsidiary of Micron Electronics , and Cobalt Networks, Inc., (www.cobalt.com)today announced an alliance to expand HostPro's Web hosting programs by offering dedicated server solutions on Cobalt RaQ 3 server appliances. The arrangement enables HostPro to offer direct sales and support to its dedicated Web hosting customers by using a server appliance platform specifically designed by Cobalt Networks for dedicated hosting.

Orlando, Florida, May 22, 2000 - Cobalt Networks, Inc. today announced Cobalt StaQware, a high availability clustering solution that ensures the uptime of business critical Web sites and applications. StaQware, which runs on Cobalt's RaQ 3i server appliances, offers 99.99 percent availability and requires no customization or modification to applications.

RAID solutions for Linux

Hello!

I read several of your Linux Gazette issues. Just to let you know- my company sells a line of RAID products that are Linux compatible.

Our address is www.raidweb.com

The advantages of our products are that we sell systems utilizing either SCSI or IDE hard drives. Also, our RAIDs are O/S independent--useful if your readers are utilizing multiple-boot or different operating systems.

NetMax products

Ann Arbor, Michigan, May 8, 2000 - Cybernet Systems Corporation today announced two new product releases with enhanced features for its popular Linux-based NetMAX Internet appliance software line, providing consumers with more capabilities and flexibility at the same low cost and in the same easy, 15-minute installation format. The NetMAX Internet Server Suite now includes the ability to host multiple domains on a single IP address, and improvements to the NetMAX FireWall Suite include a proxy server with 100 MB of cached storage to speed network performance.

Computer I/O streaming telecom server

Santa Clara, CA -- May 22, 2000 -- Computer I/O Corporation, a provider of communications servers, embedded software and services, announced the Easy I/O (TM) T1/E1 Streaming Server, a high-performance communications server specifically designed for data insertion, capture and analysis applications.

The Linux-based T1/E1 Streaming Server functions as a communictations probe enabling client applications to directly access T1/E1 DS0 channels from the LAN environment.

http://www.computerio.com

LinuxMall and EBIZ (TheLinuxStore) to merge

DENVER-- LinuxMall.com Inc. and EBIZ Enterprises Inc., announced today both parties have executed a letter of intent (LOI) to merge. The merger of LinuxMall.com and TheLinuxStore.com, a division of EBIZ Enterprises, will position the combined entity as the largest vendor-neutral Linux shopping mall and destination on the Internet. The resulting company will offer the most comprehensive selection of Linux products and solutions, information and services. The companies' combined prior fiscal year revenues were more than $25 million.

Under terms of the agreement, the new corporation will be known as LinuxMall.com. Today, LinuxMall.com is the No. 1 e-commerce site for the Linux community and was recently listed the No. 1 shopping destination in Linux Magazine's "Top One Hundred Linux Sites." The rise of the Linux operating system has been one of the top technology stories of the year as companies are adopting this system within their enterprises. TheLinuxStore.com Web site will become a store within the LinuxMall.com collection of online stores.

The new Company intends to apply for NASDAQ listing after successful completion of the proposed merger.

Software Carpentry Design Competition Finalists

The Software Carpentry Project is pleased to announce the selection of finalists in its first Open Source Design Competition. There were many strong entries, and we would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate.

We would also like to invite everyone who has been involved to contact the teams listed below, and see if there is any way to collaborate in the second round. Many of you had excellent ideas that deserve to be in the final tools, and the more involved you are in discussions over the next two months, the easier it will be for you to take part in the ensuing implementation effort.

The 12 entries that are going forward in the "Configuration", "Build", and "Track" categories are listed at the URL below. The four prize-winning entries in the "Test" category are also listed, we are putting this section of the competition on hold for a couple of months while we try to refine the requirements. You can inspect these entries on-line at http://www.software-carpentry.com/first-round-results.html

Stalker: StrongARM version of CommuniGate Pro

From the Big Iron down to a Pocket Server. Stalker Announces a Linux StrongARM version of the CommuniGate Pro Mail Server

MILL VALLEY, CA - May 15, 2000 - Just two weeks after the successful release of the AS/400 version of CommuniGate Pro, Stalker Software, Inc. today announced the Linux StrongARM version of their highly scalable, carrier-grade messaging server.

CommuniGate Pro was initially designed to be a highly portable messaging system that can effectively use the resources of any operating system on any hardware platform. Current installations include small to mid-size ISPs on up to the extra large ISPs and Fortune 500 companies.

With this release, Stalker expands the number of supported Linux architectures: besides the "regular" Intel-based systems, CommuniGate Pro can be deployed on PowerPC, MIPS, Alpha, Sparc, and now StrongARM processors running the Linux(r) operating system.

The highly scalable messaging platform can support 100,000 accounts with an average ISP-type load on a single server, and the CommuniGate Pro unique clustering mechanisms allow it to support a virtually unlimited number of accounts.

For office environments and smaller ISPs, CommuniGate Pro makes an ideal Internet appliance when installed on MIPS-based Cobalt Cubes(r) and, now, Rebel.com's NetWinder(r) mini-servers.

The CommuniGate Pro Free Trial Version is available at http://www.stalker.com/CommuniGatePro/.

First UK Linux Conference Set to Challenge IT in Business

First UK Linux Conference Set To Challenge IT In Business SuSE Linux Ltd, Europe's leading Linux distributor, will be hosting the first UK Linux Conference on 1st June at the Olympia Conference Centre in London. The Conference, in association with IBM, is set to position Linux as a viable option for the corporate desktop, whilst preserving its traditional role of powering many corporate servers. Leading industry figures, including Larry Augustin of VA Linux, Alan Cox of Red Hat, Dirk Hohndel of SuSE Linux and Vice President of the Xfree86 Project, and John Hall from Linux International, will discuss issues ranging from the origins and direction of Linux, to the increasing relevance it has in the business environment today.

http://www.suse.com

Magic Software news

IRVINE, CA (May 17, 2000) - Magic Software Enterprises announced completion of two key acquisitions. Magic purchased a majority interest in Sintec Call Centers Ltd. (Sintec), a Magic Solutions Partner that is the developer of the leading call center management software in Israel. Magic plans to market and sell the Magic-based solution -- which already has been implemented extensively in Israel -- worldwide under the brandname, "Magic eContacit" Magic also has acquired ITM, another Magic Solutions Partner with expertise in the development and implementation of e-commerce projects.

IRVINE, CA (May 22, 2000) - Magic Software Enterprises (Nasdaq: MGIC), a leading provider of state-of-the-art application development technology and business solutions, announced today that it has signed a deal with Compass Group PLC, a major worldwide foodservice organization, to deliver an e-procurement solution. The e-procurement solution, which is being developed and implemented by Magic's French subsidiary at Compass Group France, will be built using Magic's award-winning business-to-business e-commerce solution, Magic eMerchant. The new application is expected to become operational in June 2000.

"We chose Magic over Oracle and IBM because they were able to provide us a competitive, fixed-price solution that could be implemented much more quickly and efficiently than the other two, and would adhere exactly to our specific data model," said Ludovic Penin, Compass Group's IS director in France.

http://www.magic-sw.com

Solemates chooses Lutris Technologies

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - May 22, 2000 - Lutris Technologies, Inc., an Open Source enterprise software and services company, today announced that its Professional Services group was chosen to deliver the interactive customatix (www.customatix.com) Web site for Solemates. Customatix.com is an interactive E-commerce site that enables customers to design and build their own shoes click-by-click from the sole up.

Solemates, the company behind customatix.com, relied on Lutris Technologies' Professional Services group to develop a site capable of delivering the three billion trillion combinations of custom shoe designs that only a Web-based business could offer customers. Visitors to customatix.com can select from a vast assortment of shoe design elements, including sole heights, materials, colors, laces, and other options to build a uniquely individual pair of shoes.

Lutris made customatix.com come to life quickly. Using Enhydra (www.enhydra.org), a leading Open Source Java(tm)/XML application server, the Professional Services group built a complex, multi-faceted application, architecting a solution that integrates seamlessly with Solemates' partners, including UPS, Cybersource, and FaceTime. The Enhydra Open Source application server decreased Solemates' time-to-market to a fraction of what it could have been using closed source, proprietary software.

Using Enhydra XMLC, Lutris was able to deploy Solemates' business in five months-roughly half the time it would have taken without this innovation, and at a cost of approximately one-third of what a pioneering site typically costs, according to recent GartnerGroup survey data. Enhydra XMLC separates HTML design and coding from business logic, allowing interface designers and Java programmers to work simultaneously yet independently. Since a core benefit of customatix.com's vision lay in allowing customers to view their creations in real-time, Enhydra XMLC provided the precise technology to support such an inventive business strategy.

Linux Links

LinuxMall's Ask Linus forum.

Proton Media specializes in creating multimedia web presentations using Flash 4.0. The same presentation may be used as a trade-show kiosk and also given away as a "CD-ROM business card". (This URL requires Macromedia's Shockwave Flash plug-in. A link to the Linux version is available at the site.)

TheLinuxExperts.com sells Linux servers in North America and installs office LANs.

Firstlinux.com "I've installed Linux: What Next?" is a series of articles aimed at helping you realise the full potential of Linux.

Making the Palm/Linux Connection (O'Reilly article)

Universal Device Networking -- the Future is Here (LinuxDevices.com article)

AnchorDeskUK article about Red Hat's default login mishap

ZDNetUK article: "Linux took another major stride towards corporate acceptance last week, with IBM's announcement that IBM Global Services would support S/390 versions of Linux from SuSE and TurboLinux."

Can Linuxcare stay afloat? (ZDNetUK article) "The real story behind a potential open-source disaster."

Browser Wars: the Future Belongs to the Dinosaurs

MS Kerberos, "medialess" OS, hypocracy, Gnutella, and overenthusiastic open-source enthusiasts

Most of these are linked directly or indirectly from the indicated OSOpinion articles.

How to publish a trade secret (Microsoft's Keberos specification)

Microsoft's Gamble of a Lifetime (switching from selling software to on-line subscription services).

• http://www.theregister.co.uk/000512-000020.html
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/991014-000022.html
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/981120-000001.html
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/991014-000026.html
• http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/XavierBasora/XavierBasora72.html

Open source is (so far) a road to nowhere

• http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2555159,00.html
• http://www.osopinion.com/Opinions/EskoWoudenberg/EskoWoudenberg8.html
• http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2560523,00.html
• http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2567827,00.html
  "What we have here is enormous hypocracy. The first thing to do is to separate the two open-source camps. One is a group that develops software for the greater good. Then there are the people who wrote me."
• http://www.anchordesk.co.uk/anchordesk/commentary/columns/0,2415,7102552,00.html
  I have a bone to pick with enthusiasts: John Taschek defends his recent attack on open source by stating that Open software is just as buggy or as good as anything else. Companies are hopping on the bandwagon although there is one difference -- there are no open-source leaders.

Microsoft - The Penguin's Buddy (some more ways MS is shooting itself in the foot)

Napster and Gnutella

• The Noisy War Over Napster (Newsweek article)
• UK adds voice to Napster Linux row (ZDNetUK article) "Napster could be used to distribute open source software, says British Linux kernel programmer Alan Cox, adding his voice to the current dispute over the technology."
• Gnutella

Infoworld article about the "medialess" OS

new release of BORG

We would like to announce that the next version (v0.2.20) of BORG (BMRT Ordinary Rendering GUI) is now available for download at www.project-borg.org. BORG is now running on most of the BMRT supported platforms including LINUX, WinNT, SOLARIS. (Requires Java 1.1.7 or higher.)

Linux Accounting

I would like to announce the availability of AccountiX for LINUX. this is a full featured, modular accounting package. The source code is available in order to provide customization to fit an end-users needs. Information on the package is located at www.accountixinc.com.

Frank Quirk, President
AccountiX, Inc.

Loki: Heavy Gear II

With "Heavy Gear II" Loki Entertainment Software is opening the door to new dimensions in the Linux world: with 3D audio effects and joystick support, a further step has been taken towards the acceptance of Linux by the home user.

With the release of the first "big" Linux game, "Civilization: Call To Power" (awarded the "Best End User Product of 1999" by Linux Journal), Loki Entertainment has already made a name for itself. Just like its successors, "Heavy Gear II" makes optimal use of the qualities of Linux in the network, whereby multi-player games based on rounds, or real-time, are possible. Due to its success, it is no surprise that around a dozen more titles are planned on being ported to Linux for the year 2000.

Loki is currently placing its main emphasis on 3D sound support by means of OpenAL. "OpenAL represents a milestone for Linux," realizes Scott Draeker, president of Loki Entertainment Software. "Until now, 3D audio features in games were reserved for users of other platforms. This has all changed now."

OpenAL, entirely in the tradition of the Open Source community, is issued under the LPGL license (GNU Library Public License).

Loki released 7 front-line Linux game titles in 1999, and plans 16 titles for 2000. For more information, visit www.lokigames.com.

Loki: Quake III Arena Editor

We proudly announce the beta release of Linux SDK for use with Quake III Arena.

The full version of Linux SDK will benefit Linux enthusiasts and aspiring game developers alike by allowing them to create maps and game code modifications under Linux. Windows users have had this capability since the release of the original Quake game.

Linux SDK offers Linux users a toolchain for content creation. It combines software for image processing, conversion and editing with a fully-featured map editor compatible with the Quake III engine. The features include custom texturing, lighting, patches, shaders, entities and more. It is based in part on the QERadiant code from id Software, Inc.

Download the unsupported beta version.

Other software

Public demo of Kylix, Borland's Delphi for Linux.

Aestiva HTML/OS is a simple way to build a database designed for the web.

CRiSP is a programmer's editor 7.0 including file compare, FTP client, GUI and text modes, vi/emacs emulation, and much more. (21-day evaluation copy)

Cybozu Office 3 is an English version of Cybozu's Japanese office suite. Includes ten applications. Dowload the 60-day trial at http://cybozu.com/download/index.html

Canvas 7 Linux Beta 2 by Deneba provides vector drawing, diagramming, technical illustration, creative drawing, image editing, web graphics and page layout features in one powerful application. Download the beta from Deneba's web site.

MontaVista real-time scheduler for the Linux kernel. (For embedded applications.) Download source and documentation at http://www.mvista.com/realtime/rtsched.html

EiconCard Connections for Linux, when combined with an EiconCard network interface card, provides the wide area communications needs for an easy-to-use, low-cost, and easy-to-manage communications server. The flexibility of the EiconCard, when combined with this software, provides powerful IP Routing over various WAN protocols, making it ideal for applications such as Web Servers or Thin Server Appliances. In addition, many Linux-based embedded systems, such as point-of-sales, can use the X.25 connectivity built into the software. It will be available in June.

Opera has signed a deal with RSA to use RASFE Crypto-Ci 1.0 encryption software in its Opera web browser.

This page written and maintained by the Editor of the Linux Gazette. Copyright © 2000, gazette@ssc.com
Published in Issue 54 of Linux Gazette, June 2000