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	WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="41" border="0"></A> 
<BR CLEAR="all">
<SMALL>...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I></SMALL>
</TD><TD WIDTH="380">


<CENTER>
<BIG><BIG><STRONG><FONT COLOR="maroon">News Bytes</FONT></STRONG></BIG></BIG>
<BR>
<STRONG>By <A HREF="../authors/conry.html">Michael Conry</A></STRONG>
</CENTER>

</TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P>

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</p><center>
<table cellpadding="7"><tbody><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><li><a href="#links">Linux Links</a>
</li><li><a href="#conferences">Conferences and Events</a>
</li><li><a href="#general">News in General</a>
</li><li><a href="#distro">Distro News</a>
</li><li><a href="#commercial">Software and Product News</a>
</li></ul>
</td></tr></tbody></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. Submit items to
<a href="mailto:gazette@ssc.com">gazette@ssc.com</a>


</p><hr> <p> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->

</p><h3><img alt=" " src="../gx/bolt.gif">
<font color="green">
November 2002 <i>Linux Journal</i>
</font>
</h3>

<img alt="[issue 103 cover image]" src="misc/bytes/lj-cover103.png" width="200" height="268" align="left" hspace="20">

The November issue of <a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/"><i>Linux
Journal</i></a> is on newsstands now.
This issue focuses on internationalization and energing markets.  Click 
<a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/modules.php?op=modload&amp;name=NS-lj-issues/issue103&amp;file=index">here</a>
to view the table of contents, or 
<a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/subscribe/">here</a> 
to subscribe.

<p>
<font color="green">All articles older than three months are available for
public reading at 
<a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/magazine.php">http://www.linuxjournal.com/magazine.php</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">
<!-- =================================================================== -->

<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">Cryptography in South Africa
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
Debian Weekly News
<a href="http://www.debian.org/News/weekly/2002/39/">
has reported</a>
on developments regarding Cryptography in South Africa.
<a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal-0210/msg00013.html">
There have been efforts</a>
by the
South African government to regulate the distribution of "cryptography
products". 
<a href="http://co.za/ect/a25-02.pdf">
The law</a> (pdf)
will require providers of "cryptography
products" to register their details with, and pay a fee to, the
government.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Eldred V. Ashcroft
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
Slashdot
<a href="http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/10/09/1640249&mode=thread&tid=123">
reported</a> in mid October on the 
oral arguments in the Eldred vs Ashcroft Supreme Court case challenging the
most recent extension of copyright terms.  Linux Weekly News
<a href="http://lwn.net/Articles/12348/">
has links</a>
to pictures from the day.  As 
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/27475.html">
reported</a> by The Register, this will definitely be an uphill struggle.
A decision is not expected till spring, but you can inform yourself of the
issues (from the point of view of
<a href="http://eldred.cc/aboutus/">Eldred and his co-plaintiffs</a>) at 
<a href="http://eldred.cc/">
their website</a>.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">DMCA
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
It was 
<a href="http://www.planetpdf.com/mainpage.asp?webpageid=2400">
reported</a> last month that Dmitry Sklyarov and his boss, ElcomSoft's CEO
Alexander Katalov, are 
<a href="http://salon.com/tech/feature/2002/10/17/sklyarov/index.html">
having difficulty</a> obtaining visas to return to the U.S. to testify in
their own trial.  
<a href="http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/US_v_Elcomsoft/">
The case</a>
results from alleged violations of the
anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA.  ElcomSoft produced a product
which facilitated readers' access to Adobe eBooks.  The result of this is
that the trial has been 
<a href="http://boston.internet.com/news/article.php/1484821">
further postponed</a>
<P>
In further DMCA madness, RedHat have made a security patch available in
full only to those who certify that they are outside of the US Jurisdiction
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27636.html">
for fear of DMCA violations</a>.  Alan Cox followed a similar line before,
censoring changelogs for US consumption.
<P>
Hopefully moves such as 
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/27426.html">
Rick Boucher's DMCRA</a> will 
<a href="http://news.com.com/2100-1023-960731.html">
alleviate</a>
some of the most crippling aspects of the DMCA. The 
<a href="http://news.com.com/2100-1023-961783.html">
recently reported</a> public consultation on these issues is also welcome,
though it looks to have very limited terms of reference.





<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Fritz's Hit List
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
Professor Edward Felton has started 
<a href="http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/archives/cat_fritzs_hit_list.html">
posting a device a day</a>
on his list of devices that would be banned under Senator Disney's CBDTPA
bill.  Among the devices in the past few days are 
<a href="http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/archives/000182.html">cockpit
voice recorders</a> and the
<a href="http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/archives/000124.html">
TinkleToonz Musical Potty</a>, talking dog collars, talking pill bottles,
traffic speed cameras (maybe not a loss to some people), digital sewing machines,
and more.

<a name="links"></a>
<p><hr><p>
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<center><H3><font color="green">Linux Links</font></H3></center>
<P>
<H3><IMG ALT=" " SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green"><IMG ALT="Linux Focus"
SRC="http://www.linuxfocus.org/common/images/lflogo_sbutton.gif"
WIDTH="143" HEIGHT="45">
</FONT>
</H3>
The E-zine
<A HREF="http://www.linuxfocus.org/">LinuxFocus</A>:
has in the November/December issue the following articles:
<br>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article251.shtml">A
Microcontroller based DC power supply</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article262.shtml">Mozilla
dissected</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article263.shtml">Root-kits
and integrity</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article264.shtml">Fail
Safe Port Allocation for Linux Device Drivers</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article265.shtml">Gorm
and ProjectCenter, the GNUstep RAD tools</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article266.shtml">Developing
Applications for Gnome with Python (Part 3)</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article267.shtml">(X)dialog:
Talking shells</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article268.shtml">Using
PGPLOT for interactive graphics under Linux</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article270.shtml">Installing a
LAMP System</a><br></li>
<li>
<a href="http://linuxfocus.org/English/November2002/article272.shtml">Concurrent
programming - Principles and introduction to processes</a><br></li>
</ul>


<P>
Some links from the <a href="http://www.oreilly.com/">O'Reilly</a> websites:
<ul>
<li>
    Michael Lucas tackles 
    the problem of 
    <a href="http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2002/09/26/Big_Scary_Daemons.html">
    unmounting a busy filesystem</a> 
    and determining who the culprits are 
    who are holding his files open.
</li>
<li>
    Securing Linux: 
    <a href="http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2002/10/03/securinglinux.html">
    Why It's Worthwhile and Achievable</a>.
</li>
<li>
    <a href="http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2002/10/10/intro_gentoo.html">
    A Look at Gentoo</a> from the inside by Daniel Robbins.  Also, Gentoo's
    move to provide a gaming platform.
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2002/10/11/platform.html">
Why Human Rights Requires Free Software</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2002/10/21/community.html">
Building Online Communities</a>
</li>
</ul>
<P>
Some links from <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk">The Register</a>:
<ul>
<li>
    <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/27589.html">
    Web sites blackout</a> over Spanish monitoring law
</li>
<li>
    Mandrake Linux 9.0 distro for Xbox 
    <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27487.html">
    now available</a>
</li>
<li>
    UK computer seller <a href="http://www.evesham.com/">Evesham</a> starts
    to <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/27489.html"> bundle
    Lindows with low cost PCs</a>
</li>
<li>
    <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27788.html">
    Howto get pretty fonts in GNU/Linux</a>.
</li>
</ul>
<P>
A few links found via <a href="http://www.linuxtoday.com">LinuxToday</a>:
<ul>
<li>
Linux and Main
<a href="http://www.linuxandmain.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=245">
have a guide</a> to compiling your own XFree86 from cvs.
</li>
<li>
Advogato.org have
<a href="http://www.advogato.org/article/553.html">
a story</a> on efforts to introduce Win32 users to the benefits of free
software using CD-Roms of free tools for Windows.
</li>
<li>
    <a href="http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/security/library/s-netip/?t=gr,lnxw02=LinuxFirewall">
    Developerworks article</a>  on configuring firewalls for GNU/Linux with
    the 2.4.x kernel.
</li>
</ul>
<P>
Two game tips from Don Marti's Aspiring to Crudeness newsletter:
<a href="http://www.ufoot.org/liquidwar/">
Liquid War</a>
and
<a href="http://www.lanipage.de/jens/">
Crimson Fields</a>.
<P>
MindGuard offers 
<a href="http://newsvac.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/09/30/1747251&mode=thread&tid=16">
thought protection for Linux</a>, essential in these paranoid times.
<P>
<a href="http://www.troubleshooters.com/lpm/200210/200210.htm">
LyX Quickstart</a>.
How to get the most out of LyX, a GUI front-end for LaTeX,
or in other words, a word processor that's "smarter than your average bear".
<P>
<a href="http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT7225637142.html">
An article</a> at Linux Devices
examining the catastrophes that Digital Rights Management can create.
<P>
Some links from <a href="http://slashdot.org/">Slashdot</a>:
<ul>
<li>
    <a href="http://developers.slashdot.org/developers/02/09/30/1233220.shtml?tid=106">
    Report</a>
    on
    <a href="http://m-arriaga.net/software/libtrash/">
    libtrash</a>, an undelete feature for Linux.
</li>
<li>
    <a href="http://www.sans.org/top20/">
    SANS and the FBI team up</a>
    to list their top 20 Windows security
    vulnerabilities, and their top 20 list of Unix security vulnerabilities.
</li>
<li>
    Linus, in a BBC interview, 
    <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2300267.stm">
    says he's still not cool</a>,  though the report
    does note however that "his followers would dispute it".
</li>
<li>
    <a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/02/10/16/1651231.shtml?tid=163">
    Use Linux to reduce your power bill</a>.
</li>
<li>
    <a href="http://www.lib.uaa.alaska.edu/linux-kernel/archive/2002-Week-40/0842.html">
    New kernel configuration system, written in C</a>.
</li>
<li>
    Lawrence Lessig's blog about 
    <a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/lessig/blog/archives/2002_10.shtml#000531">
    a day spent in front of the US Supreme Court</a>
    arguing for an invalidation of congress' power to extend
    copyrights.
</li>
</ul>
<P>
<a href="http://www.research.avayalabs.com/techreport/ALR-2002-003-paper.pdf">
Research paper by Avaya Labs</a> (pdf)
studying the open-source development
process, in particular Apache and Mozilla.  Explores the difference
between the development of software that was always free vs that with
a proprietary history.
<P>
Jonathan Corbet at <a href="http://www.lwn.net/">Linux Weekly News</a>
keeps a cool head and talks about the actual impact
<a href="http://lwn.net/Articles/12120/">
BitKeeper is having on Linux kernel development</a>.
Also 
<a href="http://www.linuxandmain.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=253">
discussed</a> on Linux and Main, with quotes from RMS.
<P>
Some links from
</em><a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/">Linux Journal</a></em>:
<ul>
<li>
    <a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6158">
    Useful Unix command-line tools</a>
    -or- What goodies are on you Linux system that
    you don't know about?
</li>
<li>
    Windowsrefund.net "
    <a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6363&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0">
    a new web site to help organize the battle to make OEMs
    accountable for the EULA and responsive to the consumer...</a>"
</li>
<li>
    <a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6361">
    Enhancing security</a> through better configuration of your Linux
    system.
</li>
<li>
    <a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6405&mode=thread&order=0">
    A look</a>
    at how kernel preemption affects worst-case latencies.
</li>
</ul>
<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://www.linuxjournal.com/events.php">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> Southern California Linux Expo</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>November 2, 2002<BR>Los Angeles, CA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.socallinuxexpo.com" target="_blank">
        http://www.socallinuxexpo.com</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>USENIX 16th Systems Administration Conference (LISA)</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>November 3-8, 2002<BR>Philadelphia, PA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.usenix.org" target="_blank">
        http://www.usenix.org/</A><BR>


<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>Kiblix IT Linux Festival</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>November 7-9, 2002<BR>Maribor, Slovenia<BR>
        <a href="http://www.kiblix.org/" target="_blank">
        http://www.kiblix.org/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>Regina Open Source Expo</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>November 8-9, 2002<BR>Regina, SK, Canada<BR>
        <a href="http://www.losurs.org/activities/expo2002/" target="_blank">
        http://www.losurs.org/activities/expo2002/</A><BR>


<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>SuperComputing 2002</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>November 16-22, 2002<BR>Baltimore, MD<BR>
        <a href="http://www.sc2002.org/" target="_blank">
        http://www.sc2002.org/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>COMDEX</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>November 18-22, 2002<BR>Las Vegas, NV<BR>
        <a href="http://www.comdex.com/fall/" target="_blank">
        http://www.comdex.com/fall/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>SD East</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>November 18-22, 2002<BR>Boston, MA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.sdexpo.com/" target="_blank">
        http://www.sdexpo.com/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>Linux-Bangalore/2002
        </b><BR>
        <td valign=top>December 3-5, 2002<BR>Bangalore, Inda<BR>
        <a href="http://linux-bangalore.org/2002/" target="_blank">
        http://linux-bangalore.org/2002/</A><BR>


<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>USENIX 5th Symposium on Operating Systems Design
        and Implementation (OSDI)</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>December 9-11, 2002<BR>Boston, MA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.usenix.org" target="_blank">
        http://www.usenix.org/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>Consumer Electronics Show</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>January 9-12, 2003<BR>Las Vegas, NV<BR>
        <a href="http://www.cesweb.org/" target="_blank">
        http://www.cesweb.org/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>LinuxWorld Conference & Expo</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>January 21-24, 2003<BR>New York, NY<BR>
        <a href="http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/" target="_blank">
        http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>O'Reilly Bioinformatics Technology Conference</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>February 3-6, 2003<BR>San Diego, CA<BR>
        <a href="http://conferences.oreilly.com/" target="_blank">
        http://conferences.oreilly.com/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>Game Developers Conference</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>March 4-8, 2003<BR>San Jose, CA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.gdconf.com/" target="_blank">
        http://www.gdconf.com/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>SXSW</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>March 7-11, 2003<BR>Austin, TX<BR>
        <a href="http://www.sxsw.com/interactive" target="_blank">
        http://www.sxsw.com/interactive</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>COMDEX Canada</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>March 11-13, 2003<BR>Vancouver, BC<BR>
        <a href="http://www.comdex.com/vancouver/" target="_blank">
        http://www.comdex.com/vancouver/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>CeBIT</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>March 12-19, 2003<BR>Hannover, Germany<BR>
        <a href="http://www.cebit.de/" target="_blank">
        http://www.cebit.de/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>4th USENIX Symposium on Internet Technologies and Systems</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>March 26-28, 2003<BR>Seattle, WA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.usenix.org/events/" target="_blank">
        http://www.usenix.org/events/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>AIIM</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>April 7-9, 2003<BR>New York, NY<BR>
        <a href="http://www.advanstar.com/" target="_blank">
        http://www.advanstar.com/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>SD West</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>April 8-10, 2003<BR>Santa Clara, CA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.sdexpo.com/" target="_blank">
        http://www.sdexpo.com/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>COMDEX Chicago</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>April 15-17, 2003<BR>Chicago, IL<BR>
        <a href="http://www.comdex.com/chicago/" target="_blank">
        http://www.comdex.com/chicago/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>Real World Linux Conference and Expo</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>April 29-30, 2003<BR>Toronto, Ontario<BR>
        <a href="http://www.realworldlinux.com/" target="_blank">
        http://www.realworldlinux.com</A><BR>


<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>USENIX First International Conference on Mobile Systems, 
	Applications, and Services (MobiSys)</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>May 5-8, 2003<BR>San Francisco, CA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.usenix.org/events/" target="_blank">
        http://www.usenix.org/events/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>USENIX Annual Technical Conference</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>June 9-14, 2003<BR>San Antonio, TX<BR>
        <a href="http://www.usenix.org/events/" target="_blank">
        http://www.usenix.org/events/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>CeBIT America</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>June 18-20, 2003<BR>New York, NY<BR>
        <a href=http://www.cebit-america.com/"" target="_blank">
        http://www.cebit-america.com/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>O'Reilly Open Source Convention</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>July 7-11, 2003<BR>Location: TBD<BR>
        <a href="http://conferences.oreilly.com/" target="_blank">
        http://conferences.oreilly.com/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>12th USENIX Security Symposium</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>August 4-8, 2003<BR>Washington, DC<BR>
        <a href="http://www.usenix.org/events/" target="_blank">
        http://www.usenix.org/events/</A><BR>

<tr><td colspan=2><HR size=5 width=100% noshade align=center></td></tr>

<tr><td valign=top>
        <b>LinuxWorld Conference & Expo</b><BR>
        <td valign=top>August 5-7, 2003<BR>San Francisco, CA<BR>
        <a href="http://www.linuxworldexpo.com" target="_blank">
        http://www.linuxworldexpo.com</A><BR>

<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> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Linux and the UK Police
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
Police in West Yorkshire, England, are reported by ZDNet to be
<a href="http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2123999,00.html">
testing a fleet of Linux workstations</a>
secured by smart cards.  If the test is successful, the force expects to roll
it out on 3500 desktops and save UK L1 million a year.  And if *that* is
successful, other police units in England may join in, for an potential total
of 60,000 Linux workstations.
This was
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27692.html">
also reported</a> by The Register.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Linux in India
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
It has been reported that
<a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?artid=24598339">
India is planning to promote Linux</a>
country-wide over "proprietary" operating systems.
However, as <em>Linux Journal</em>
<a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6389">
has reported</a>,
India's move may not have been all it appeared.  Fred Norhona surveys
Linux users groups in India and says many of them are sceptical that the
announcement was timed so closely to Bill Gates' upcoming visit to India in
November.  But, the article notes, many people in India are turning to
Linux anyway, no matter how sincere the government is or isn't.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Linux Programmer Training Offered For No Fees
</FONT>
</H3> 

<P> Since Jan 2002 
<a href="http://www.icanprogram.com">
iCanProgram.com</a>
has been offering its online Linux programmer training courses without fees
in return for a voluntary donation to Cancer research in memory of one of
the founders.
<P> So far in 2002 over 1300 students worldwide have availed themselves of this
service. For more info and online registration forms you can visit the website at:
<a href="http://www.icanprogram.com">
http://www.icanprogram.com</a>.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">SIMPL Open Source Project Needs Developers
</FONT>
</H3> 

<P>
<a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/simpl/">
The SIMPL open source project</a>
aims to bring the simplicity of
Send/Receive/Reply messaging first pioneered by OS's such as QNX to the
Linux platform.
The project is now 4 years old and has produced a stable and usable
system which has been successfully deployed in several commercial ventures.
This project needs developers to extend the network transparency to include
a "plug-in" capability.    We want to expand beyond the current support for
TCP/IP to UDP, SSL, RS232 and other protocols.
<P> If you are interested in helping out you can visit the project site at:
<a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/simpl/">
https://sourceforge.net/projects/simpl/</a>


<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Openchallenge
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
<a href="http://www.openchallenge.org/">
Openchallenge.org</a>
calls programmers to publish their "spare-time code" for
everybody's pleasure and challenges organisations to seek an answer to their
information technology related problems by using open source
methods. Openchallenge aims to be a catalyst for materialising creativity and for
channelling open source potential into tackling real world problems and
doing public good. By delivering quarterly awards to two selected
contributors we wish to encourage individuals into materialising and
publishing the results of their creativity under open source license and
principles.
<P> For more information, consult the Openchallenge website at
<a href="http://www.openchallenge.org/">
http://www.openchallenge.org/</a>.


<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">GLUE, Calling ALL LUG'S
</FONT>
</H3> 

<P>
<a href="http://www.ssc.com:8080/glue">
GLUE, Groups of Linux Users Everywhere</a>
now offers free membership
listings to user groups.  Benefits include a 20% discount to
Linux Journal, 20% off all BRU[tm] Product Purchases from TOLIS, archive
cds of Linux Journal (1994-2000), T-shirts, bumper stickers, etc.
A Group-of-the-Month wins free T-shirts for everyone in their group (up
to 50) simply by providing a group photo by the end of each month.  We
offer advice regarding establishing a group, considerations for meeting
places, trade show attendance, etc.  Visit
<a href="http://www.ssc.com:8080/glue">
http://www.ssc.com:8080/glue</a>
for more details, or email glue@ssc.com.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Sitescooper
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
<a href="http://www.sitescooper.org">
Sitescooper</a>
automatically retrieves the stories from several news websites, trims off
extraneous HTML, and converts them into formats you can read on your Palm
computing device for later reading on-the-move. It maintains a cache, and
will avoid stories you've already read. It can handle 1-page sites, 1-page
with diffing, 2-level and 3-level sites, and it's very easy to add a new
site to its list.
Even if you don't have a Palm handheld, it's reportedly still quite useful
for simple website-to-text conversion, and off-line HTML reading.
The Linux Gazette, and some other very useful
Linux news sites are always available in the pre-generated area.

<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>
Debian Weekly News
<a href="http://www.debian.org/News/weekly/2002/41/">
reported</a>
that Josselin Mouette 
<a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce-0210/msg00009.html">
has announced</a>
a
<a href="http://www.debian.org/devel/todo/">
public todo list</a>
for Debian tasks. This page tries to keep track
of which tasks and groups in the project need help.
<P>
<hr width="20%" noshade>
<P> 
In a recent review of Debian several criticisms were made of the ease of
installation and the quality of the desktop.  Well, free software being
what it is, this got people interested in doing something about it. 
Debian Weekly News
<a href="http://www.debian.org/News/weekly/2002/42/">
has linked</a> to 
a very verbose 
<a href="http://www.industryweek.com/CurrentArticles/Asp/articles.asp?ArticleId=1344">
installation walkthrough</a>, and also highlighted
the availability of new 
<a href="http://archive.progeny.com/progeny/pgi/">
Progeny Graphical Installer Images</a>.
Additionally, 
<a href="http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-desktop/">
a Debian Desktop Subproject</a> has been
<a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce-0210/msg00016.html">
initiated</a>.
This development has also been 
<a href="http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,645250,00.asp">
noted by ExtremeTech</a>.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Libranet
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
A <em>Linux Journal</em>
<a href="http://www.linuxjournal.com//article.php?sid=6358">
review of Libranet</a>, a Debian-based distribution.
LinuxOrbit has
<a href="http://www.linuxorbit.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=18">
reviewed the distribution</a> also.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Linux From Scratch
</FONT>
</H3> 

<P> After a very long wait, LFS-4.0 has finally been released. You can
download the files from the main LFS site -
<a href="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org">
www.linuxfromscratch.org</a>, and also from mirrors.


<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Red Hat
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
OS News
have
<a href="http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=1901">
an interview</a>
with two guys from Red Hat, mostly about graphical interfaces.
OS News have also
<a href="http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=1842">
recently reviewed</a>
Red hat 8.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Slackware
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
Patrick Volkerding of Slackware is 
<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/04/1033538761935.html">
interviewed by the Australian newspaper, The Age</a>.
The paper notes that Volkerding was somewhat
intimidated by the bigger booths of the other Linux distributions
at tradeshows during the dot-com boom, but notes that now they're
gone but Slackware is still here, and it's still running a profit.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">SuSE
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
The Register
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27759.html">
reviewed</a> 
SuSE 8.1, and believe it  illustrates MS' fear -- its ease of use is close
to Windows XP, and the reviewer predicts it will surpass XP in the next
version.  Nonetheless, there were a few significant bugs that a seasoned
Linux user can work around but will cause problems for newbies.
<P>
<hr width="20%" noshade>
<P>
SuSE Linux, have announced the launch of
<a href="http://www.suse.de/en/openexchange">
SuSE Linux Openexchange Server</a>
to be available on November 4th. The Openexchange Server combines the 
SuSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system, an e-mail 
server, and extensive groupware functionalities; the result is an 
all-in-one communication and groupware solution for 
companies of all sizes.
<P>
<hr width="20%" noshade>
<P>
SuSE has also
announced a global technology partnership. SuSE is the 
first Linux enterprise operating system to enable SAP clients 
worldwide to run SAP's leading e-business applications on Linux 
and the first Linux provider to become "SAP Global Technology 
Partner".
More information on SuSE Linux Enterprise Server on mySAP.com 
systems can be found at 
<a href="http://www.suse.de/en/business/certifications/certified_software/">
http://www.suse.de/en/business/certifications/certified_software/</a>



<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">SIXNET
</FONT>
</H3> 


<P> The SixTRAK IPm Open DCS controller is the 
<a href="http://www.sixnetio.com/html_files/press_releases/press.htm">
latest edition</a>
to SIXNET's line of open LINUX based industrial control products.  SixTRAK
IPm's communications (5 Ethernet and 3 serial ports) and programming
capabilities make it an ideal solution for process control, Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), or Distributed Control System (DCS)
applications.
SIXNET IPm products are modular and scalable LINUX based automation
solutions that combine installation-ready industrial hardware with a wealth
of software solutions that are ready to use right out of the box.



<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Team ASA NPWR-FC
</FONT>
</H3> 

<P>
<a href="http://www.TeamASA.com">
Team ASA Inc.</a>,
a manufacturer of 
products for the Networking and Storage industries, has announced 
the newest member in the NPWR Single Board Networking Computer (SBNC) 
family, the NPWR-FC.
The NPWR-FC is the first SBNC implemented with the Intel XScale 80321 
CPU, Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, Dual Fibre Channel ports, and four 
Serial ATA (SATA) ports on a single card.
<P> Every NPWR-FC includes either a Linux or a NetBSD CDROM.  The NPWR 
CDROM also includes all tools, documentation and sources needed to 
make any NPWR-based product an immediate success. NPWR-FC is 
factory-configured with a Flash ROM disk running Linux or the NetBSD 
O.S. to ensure expedited product development.


<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Spectra Linux Bundles McObject's eXtremeDB
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
McObject and Probatus Technologies 
<a href="http://www.mcobject.com/press21.htm">
have announced</a>
a bundling partnership
that pairs an innovative in-memory database system (IMDS) with a
comprehensive, professional-grade Linux development and operating
environment.
In addition to certifying McObject's eXtremeDB as compatible with its
Spectra Linux 1.2 distribution, Probatus now includes eXtremeDB with
every copy. The arrangement offers Linux developers and systems
integrators worldwide a data management solution that overcomes the
performance and footprint constraints of disk-based database systems.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Patchlink Update 4.0
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
<a href="http://www.patchlink.com">
PatchLink</a>
Update 4.0 claims to have taken a difficult to deal with factor out
of patch management by automating its vulnerability assessment and
deployment software for all major network operating systems including
Linux, UNIX, Microsoft and Novell.  PatchLink Update addresses the need
for a comprehensive patch management system by giving those responsible
for their organization's computer systems the ability to instantly
detect day-to-day, software-related security breaches, and a fast and
efficient method for immediately correcting them across all platforms
and enterprise boundaries. 

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">VariCAD 8.2.0.4 Update Released
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
<a href="http://www.varicad.com">
VariCAD</a>
has launched a new update of its 3D/2D mechanical CAD package for Windows 
98/NT/2000/XP and Linux (RedHat, SuSE, Mandrake). The latest VariCAD 8.2.0.4 
includes tools for 3D modelling, 2D drafting, libraries of mechanical 
components (ANSI, DIN), calculations, BOM's, and many others. The software is 
available "fully-loaded" for only $399 per license worldwide. Free evaluation 
copies can be downloaded from
<a href="http://www.varicad.com">
http://www.varicad.com</a>.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">New SSI M-Module supports Linux
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
A new Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI)
M-Module mezzanine card from 
<a href="http://www.men.de/">
MEN Micro, Inc.</a>,
simplifies the monitoring
and controlling of shafts and other moving parts in machine tools,
automation systems, test and measurement equipment and other industrial
systems.  The new M-Module from MEN, which is designated the M47, has four,
32-bit, RS422, SSI channels, each capable of Gray and binary decoding.  In
addition, all four channels are optically isolated from each other.
Driver software for the M47 is available for the Windows, Linux,
VxWorks, QNX, RTX and OS-9 operating environments.
<P>
A digital photo of the product featured below is
available for download at
<a href="http://www.men.de/products/press">
http://www.men.de/products/press</a>



<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Linux Game Publishing
</FONT>
</H3> 

<P> Applications for Beta Testers for 
<a href="http://www.linuxgamepublishing.com/info.php?id=8">
Majesty Gold</a> are now open. If you wish to join the beta, please go to
<a href="http://betas.linuxgamepublishing.com">http://betas.linuxgamepublishing.com</a>
and sign up.

<P> <hr> <P> 
<!-- =================================================================== -->
<H3><IMG ALT=" "   SRC="../gx/bolt.gif">
<FONT COLOR="green">Virtutech Releases Version 1.4 of Simics
</FONT>
</H3> 
<P>
The Simics
simulation platform allows you to build your own virtual computer system
for hardware or software design.
In terms of performance, on a 2 GHz Pentium 4 workstation running Red Hat
Linux 7.2, for example, it is claimed that Simics delivers the following:
Linux will boot in two minutes on a simulated 4-processor Itanium system.
Red Hat Linux 6.0 boots in 5 minutes on a simulated Hammer system;
Virtutech Simics is now available from 
<a href="http://www.virtutech.com/">
http://www.virtutech.com/</a>
at $1500 for a single license.


<!-- =================================================================== -->











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Copyright &copy; 2002, Michael Conry.
Copying license <A HREF="../copying.html">http://www.linuxgazette.com/copying.html</A><BR> 
Published in Issue 84 of <i>Linux Gazette</i>, November 2002
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