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<title> News Bytes LG #72 </title>
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<A HREF="http://www.linuxgazette.com/">
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<H4 ALIGN="center">"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"</H4>
<HR>
<center>
<table cellpadding=7><tr><td>
<IMG SRC="../gx/bytes.gif" border=1 ALT="News Bytes">
</td><td>
<H3>Contents:</H3>
<ul>
<li><a HREF="#leg">Legislation and More Legislation</a>
<li><a HREF="#links">Linux Links</a>
<li><a HREF="#conferences">Conferences and Events</a>
<li><a HREF="#general">News in General</a>
<li><a HREF="#distro">Distro News</A>
<li><a HREF="#commercial">Software and Product News</a>
</ul>
</td></tr></table>
<STRONG>Selected and formatted by <A HREF="mailto:michael.conry@softhome.net">Michael Conry</A></STRONG>
</center>
<P> Submitters, send your News Bytes items in
<FONT SIZE="+2"><STRONG>PLAIN TEXT</STRONG></FONT>
format. Other formats may be rejected without reading. You have been
warned! A one- or two-paragraph summary plus URL gets you a better
announcement than an entire press release.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<font color="green">
November 2001 <I>Linux Journal</I>
</font>
</H3>
<IMG ALT=" " SRC="misc/lj-cover91.png" WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=268
ALIGN="left" HSPACE="20">
<P>
The November issue of <A HREF="http://www.linuxjournal.com/"><I>Linux
Journal</I></A> is on newsstands now.
This issue focuses on Linux Enterprise and presents the results from the annual
Readers' Choice Awards. Click
<A HREF="http://www.linuxjournal.com/lj-issues/issue91/index.html">here</A>
to view the table of contents, or
<A HREF="http://www.linuxjournal.com/subscribe/index.html">here</A>
to subscribe.
<P>
<FONT COLOR="green">All articles through December 1999 are available for
public reading at
<A HREF="http://www.linuxjournal.com/lj-issues/mags.html">http://www.linuxjournal.com/lj-issues/mags.html</A></FONT>.
Recent articles are available on-line for subscribers only at
<A HREF="http://interactive.linuxjournal.com">http://interactive.linuxjournal.com/</A>.
<BR CLEAR="all">
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<font color="green">
November/December 2001 <I>Embedded Linux Journal</I>
</font>
</H3>
<IMG ALT=" " SRC="misc/elj-cover06.png" WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=268
ALIGN="left" HSPACE="20">
<P> Issue #6 of <I>Embedded Linux Journal</I> has articles about choosing an
embedded distribution, building a minimal glibc, Linux single-board computers,
and more. Plus a cool chicks-on-a-motherboard cover.
<P> <A HREF="http://embedded.linuxjournal.com/magazine/issue06/">Click here for the table of contents.</A>
<P> <I>Embedded Linux Journal</I> is available free to qualified subscribers in the
USA, Canada and Mexico.
<A HREF="http://embedded.linuxjournal.com/subscribe/">Click here to subscribe.</A>
<BR CLEAR="all">
<a name="leg"></a>
<p><hr><p>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<center><H3><font color="green">Legislation and More Legislation</font></H3></center>
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Alan Cox Censors Kernel Changelog In Response To DMCA
</FONT>
</H3>
<P> In Linux 2.2.20-pre10's
<a href="http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=100374609914587&w=2">
changelog</a>, Alan Cox refuses to list the
details for some "security fixes", writing, "Details censored in
accordance with the US DMCA". Apparently file ownership and permissions
might be used to protect a copyright, and highlighting the fixes in a
changelog could thus be seen as publishing information on copyright
circumvention. There was a thread of discussion leading from this decision
on linux-kernel, with some list-members feeling that Alan was
overreacting. Others made the very fair point that it was up to Alan
whether or not he wanted to take the risk of potentially violating the
DMCA. Alan's position is that he has taken legal advice, and that this is
the most prudent course of action.
<p>
LWN's
<a href="http://lwn.net/2001/1025/">
coverage</a> of this story highlighted the fact that although the
changelog is censored, the actual code and patches are not.
This was also noted on linux-kernel.
Rik van Riel posted a link (on Slashdot and linux-kernel) to
<a href="http://thefreeworld.net/">
http://thefreeworld.net/</a> where you can get the changelog, along with
other information/tools not allowed in the US (this is for non-US visitors).
Further comments can be
<a href="http://slashdot.org/yro/01/10/22/172200.shtml">
found</a> on Slashdot, where the story popped up, and
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/22536.html">here</a> on The
Register.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">An Irish Perspective
</FONT>
</H3>
With the current confusion and controversy regarding US law relating to
software and technology (<A HREF="../issue71/lg_bytes71.html#leg">reported last month</A>
in News Bytes),
it might be of interest to take a glance at how
these issues play out elsewhere, such as Ireland.
The IT sector has been a big contributor to
Ireland's recent economic
<a href="http://www.irlgov.ie/finance/publications/meb/mebjun00.htm">
upturn</a>.
However, there have been relatively few policy developments in the area.
One of the more significant government initiatives has been the
<a href="http://www.entemp.ie/ecd/ecommact.pdf">
Electronic Commerce Act(2000)</a>(PDF). A more readable
<a href="http://www.gov.ie/tec/communications/technology/electronicenvironment.htm">
commentary</a>
on the act is available. One important, and encouraging, inclusion is the
recognition of the right to strong cryptography. As is pointed out in the
commentary,
<blockquote>
"...the Act provides for a court order to be issued requiring a person to
disclose the encrypted evidence in a plain-text form. However, section 27
of the Act specifically provides that nothing in the Act shall have the
effect of requiring the disclosure of unique data such as codes, passwords,
algorithms, private cryptographic keys..."
</blockquote>
There is also a rejection of the concept of
key escrow, which is reiterated in the Government
<a href="http://www.gov.ie/tec/communications/ecommerce/signat.htm">
Policy on Cryptography and Electronic Signatures</a>, which also asserts
the right to free choice of cryptographic method. Partly, these policies
were adopted because they were seen as pro-business: technology companies
are more important to the Irish economy than media companies.
Another factor that may have influenced this decision is the fact that
Ireland's communications are vulnerable to monitoring by other
states for conventional or industrial espionage. Such allegations were
<a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/sr/sr.pages/sr4.what/sr4.scr4.htm">
made</a>
<a href="http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0715/tapping.html">
against</a>
the UK regarding Capenhurst Tower. On a European wide
level, similar concerns have been
<a href="http://cryptome.org/echelon-ep.htm">
raised</a> regarding UK and USA involvement in Echelon.
<p>
The UK has taken a less liberal approach, in particular in the
<a href="http://www.fipr.org/rip/">
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act</a>. The Irish Government was keen
to follow a different route, in the
<a href="http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/finance/2000/0324/tech1.htm">
hope</a> that this would encourage inward investment in the electronic
commerce and software sectors. The
<a href="http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/1998/0905/clinton14.htm">
electronic signing</a>
by Bill Clinton and Bertie Ahern of a communique on
electronic commerce in September 1998 was a high profile publicity stunt to
reinforce this image.
This, and other pro-business policies, were successful,
<a href="http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/connect-profiles.asp?sectorid=19">
moving</a> Ireland
to the position of second largest exporter of software in the world.
<p>
Another significant influence on
Irish policy is the
<a href="http://europa.eu.int/">
European Union</a>. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as some good
policies have come from the EU. The
<a href="http://cryptome.org/echelon-ep.htm">
Echelon document</a> mentioned earlier states
"...e-mails can and should be encrypted by everyone", and is a valuable
wake-up call to the importance of security.
Bruce Schneier has
<a href="http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram-0108.html#8">lauded</a> the
EU for taking on board security professionals
<a href="http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/homes/spaf/coe/TREATY_LETTER.html">
concerns</a> regarding the new EU Cybercrime Treaty. Additionally,
the European Patent office
<a href="http://www.european-patent-office.org/ap_gd/english/b-i-e.htm">
does not</a> grant software patents. A much more disturbing development is
the
<a href="http://cryptome.org/eu-copyright.htm">
The EU Copyright Directive</a>.
Like the DMCA, this is inspired by the
World Intellectual Property Organization, and it has some
<a href="http://www.eurorights.org/eudmca/index.html">
similar provisions</a>.
However, European directives are guidelines for national laws,
and certainly do not override national constitutions, so there should be a
longer road before the EU is fully subject to DMCA style rigour.
<p>
On the broader theme of civil liberties and misuse of power, there are
valuable lessons to be learned from Ireland's experiences. Ireland's
troubled political history has in the past led to some very
<a href="http://www.iccl.ie/criminalj/emergency/reports.html">
harsh laws</a> such as the anti-terrorist <em>Offences Against the State
Act</em>, repeatedly condemned by Amnesty International. Also, there was
significant abuse of 'phone tapping, with both
<a href="http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/1017/hom11.htm">
journalists</a>
and
<a href="http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0508/hom17.htm">
politicians</a> the victims.
Phone tapping has valid security uses, as might some of the measures
which has just been enacted enacted in the United States, but it is very easy
to misuse. Although the current Taoiseach (Prime Minister) has apologised
for the abuse, much harm has already been done. Indeed this controversy has
<a href="http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2001/0927/breaking39.htm">
flared up again</a>,
as one of the ex-ministers responsible for the wiretaps (and opposed to
apologies) is now chairing a government telecoms enquiry.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Anti-Terrorism Bills Compared
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://www.aclu.org/">
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)</a> have prepared a
<a href="http://www.aclu.org/congress/patriot_chart.html">
chart</a>
showing the differences wiretapping/surveillance provisions
between current law and various Anti Terrorism bills: The originally
proposed Bush Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), the House Judiciary compromise
Patriot Act, the Senat-Passed USA Act, and the House Passed USA Act. There
are also ACLU comments on each.
<p>
At Security Focus, Richard Forno has
<a href="http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/25">
written</a>
on these issues, and on the danger of too-readily sacrificing freedoms.
Richard Stallman has also
<a href="http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=01/10/22/1417238">
commented</a>
on the dangers of erosion of civil
liberties, in particular under the USA Act.
<p>
On Wednesday 24th October, the USA Patriot Act (HR 3162) was
<a href="http://www.aclu.org/news/2001/n102401a.html">
passed</a>
by the house of representatives 357-66, and the following day by the
Senate, 98-1, with Russ Feingold the only
<a href="http://www.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/01/10/102501at.html">
dissenter</a>.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">James Love on Lobbying and Hague Conventions
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://www.slashdot.org/">Slashdot</a> had a recent
<a href="http://slashdot.org/interviews/01/10/09/1014241.shtml">
interview</a>
with consumer advocate James Love. He has some ideas on getting decision
makers' attention which may be of special interest to Linux advocates. In
particular, he recommends writing to congressional staffers that are
working on the specific issue, rather than just to congress members. Also,
he mentions that it is worth writing letters to well-read newspapers (or
local newspapers of a Congress member you want to reach).
<p>
This tactic could be surprisingly effective. I know for a fact that in
government departments in my own country, Ireland, that civil servants are
assigned to read the major newspapers and cut out articles that are
relevant to their department. Particular attention is given to the letters
page, and these clippings are seen by the head civil servants and ministers
(i.e. decision/policy makers) in each department.
<p>
One other issue, raised by Love, which might be of particular relevance
here, is the
<a href="http://www.hcch.net/e/workprog/jdgm.html">
Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and Foreign Judgements</a>. This is a
subject on which James has
<a href="http://www.cptech.org/ecom/jurisdiction/hague.html">
commented</a> extensively.
The convention in question is a treaty that would implement, among
other things, cross-border patent enforcement.
"Everyone would be liable for infringement of foreign
patents, and the Hague Convention would give exclusive jurisdiction for
both validity and infringement in the county of registration." There is an
<a href="http://www.cptech.org/ecom/jurisdiction/whatyoushouldknow.html">
an online introduction</a> to this subject, by James Love. The official
website is at:
<a href="http://www.hcch.net/">http://www.hcch.net/</a>.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">RIAA mischief
</FONT>
</H3>
<P> Slashdot
<a href="http://slashdot.org/yro/01/10/15/138258.shtml">
quotes</a>
Wired's
<a href="http://wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47552,00.html">
allegation</a>
that the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) tried (and failed) to get inserted
into the Anti-Terrorism bill a provision that would allow it to
hack into your computer to see if you had any unauthorized MP3s
and delete them. It seems they think they had this right all along (!) but
are afraid they might get branded as Cyber-Terrorists if they tried it under the
new
<a href="http://wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47552,00.html">
USA-Act</a>! Of course, the biggest concern is collateral damage to
your computer, which RIAA wants to shirk responsibility for. This story
was also
<a href="http://arstechnica.infopop.net/OpenTopic/page?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=174096756&m=8890985492&r=8890985492">
picked up</a> by
<a href="http://arstechnica.com">ArsTechnica</a>. The RIAA later
published a
<a href="http://www.riaa.org/PR_story.cfm?id=462">
rebuttal</a>, which doesn't really contradict much of what was written, but
spins differently.
<P> In a similar vein, though perhaps inaccurately, The Register
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/22087.html">
reported</a>
on a secret meeting between Senators Fritz
Hollings, Ted Stevens, and representatives of RIAA and the big
media companies. Interesting reading, but now comes the caveat:
"Our source may not be all he or she claimed to be, and serious doubts have
been cast on the veracity of the comments attributed to the RIAA's Rosen
and co."
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">But Didn't the Hijackers Already Present Valid ID?
</FONT>
</H3>
Slashdot ran a story on how
both
<a href="http://www.oracle.com/">Oracle</a> and
<a href="http://www.sun.com/">Sun</a>
are pressing for
<a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/01/10/12/003242.shtml">
a national ID card</a>, powered
by their own systems. Nice business trick, cashing in on current hunger
for any available and visible security measure. This was also covered by
The Mercury News
<a href="http://www0.mercurycenter.com/local/center/id101701.htm">
here</a>.
For a rational assessment of current security concerns take a look at Bruce
Schneier's
<a href="http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram.html">
Crypto-Gram</a> special issue devoted to
<a href="http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram-0109a.html">
the September 11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath</a>. It is also an
excellent source of links. A fine point he makes is that many new
"security" measures are aimed at making people think they are more secure,
rather than actually improving real security. If you then throw into the
mix the interests of powerful lobbies opposed to free communication, you
get an unpleasant mix.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">SSSCA update
</FONT>
</H3>
ZDNet <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5098618,00.html">
report</a> that some tech heavyweights (Intel, IBM, Microsoft, etc.,)
have objections to the proposed
<a href="http://www.politechbot.com/docs/hollings.090701.html">SSSCA</a>
bill. Indeed Slashdot later
<a href="http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/26/126230&mode=nested">highlighted</a>
reports that the Senate Commerce Committee's hearings
on the Bill have been postponed due to mounting opposition. It's not
dead yet, but this should be positive.
<a name="links"></a>
<p><hr><p>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<center><H3><font color="green">Linux Links</font></H3></center>
<p><hr><p>
<IMG ALT="Linux Focus" SRC="../gx/linuxfocus.jpg" WIDTH="143" HEIGHT="45">
<BR CLEAR="all">
The following articles are in the November-December issue of the E-zine
<A HREF="http://www.linuxfocus.org/">LinuxFocus</A>:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article116.shtml">
Freefont, TrueType and patterns with The Gimp</a><br></li>
<li><a href="http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article121.shtml">
Gimp: using mask layers</a><br></li>
<li><a href="http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article163.shtml">
Yellow Pages 3: The Server Side</a><br></li>
<li><a href="http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article203.shtml">
Avoiding security holes when developing an application - Part 6: CGI scripts</a><br></li>
<li><a href="http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article217.shtml">
Nessus : another brick in the (security) wall</a><br></li>
<li><a href="http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article219.shtml">
MOSIXVIEW, a management-GUI for MOSIX-cluster</a><br></li>
<li><a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article220.shtml">
Atek Super Mini Optical Mouse</a><br></li>
<li><a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article221.shtml">
A whole new world: A guided tour with Tux through the land of the penguin</a><br></li>
<li><a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article223.shtml">
How to use your ATEN UC-232A USB adapter with Linux</a><br></li>
</ul>
Some links found recently on
<a href="http://www.slashdot.org/">Slashdot</a>
<ul>
<li> <a href="http://www.linuxworld.com/ic_717468_6995_1-3133.html">
Linux on Sony Playstation 2</a>, to be released in US soon
<li> <a href="http://66.129.1.101/top20.htm">
Top 20 Internet vulnerabilities</a>, continuously updated, and covering
Windows, Unix, and general security. Lots of common sense as well as tech
sense.
<li> Slashdot has
<a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/01/10/07/1411232.shtml">
links</a>
about Sharp's upcoming Linux PDA.
<li> <a href="http://www.adequacy.org/?op=displaystory;sid=2001/10/2/33542/4010">
Comments</a> from a disgruntled Linux user.
A Cautionary commentary on Linux advocates.
<li>
ZDNet has a
<a href="http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2816203,00.html">
report</a> on upcoming revamps of
<a href="http://www.mysql.com/">MySQL</a>.
New features: Version 4.0 (October): Unicode,
multitable updates, SSL, etc. Version 4.1 (to be released in December):
nested queries, stored
procedures, etc.
<li>
OS News have an
<a href="http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=161">
Interview</a>
with Linus.
<li> Sony
<a href="http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/28/005233&mode=nested">
uses</a> DMCA to stop AIBO hacking.
<li>Linux powered
<a href="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20011025/tc/humanoid_robot_runs_on_linux_power_1.html">
humanoid</a>, pics and more details
<a href="http://www.dh.aist.go.jp/h6/H6_H7.html">here</a>.
<li>
<a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/01/10/23/1252214.shtml">
Story</a> about
<a href="http://www.directfb.org/">
DirectFB</a>, a framebuffer toolbox that could be an alternative to
X-windows.
</ul>
<p>
<a href="http://www.thedukeofurl.org">
The Duke of URL</a> have
<ul>
<li>A <a href="http://www.thedukeofurl.org/reviews/misc/suse72">
review</a> of
SuSE Linux 7.2 Professional, in all its 7 CD and 1 DVD Glory.
<li>A <a href="http://www.thedukeofurl.org/reviews/misc/caldera31">
review</a> of Caldera OpenLinux Workstation 3.1.
<li>Linux <a href="http://www.thedukeofurl.org/reviews/misc/linuxguide13">
Buyers Guide #13</a>.
</ul>
<p>CNET have
<a href="http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-7720536.html?tag=owv">
reported</a> that
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon.com</a> significantly reduced its
IT budget by migrating to Linux.
<!-- p>
Cartoons by Timothy Musson of
<a href="http://www.ozemail.com.au/~geisha/projects.html">
Linux stereotypes</a>, featuring Debian, Redhat, Suse and Mandrake Geeks ;-) -->
<p>
<a href="http://cryptome.org/ms-drm.htm">
Details</a>, at Cryptome.org, on the "Beale Screamer" anti-DMCA MS Digital
Rights Management circumvention. Further
<a href="http://cryptome.quintessenz.at/cgi-bin/htsearch?config=cryptome&restrict=&exclude=&method=and&format=builtin-long&sort=score&words=beale+screamer">
information</a>.
<p>
<a href="http://lwn.net/">
Linux Weekly News</a>
<a href="http://lwn.net/2001/1004/">
reported</a> that the W3C is eager to adopt patented technology in
standards. More details on LWN and summary <a href="#w3cstory">here</a>.
<p>
Opera (among others) had a bit of a tussle with Microsoft over MSN not
allowing connections from non MS browsers. MS
<a href="http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/20011026.html">
backed down</a>.
<p>
<a href="http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-cli?open&t=grl,l<>7,p=LxClient">
What good is a Linux client?</a>
IBM's Mark Chapman give you the benefit of his own experience as a Linux
newbie changing over from Windows.
<p>
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/22423.html">
Virus writers are industrial terrorists</a> says Microsoft, as reported by
The Register.
<p>
Linux.com have an
<a href="http://linux.com/newsitem.phtml?sid=1&aid=12549">
introduction</a> to using the
<a href="http://www.snort.org">
Snort</a> Intrusion Detection System. Further reading
<a href="http://www.linux.ie/articles/portsentryandsnortcompared.php">
here</a>, courtesy <a href="http://www.linux.ie/">ILUG</a>.
<p>
In LWN, Michael Hammel, who used to write LG's _The Graphics Muse_ column, surveys
<a href="http://lwn.net/2001/1004/desktop.php3">
Linux's repitoire of games</a>, both old and new, free and commercial. This is
a very quick overview of the kinds of games Linux has, and its support for
gaming technology.
<P> IBM is working with Citizen Watch to develop a
<a href="http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7489545.html?tag=lh">
Linux watch</a>.
There's a photo of a prototype showing Tux on the screen.
<a name="conferences"></a>
<p><hr><p>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<center><H3><font color="green">Upcoming conferences and events</font></H3></center>
<P> Listings courtesy <EM>Linux Journal</EM>. See <EM>LJ</EM>'s
<A HREF="http://noframes.linuxjournal.com/events/">Events</A> page for the
latest goings-on.
<!-- *** BEGIN events table [this line needed by Linux Gazette events.py *** -->
<table cellpadding=5 border=0 width=100%>
<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>
<tr><td valign=top>
<b>5th Annual Linux Showcase & Conference</b><BR>
<td valign=top>November 6-10, 2001<BR>Oakland, CA<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.linuxshowcase.org/" target=_blank>
http://www.linuxshowcase.org/</A><BR>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>
<tr><td valign=top>
<b>Strictly e-Business Solutions Expo</b><BR>
<td valign=top>November 7-8, 2001<BR>Houston, TX<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.strictlyebusinessexpo.com/" target=_blank>
http://www.strictlyebusinessexpo.com</A><BR>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>
<tr><td valign=top>
<b>LINUX Business Expo</b><BR>Co-located with COMDEX<br>
<td valign=top>November 12-16, 2001<BR>Las Vegas, NV<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.linuxbusinessexpo.com" target=_blank>
http://www.linuxbusinessexpo.com</A><BR>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>
<tr><td valign=top>
<b>15th Systems Administration Conference/LISA 2001</b><BR>
<td valign=top>December 2-7, 2001<BR>San Diego, CA<BR>
<A HREF="http://www.usenix.org/events/lisa2001/" target=_blank>
http://www.usenix.org/events/lisa2001</A><BR>
</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>
</table>
<!-- *** END events table [this line needed by Linux Gazette events.py *** -->
<a name="general"></a>
<p><hr><p>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<center><H3><font color="green">News in General</font></H3></center>
<P> <hr> <P>
<a name="w3cstory"></a>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">W3C and Patents
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://lwn.net/">
Linux Weekly News</a> recently
<a href="http://lwn.net/2001/1004/">
reported</a>
that
<a href="http://www.w3.org/">
W3C</a>
has a
<a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/WD-patent-policy-20010816/">
draft policy</a> which would allow patented technology to be
included in web standards. LWN has a good commentary on the issues, which
could ultimately endanger the future of free software on the internet.
The "Scalable Vector Graphics" (SVG) standard, already adopted by the W3C,
includes patented technology from Apple. The W3C is already behaving as if
the new policy were in force. <P> What most disturbed many observers was
the under hand way in which the change was apparently being sneaked through.
The "consultation period" came to most peoples attention thanks largely to
LWN's Adam Warner who posted
<a href="http://lwn.net/2001/1004/a/w3c-patents.php3">
this message</a>.
Following this comments in W3C's
<a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-patentpolicy-comment/2001Oct/thread.html">
comment thread</a>
turned sharply against the idea once it became generally known.
Included are comments by Linux bigwigs. Many of the most important posts
are linked from LWN.
Some predict that this could lead to a situation similar to the one
following the
<A HREF="http://www.burnallgifs.org">
patent rows</A> surrounding GIF's, and the subsequent development of PNG's.
LWN suggests the possibility that in the future, the free software
community may have to form another web standards committee to compete
with W3C if W3C starts destroying the web with non-open technology
that threatens the web's universal viewability.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">LWN in Difficulties
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>Unhappy news,
<a href="http://www.lwn.net/">
Linux Weekly News</a> is facing the
<a href="http://lwn.net/2001/1011/">
budget shortfalls</a>
common to free web
news sites. In particular, Tucows is
no longer able to continue providing support.
As a result, Michael Hammel, LWN "On the Desktop" columnist (and former LG
"The Graphics Muse" columnist) is leaving LWN. We wish Michael well.
<P> More disturbing is LWN's prediction that, "Unless we can come up with a
way of paying salaries soon, LWN risks dropping off the net entirely."
There is a mailing list to discuss LWN's future at
<a href="http://vena.lwn.net/mailman/listinfo/discussion">
http://vena.lwn.net/mailman/listinfo/discussion</a> (now needs
registration). This news was also
<a href="http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/11/1255249&mode=nested">
discussed</a>
on Slashdot.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Kernel Vulnerability
</FONT>
</H3>
Slashdot
<a href="http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/19/141229&mode=nested">
reported</a> on a recently spotted kernel vulnerability. Details are
available in a
<a href="http://www.securityfocus.com/cgi-bin/archive.pl?id=1&start=2001-10-15&end=2001-10-21&threads=0&mid=20011018173540.A6671@emperor.7bulls.com">mail</a> from
Rafal Wojtczuk. Briefly,
There are two bugs present in Linux kernels 2.2.19 and below, and 2.4.9
and below (2.4.10 may be vulnerable too). The first vulnerability results
in <em>local</em> DoS (based on deeply nested symlinks. The second one,
involving ptrace, can be used to gain root privileges <em>locally</em> (in
case of default install of most popular distributions). Linux 2.0.x is not
vulnerable to the ptrace bug mentioned. Kernel patch is included at the end
of the mail and
<a href="http://www.securityfocus.com/cgi-bin/archive.pl?id=1&mid=221337&start01-10-15&end01-10-21">
here</a>. Red Hat have updated kernel packages available for
<a href="http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2001-129.html">
2.4</a> and
<a href="http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2001-130.html">
2.2</a> kernel series.<br>
Details of updated Debian source packages (i386) are available in
<a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-changes/2001/debian-changes-200110/msg00016.html">
this post</a>, updated kernel images are also available.
Check your own distro's web-page for updates.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Linux Making Inroads
</FONT>
</H3>
Three separate stories pointing towards possibly more widespread adoption
of Linux in the near future. First, in what one might call the birthplace
of Linux (and certainly Linus!), The Register
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/22070.html">
reports</a>
That Finnish local government is leaning away from Windows and towards Linux.
The city of Turku, population around 200,000, has reacted to Microsoft's
latest licensing changes by kicking off a study of Linux alternatives.
<p>
Also in Europe, IDG.net have reported that
Germany's lower parliament (the Bundestag) is
<a href="http://idg.net/ic_712902_1794_9-10000.html">
considering</a> switching
from Windows to Linux for its 5000 computers. The main reasons
are for security, stability and (again) to save money in the face of MS's
new upgrade terms. The parliamentary committee will decide late
this year or early next year which OS will replace its current
version of Windows NT.
<p>
Finally, Technews.com have run a
<a href="http://www.technews.com/news/01/171244.html">
Thai story</a>:
that Thailand's government will back the idea of using free, Thai-language
'open source' software as a way of reducing spending and software piracy.
An official is quoted:
"To be independent from foreign software, the country needs to build a
knowledge base along with developing human resources and work based on
open source software."
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Linux NetworX Cluster Aids BioCryst in Medical Development
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://www.linuxnetworx.com">
Linux NetworX</a>, have
<a href="http://www.linuxnetworx.com/news/10.9.2001.57-Linux_NetworX_C.html">
announced</a>
that
<a href="http://www.biocryst.com/">BioCryst Pharmaceuticals</a>,
is now using a Linux NetworX Evolocity cluster to aid in creating
pharmaceuticals for the treatment of human disease and illness such as
influenza and hepatitis C. Implementing an innovative drug discovery
approach, scientists at BioCryst create synthetic small-molecule
inhibitors, atom by atom, to bind with specific disease-causing proteins or
targets.
<P> BioCryst's new Evolocity cluster includes 32 Pentium III 933 MHz
processors, with 16 GB of memory and a 10/100 Ethernet network. Linux
NetworX configured the cluster to handle complex computer modelling
applications, such as X-ray crystallography and combinatorial chemistry.
BioCryst utilizes the Linux NetworX ClusterWorX management software and
signed an on-going service agreement as well.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">ALS for free: Oakland November 5th-10th
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>In response to an uncertain
political climate and the recent economic downturn, the
<a href="http://www.usenix.org">USENIX</a>
Association and the
<a href="http://www.linuxshowcase.org">
Atlanta Linux Showcase, Inc.</a>
jointly announced today that they will offer free registration to everyone
wishing to attend technical sessions at next month's Annual Linux Showcase
& Conference in Oakland, California. USENIX and ALS are making this
unprecedented offer because they believe the networking opportunities and
high-calibre technical content at this conference provide an important
service to their membership and the general open source community.
<P> "We recognize this may only be a temporary readjustment until the
'brick and mortar' companies start using open source products to a greater
degree. Therefore, we feel that it is crucial to provide current technical
information to the community at this time," said Jon "maddog" Hall, USENIX
Director and ALS Invited Talks Program Chair. "There are also several
political issues facing the open source community right now such as DMCA,
SSSCA, copyrights, and software patents. The ALS invited talks track
reflects this and we felt that we could not put off these important
discussions to a later time."
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">SAIR Linux and GNU
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>"For the third consecutive show,
<a href="http://www.linuxcertification.com">
SAIR Linux and GNU</a>'s partnership with IDG was a huge success. As the
leading developer of vendor neutral training curriculum and
certification materials for open source software, SAIR Linux and GNU
offered free Linux review sessions and free certification testing at
the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo event which took place at San
Francisco's Moscone Center. SAIR Linux and GNU served as the official
Certification Sponsor for the August 27 thru August 30 event which
welcomed more than 18,000 attendees and 180 exhibitors."
<P> For more information on the success of the LinuxWorld Expo, visit
<a href="http://www.linuxcertification.com/linuxworld/">
http://www.linuxcertification.com/linuxworld/</a> or
<a href="http://www.linuxworldexpo.com">
http://www.linuxworldexpo.com</a> . You can also access additional
information about SAIR Linux and GNU Certification or locate a
training center, by visiting
<a href="http://www.linuxcertification.com">
www.linuxcertification.com</a>.
Additional information about testing can be found at
<a href="http://www.2test.com">
www.2test.com</a> or
<a href="http://www.vue.com">
www.vue.com</a>.
<a name="distro"></a>
<p><hr><p>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<center><H3><font color="green">Distro News</font></H3></center>
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Debian
</FONT>
</H3>
<p>
The Debian
<a href="http://kt.zork.net/debian-hurd/latest.html">
HURD</a>
iso images are
<a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-hurd/2001/debian-hurd-200110/msg00054.html">
now available</a>
from your local ftp.gnu.org mirror. There are 3 iso's available, but you
only need the first one to get a system going, so get downloading now!"
<hr noshade width="20%">
<p>
The position of Debian Security Secretary has been
<a href="http://www.debian.org/News/2001/20011017">
filled</a>, with the appointment of Matt Zimmerman and Noah Meyerhans to
the role.
<hr noshade width="20%">
<p>
<a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-changes/2001/debian-changes-200110/msg00001.html">
Details</a> of an updated webalizer package were posted on Debian Changes.
It fixes a bug whereby Webalizer stopped working on Oct 5th, 2001.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Red Hat
</FONT>
</H3>
<a href="http://www.redhat.com">
Red Hat</a> have released
<a href="http://www.redhat.com/software/linux/7-2_standard.html">
Red Hat Linux 7.2</a>. Naturally, there is a
<a href="http://www.redhat.com/about/presscenter/2001/press_7-2.html">
press release</a>, with details of the new features (includes Gnome 1.4,
Nautilus, and ext3).
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">SuSE
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://www.suse.de/en">SuSE Linux</a>,
have announced
<a href="http://www.suse.de/en/products/suse_linux/i386/index.html">
SuSE Linux 7.3</a>, in both Professional and Personal editions.
Recognising security concerns SuSE Linux 7.3 offers Features include KDE
2.2.1, Linux Kernel 2.4.10 with glibc 2.2.4, an extended range of drivers
and improved USB support, with better automatic hardware detection.
<hr noshade width="20%">
<P>SuSE Linux presented the third generation of its e-mail solution at the
IT expo SYSTEMS, held in October in Munich. SuSE Linux
<a href="http://www.suse.de/en/products/suse_business/email_server/index.h">
eMail Server III</a>
is a solution for small and medium-size enterprises, dedicated workgroups
and government administrations. A new feature is
<a href="http://www.skyrix.com">Skyrix</a>
which provides calendar and scheduling functionalities for booking
appointments, rooms, or other resources.
<a name="commercial"></a>
<p><hr><p>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<center><H3><font color="green">Software and Product News</font></H3></center>
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Gnect
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~trmusson/gnect.html">
Gnect</a> is a theme-able "four in a row" game for GNOME. Similar to Tetris,
but the object is to get four marbles/tiles in a row in any direction
within a 7x7 grid. The tiles do not automatically descend, so there's no
time limit. You choose the column and the tile drops from the top.
License GPL, including the Velena strategy engine.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Loki
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
Courtesy of
<a href="http://slashdot.org">
Slashdot</a>, comes the news of
Loki's upcoming game:
<a href="http://www.lokigames.com/products/postal/">
Postal Plus</a>. Loki have a
<a href="http://www.lokigames.com/press/archive.php3?10082001">
press release</a> with more information.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">MOSIXVIEW Cluster Management Software
</FONT>
</H3>
Matthias Rechenburg, in co-operation with the Technical University of
Jerusalem, has developed a new
Cluster-management software for Linux:
<a href="http://www.mosixview.com">
MOSIXVIEW</a>.
This software is based on the
<a href="http://www.mosix.org">MOSIX-Cluster</a> technology,
and contains some helpful, MOSIX-specific applications for
cluster-management.
MOSIXVIEW was developed to simplify management activities and provide a
graphical user-interface. You could manage a nearly infinite number of
hosts with it.
<P> MOSIXVIEW is free for download and is based on the GPL-licence model.
For more information, consult
<a href="http://www.mosixview.com">
http://www.mosixview.com</a>
or
<a href="http://www.waplocater.de/mosixview/">
http://www.waplocater.de/mosixview/</a>. Also, Linux Focus have taken a
<a href="http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article219.shtml">
look at</a>
this package.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">webMathematica Brings Computation to the Web
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://www.wolfram.com">
Wolfram Research</a>,
maker of Mathematica technical computing
software, have announced the release of
<a href="http://www.wolfram.com/webmathematica">
webMathematica</a>.
webMathematica is built on Java servlets, making it compatible
with any web server, servlet engine, or application server that
supports the Servlet 2.0 API or higher.
webMathematica is initially available for Windows
95/98/Me/NT/2000 and Intel-based Linux platforms.
webMathematica enables
users to:
<ul>
<li> Build custom web sites that provide specialized calculations
<li> Compute, visualize, and analyze data using a web browser
<li> Deliver sophisticated courseware and publish interactive books
<li> Provide active functionality for technical documentation that
can be instantly updated from a centralized location
<li> Integrate computation into existing enterprise infrastructure
</ul>
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">PHP Black Book, new from Coriolis
</FONT>
</H3>
<a href="http://www.coriolis.com">
Coriolis</a>
will soon be releasing their first book in the
PHP field: the PHP Black
Book is a reference to the PHP open source
scripting language version 4, written by
<a href="http://www.petermoulding.com">
Peter Moulding</a>.
The book is oriented toward creating business applications, written by an
experienced author and developed as a problem-solving reference rather
than a tutorial.
The author has contributed to
<a href="http://www.phpbuilder.com">www.phpbuilder.com</a>.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Micro Sharp Technology and Astaro Firewall Partnership
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://www.netule.com">
Micro Sharp Technology</a>
have announced an agreement
with
<a href="http://www.astaro.com">
Astaro</a> to market their Firewall software product as
part of the Netule line of products. Netule is a robust, thin server
appliance solution. The OEM version will allow hardware systems builders to
supply a low cost, robust server appliance solution for small and medium
sized business.
<P> <hr> <P>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">IMA Internet Exchange Messaging Server 5.1
</FONT>
</H3>
<P>
<a href="http://www.ima.com">
International Messaging Associates</a>
has just released the latest in its top Messaging
Solution - Internet Exchange Messaging Server (IEMS) 5.1.
Among other features, IEMS 5.1
has enhanced virus and spam detection control and adds an Attachment Removal
Filter Module.
In an introductory offer,
IMA is giving away 15-user licenses for free.
IEMS5.1 is interoperable in Linux and Windows and will
add support for Solaris and HP-UX by late-October.
Government and enterprises planning to shift their messaging
platform from Windows to Linux will be able to simply auto-migrate their MS
Exchange mailboxes to IEMS. IEMS 5.1 can be downloaded from
<a href="http://www.ima.com/download/v5eval.html">
http://www.ima.com/download/v5eval.html</a>.
<!-- *** BEGIN copyright *** -->
<P> <hr> <P>
<H5 ALIGN=center>
Copyright &copy; 2001, Michael Conry and
the Editors of <A HREF="mailto:gazette@ssc.com"><I>Linux Gazette</I></A>.<BR>
Copying license <A HREF="../copying.html">http://www.linuxgazette.com/copying.html</A><BR>
Published in Issue 72 of <i>Linux Gazette</i>, November 2001</H5>
<!-- *** END copyright *** -->
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