XFS Merged Into 2.4 Linux Kernel
2.4 stable kernel maintainer Marcelo Tosatti announced that XFS has been merged into the 2.4 kernel.
Linux Archive
Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 Free for Download
After spending a few months as a download available only to YDL.net members, Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 ISOs are now freely available. The distro now includes HFS+ support and the 2.4.22-based kernel.
CRUX 1.3 Released
Proccess Scheduler Improvements in 2.6.0-test9
OSDL has been running performance tests with hackbench to measure the improvement of the scheduler, compared to Linux 2.4.18. A write-up of these results with graphical plots is posted here.
HP: Linux is No Toy
"I consider myself part of the open-source community. The (Linux) community has to recognize that it can't have it both ways. Linux cannot be a hobbyist's toy and be the leading operating platform in the industry at the same time. Those two things are incongruent. For Linux to become a credible part of the enterprise, it has to go through the standard evolution and maturing process" and "Linux on the desktop is definitely an area where hype is ahead of reality by orders of magnitude. There's a sexiness around the idea of taking on Microsoft", vice president in charge of Hewlett-Packard's Linux strategy, Martin Fink says to News.com in a very interesting and seemingly honest interview.
Federico Iannacci: The Linux Managing Model
This study focuses on the distinguishing traits of the Linux managing model. It introduces the concept of process to capture the idea of impermanence, dissolvability and change. Far from being a predictable flow of programming, assembling and releasing activities, it is suggested that the Linux development process displays a stream of activities that keep feeding back into each other, thus creating a complex and unpredictable outcome. Read more articles at FirstMonday's issue index.
OnLamp and Perens on Desktop Linux
OReilly's OnLamp site has two articles, Part I and Part II titled "Real Desktop Linux". Elsewhere, Bruce Perens posted a white paper of his UserLinux initiative titled "UserLinux: Repairing the Economic Paradigm of Enterprise Linux".
The Future Of The 2.4 Stable Kernel
2.4 stable kernel maintainer Marcelo Tosatti recently announced his future plans for the 2.4 kernel. Acknowledging the pending release of the new stable 2.6 kernel, Marcelo explains that we will see only one final round of major fixes in 2.4, after which this kernel will go into maintenance mode. Following the future release of the 2.4.24 kernel, only critical patches and security fixes will be merged.
New Versions for SmoothWall, ClarkConnect
ClarkConnect transforms standard PC hardware into a dedicated broadband gateway and easy-to-use server. It includes firewall and security tools, along with file, print, web, e-mail, proxy, and VPN servers. Version HomeEdition 2.1 was just released (iso here), while a few days ago the similar product SmoothWall released version Express 2.0-RC1. These are excellent choices if you have an old PC sitting unused in a closet and if you need a gateway/firewall/etc to serve all your machines at home.
Stable 2.4.23 Linux Kernel Released
Marcelo Tosatti has released the final 2.4.23 stable Linux kernel, three months after 2.4.22. This latest kernel includes a number of changes, including the removal of the OOM (out of memory) killer among other significant VM updates. Laptop users will appreciate Jens Axboe's "laptop mode" which can extend battery life, also merged in 2.4.23. Find this latest stable kernel at a kernel.org mirror.
Linux 2.6.0-test11 “Beaver In Detox” Kernel
Linus Torvalds has released his final 2.6.0-test kernel, calling it the "Beaver In Detox". Following this release Linus says that 2.6 development will be lead by Andrew Morton. The kernel's name refers in jest to the previous release, which Linus had named "Stoned Beaver". It contains a fix for the aic7xxx driver, proper error handling in do_fork(), some firewire fixes, and correction of a few skbuff leakage points. Download it from a kernel.org mirror.
New Linux Expected in December; How the Kernel is Developed
The 2.6 version of the Linux core is expected in December and will be much more stable on arrival than its predecessor, according to the maintainer. Update: OSDL to detail development process of Linux.
Linux Desktop Underrated
Linux is very ready for the desktop, says Tom Adelstein, consultant and member of the Open Government Interoperability Project.
Linus & the Lunatics, Part I
The first of three transcriptions of talks by Linus and friends during the latest Linux Lunacy Geek Cruise.
Home Users Leap to Linux
When the operating system on Matthew P. Frye's home computer crashed and died a year ago, he had two choices: spend hundreds of dollars to rebuild his desktop using Microsoft programs, or try the less expensive alternative of switching to the Linux computer operating system.
Frye chose Linux. It took the senior systems programmer at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, N.C., three months and $39 to download Linux desktop applications to replace those he used in Windows. Read the story at Triangle.com.
The 2.6.0-test10 Linux Kernel Released
Linux creator Linus Torvalds released the 2.6.0-test10 Linux kernel today, tentatively calling it the "stoned beaver" release. Linus plans to hand the kernel over to Andrew Morton in a few weeks, and then it will be up to Andrew to decide when we see the final 2.6.0 stable kernel. Download it from a mirror.
Beware the Desktop Quagmire; Home Users Leap to Linux
"Windows is the McDonald's of operating systems. You know it's not good for you, but you can't help but buy it at least once in a while. And it's the same everywhere you go, which is the real key to Microsoft's success." eCommerceTimes says. Elsewhere "Less than two years ago, Lynanne Fowle, a Holly Springs charter high school director and mother of five, made the switch. She said that security and costs were the two main reasons she jumped ship from Microsoft" the LinuxInsider says.
IBM: Become outfitted for the Linux adventure of your life
IBM writes: "So, your boss says you're moving from Windows to Linux. He's decided he wants the stability, flexibility, and cost savings of Linux, but you have many questions in your head. Isn't Linux like Unix? Isn't Unix hard? Will you be able to do it? Where do you begin to make sense of all of this? Is there a map you can follow?"
First Look at TurboLinux 10D
Remember Turbolinux? Less than 5 years ago, it was a fixture in the forefront of the Linux landscape along with Red Hat, SuSE, Mandrake, Debian, and the now defunct Storm Linux. Later this week, Turbolinux will release their new desktop distribution, dubbed "10D." The following is a first look at Turbolinux's return to the fray.
To Push Desktop Linux, Radical Shift may be Required
"For Linux to reach the ordinary user, it has to offer more than good office suites and The Gimp and other free software implementations of common applications. Most people won't make the move just so they can keep doing what they did before. Security and freedom mean a lot to a few of us, but they are not enough incentive for the vast range of Average Schmos. And we need those Average Schmos; the median is the message." Read the editorial at OReillyNet.