Linux News Desk

"It's so easy. It's so simple. I don't see why most people don't run Linux," says Steve, the engagingly animated character in a Flash animation that's doing the rounds of the Web just presently. It's un-missable. Go enjoy! And hey, take your sense of humor with you. . .   ... (more)

Novell to Acquire SUSE LINUX

Novell announced this week that it will acquire SUSE LINUX in a $210 million cash deal subject to regulatory approval and the winding up of shareholder agreements. "This is fantastic news for the Linux Community," observes LWM editor-in-chief Kevin Bedell. "With the stability and name power of Novell and IBM behind SUSE LINUX, I believe we are on the verge of dramatic growth for Linux in the enterprise. Coupled with Novell's earlier acquisition of Ximian, I believe the acquisition of SUSE positions Novell extremely well for next 5-10 years." "What we are seeing today is a stateme... (more)

Linux in the News

"It's amazing how well the corporate world is taking to Linux. Many are converting their enterprises from Unix. I think the biggest endorsement is coming from Wall Street firms such as Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. They trust Linux with their client's money. With respect to security, that's more impressive than even the work of the National Security Agency to secure the Linux kernel." Michael Jang, author of Mastering Red Hat Linux 9, July 30, 2003   "IBM announced today that it will build what it says will be the most powerful supercomputer ever to run on the Linux operatin... (more)

SCO Attempts to Have GPL Declared Void

It may never have been tested before in court, but its day has certainly arrived now: the GPL is about to make its first appearance under the full scrutiny of the US legal system - thanks to an answer by the SCO Group to an IBM court filing that SCO in turn filed at the end of last week. "The GPL violates the US Constitution," SCO claims, "together with copyright, antitrust and export control laws." No small charges. As often in this pre-trial phase, SCO did not see fit to offer any actual details backing up its assertions. But the general thrust of its argument appears to be tha... (more)

Kernel Breach Averted - Thanks to McVoy's Config Management System

According to the release, this was the first known security breach to threaten the Linux kernel. It was a "Trojan Horse" style of attack that, if not caught, could have allowed a local user to gain administrative privileges onto a Linux operating system - privileges that typically enable someone to access confidential information from a company's internal machines, delete files, and tap into private e-mail accounts. "This is the first known attempt to deliberately add a security flaw to Linux," said Ted T'so, a senior Linux developer and security expert. "The discovery of this b... (more)