Linux Archive

At my Rolla, Missouri, home, I have a desktop computer running Red Hat Linux and a laptop running Windows 2000. They are networked and I lived happily with that for a long time. This summer I had to stay in California for six weeks so I decided to take the laptop with me and send the desktop from Mailboxes Etc.

Roman Zippel recently released version 0.4 of his new configuration system for the 2.5 Linux kernel, a replacement for the aging CML currently in use. He has attempted to make the transition to this new system much simpler than was the case with CML2 in a hope to have it merged into the 2.5 kernel.

Jusitn Gasper writes: "I have just posted some information about a GNU/Linux distribution, FlameThrower, that I am working on. I am planning it to be a contender in the media box market. I have not released any files yet, that should be coming in a few weeks, but I have put up some screenshots, and would like some input back as to how I could maybe make my software easier to use or theme."

Lunar Linux is a fork off Sorcery Linux and it recently had its 1.0 beta release. In the meantime, ROOTLinux was just released version 1.3, and it includes kernel 2.4.19, it is compiled with GCC 3.2 and it has many brand new packages like KDE 3.0.3 and Gnome 2.0.1. We also learned that CRUX will have a new release soon too, and it will be also switched to GCC 3.2.

The new version of Cosmoe includes the following changes: doing a "make doc" in the libcosmoe directory will make html API documentation in the docs directory (you must have doxygen installed). Partially fixed a bug in LayoutView reported by James Dean Palmer, so that Guiprefs runs better. Here is a screenshot of Cosmoe running both locally and remotely, on single, dual, and quad CPU machines.
In related news, Syllable's web site has been updated to include screenshots of Syllable 0.4.1.

An Illinois company that has shipped Linux preloaded on PCs since 1998 now offers a choice of four Linux distributions on Apple machines, the company has announced. QliTech Linux Computers will ship Apple notebook and desktop systems with SuSE PPC, Mandrake PPC, Debian PPC, or Gentoo PPC configured to dual boot with OSX, says QliTech's Ray Sanders. Recently, Terra Soft Solutions, Inc. announced the availability of Apple computers with Yellow Dog Linux pre-installed as well.

DesktopLinux.com reader John Murray contributes this call to action to support Linux companies and open source projects. Murray offers a simple user plan to help contribute to the efforts of developers - put your money where your mouth is...

VectorLinux, a lightweight distribution of GNU/Linux was just released. The new version is called SOHO 1.0, and while it is based on the previous version, VectorLinux v2.5, it still has many enhancements. Features the KDE 3.x desktop including Koffice and the KDE development suite. OpenOffice, AbiWord, the Gimp, Realplayer, Xmms, Mozilla-1.0, Opera 6.x, Cups printing system, scanner support, java runtime, kernel 2.4.18 and several entertaining games are all included. The founder, Robert Lange, is looking for more developers to join him, a new web master and people to try the free download of SOHO or to buy the CD in order to fund the project.

A few days ago, we published our special report from LinuxWorld. Now, it is time to check out some of the pictures we took from the expo!

"Today the Xbox Linux project announced that it had succeeded in fully booting Linux on the Microsoft Xbox Gaming System. The free operating system Linux is able to be booted either from flash memory, or (more easily) from a CD inserted into the machine. (The Xbox still needs to have a modchip fitted to allow it to run unsigned code; however these are widely available and start from $30)." Read the press release, see the screenshots and download it.

A PC World article reports (thinly) on the Sergey Brin speech at LinuxWorld. Google certainly stands as one of the most high profile and impressive implementations of Linux on a massive scale. The Google co-founder attributes some of Google's success at building a cost-effective platform to the Linux OS.

Plenty of Linux news today due to LinuxWorld Expo being in full swing today. According to a ZDNet News article, UnitedLinux, the project uniting the Linux distributions from Caldera, Conectiva, SuSE Linux and Turbolinux, will be rolling out a two-stage beta program, first a private beta for partners, and then an open beta for the Linux-using public. These releases are scheduled for late August and September, respectively.

According to IDC, the Linux installed base, currently at 3.5 million units, will climb to 8.6 million server units alone by 2005. By contrast, Unix will drop from 2.61 million units to 2.53 million units. But Windows will still lead the way with an installed base of 8.6 million units in 2002 and 13.84 million server units in 2005. How far Linux climbs in the OS market remains to be seen. "In five to 10 years, Unix will be overtaken by it. Whether we will get by Windows, we'll get close," deVisser said. Read the report at InfoWorld. As for the LinuxWorld, ZDNews has an interesting all-around article.

"As the economic downturn has taken its toll on GNU/Linux companies, many surviving companies have decided to move away from the desktop market, and focus on the server instead. This escalated to an alarming pace after the death of Eazel, a startup that created the Nautilus file manager, and while the focus-on-server mania has calmed down lately, it is still very much alive. Yet, it seems to me, that focusing on the server will in the end cause these companies to loose not only the desktop, but the server as well." Find out why at OfB.biz.