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October 1999 Linux JournalThe October issue of Linux Journal is on the newsstands now. This issue focuses on embedded systems.
Linux Journal now has articles that appear "Strictly On-Line". Check out the Table of Contents at http://www.linuxjournal.com/issue66/index.html for articles in this issue as well as links to the on-line articles. To subscribe to Linux Journal, go to http://www.linuxjournal.com/subscribe/ljsubsorder.html.
For Subcribers Only: Linux Journal archives are now available on-line at http://interactive.linuxjournal.com/
Upcoming conferences & eventsAtlanta Linux Showcase. October 12-16, 1999. Atlanta, GA.
Open Source Forum. October 21-22, 1999. Stockholm, Sweden.
USENIX LISA -- The Systems Administration Conference. November 7-12, 1999. Seattle, WA.
COMDEX Fall and Linux Business Expo . November 15-19, 1999. Las Vegas, NV.
The Bazaar. December 14-16, 1999. New York, NY. "Where free and open-source software meet the real world". Presented by EarthWeb.
SANS 1999 Workshop On Securing Linux. December 15-16, 1999. San Francisco, CA. The SANS Institute is a cooperative education and research organization.
Red Hat News (Burlington Coat Factory, Japan, etc)DURHAM, N.C.--September 7, 1999--Red Hat, Inc. today announced that Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation has purchased support services from Red Hat for its nationwide Linux deployment.
Under the agreement, Red Hat Services will provide telephone-based suppor t to more than 260 Burlington Coat stores nationwide (including subsidiaries). Red Hat will configure, install and provide ongoing maintenance for customized Dell OptiPlex (R) PCs and PowerEdge servers running factory installed Red Hat Linux. The Red Hat Linux OS-based systems will host Burlington Coat Factory's Gift Registry and will facilitate all other in-store functions, such as inventory control and receiving.
Durham, N.C.--September 7, 1999--Red Hat, Inc. today announced Red Hat Japan. The new Japanese operation will deliver the company's award-winning Red Hat Linux software and services directly to the Japanese marketplace. Red Hat Japan will feature a new, expanded headquarters and staff, and a new leader for Red Hat's operations in Japan.
In addition, Red Hat has named software industry veteran Masanobu Hirano as president of Red Hat Japan. Prior to Red Hat, Mr. Hirano was president of Hyperion Japan, a subsidiary of Hyperion Solutions, one of the country's most successful online analytical processing (OLAP) solution vendors. He also served as vice president and was a board member of ASCII Corporation, one of Japan's pioneering computer software companies.
Durham, N.C.--September 7, 1999--Red Hat®, Inc., today announced that Gateway has joined its authorized reseller program. When requested by its customers, Gateway will install Red Hat on its ALR® servers for network business environments.
Free Linux tech support via the web (No Wonder!)"It might sound crazy, but we have been doing it for almost 3 years."
News from The Linux BitsThe Linux Bits is a weekly ezine at www.thebits.co.uk/tlb/. It is perfectly suited to offline viewing (no graphics or banners).
A Survey Of Web Browsers Currently Available For Linux
Here's a list of all the Linux browsers and their stage of development. Obviously if you know of one that's not on the list then please let them know.
E-mail signature qutes from :
Oh My God! They Killed init! You Bastards!
Your mouse has moved. Windows must be restarted for the change to take effect. Reboot now? [ OK ]
If Bill Gates had a nickel for every time Windows crashed... Oh wait, he does.
Feature freeze for Linux 2.3: kernelnotes.org/lnxlists/linux-kernel/lk_9909_02/msg00460.html
HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY LINUX! On the 17th September 1991, Linus e-mailed his 0.01 kernel to just four people. Doesn't sound like much does it? Well believe it or not this was to be the first public release of Linux.
Linuxlinks.com. The trouble with sites that primarily focus on links to other sites, is that they tend to be thrown together with no real thought and organisation put into them. Fortunately LinuxLinks.com is not one of those sites. A great place to track down information on specific subjects concerning Linux.
LB also has a multi-part review of StarOffice.
Over 4000 UK IT and management training courses onlineTraining Pages, an online database of IT and management training courses in the UK, has officially passed the threshold of 4000 entries. At the time of writing, the database detailed 4027 courses from 347 companies. These numbers will almost certainly increase by the time this notice is released.
[Type "linux" in the search box to see their 21 Linux courses. -Ed]
The press release offers a few technical details of the web site:
No other UK training site offers comparable levels of interactivity and dynamic web services. The secret behind the site's functionality is it's integration of open standards, open source software, and a smattering of in-house programming trickery.
By separating the dynamic functions from the presentational elements of HTML, the site can constantly be adapted and improved with minimal human intervention. The programme code currently contains a host of premium features which have yet to be activated. e.g. direct booking, last-minute booking, course evaluation, trainer evaluation, freelance trainers, etc.
Training Pages was developed by GBdirect, a boutique IT consultancy and training company based in Bradford. A detailed case study of how they designed and built the site is available from www.gbdirect.co.uk/press/1999/trainingpages.htm
New IDE Backup Device (Arco)HOLLYWOOD, Florida --Arco Computer Products, Inc., www.arcoide.com, a leading provider of low cost IDE disk mirroring hardware, today announced the DupliDisk RAIDcase, a real-time backup device that offers PC users a simple and convenient way to maintain an exact, up-to-the-minute duplicate of their IDE hard drives.
Photo
If a hardware failure disables one of the mirrored drives, the other takes over automatically. External LEDs change color to indicate a failed drive and an audible alarm alerts the user of the drive failure but there is no interruption of service. The system continues to function normally until the user can find a convenient time to power down and install a new drive. Caddies remove easily to facilitate replacement of failed drives.
The RAIDcase requires neither an ISA nor a PCI bus slot. IDE and power cables provided by Arco connect the RAIDcase to the computer's onboard IDE controller and power supply. Once installed, the RAIDcase operates transparently, providing continuous automatic hard disk backup and disk fault tolerance. All data sent from the PC to the primary drive is automatically duplicated (concurrently) to the mirroring drive but the system (and end user) sees only the primary drive.
The RAIDcase uses no jumper settings and requires no driver, TSR or IRQ. Because it requires no device drivers, the RAIDcase is essentially operating-system independent. It has been tested with systems running Windows 3.x, 95, 98 and NT, as well as OS/2, DOS, Unix, Linux, Solaris386, BSDI and Novell NetWare. Manufacturer's suggested retail $435
www.arcoide.com
News from E-Commerce Minutewww.ecommercetimes.com
Linux vendor MandrakeSoft announced a strategic partnership with LinuxOne this week. They intend to develop Chinese language business and personal software solutions, advancing the cause of open-source in a potentially explosive Internet and computing market...
www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles/990903-2.shtml
E-commerce solution provider Unify Corp., announced this week that two of its forthcoming Internet software releases will be certified to run on the Red Hat, Inc. (Nasdaq: RHAT) distribution of the Linux operating system (OS)...
www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles/990910-8.shtml
Navarre, a business-to-business e-commerce company that offers music and software, announced today that it has entered into a distribution deal with Linux developer tools provider Cygnus Solutions. The deal is Navarre's sixth distribution agreement for the Linux operation system and related products...
www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles/990903-6.shtml
Magic Software Enterprises unveiled the latest version of its e-commerce server Friday, a product powered by the Red Hat, Inc. (Nasdaq: RHAT) distribution of the red-hot Linux operating system (OS)...
www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles/990920-3.shtml
Oracle Corp. has announced that its Oracle8i for Linux, a database designed specifically for the Internet, has been certified to run on the Red Hat, Inc. (Nasdaq: RHAT) distribution of the open-source operating system (OS). The announcement officially launches a strategic partnership between the two companies that is aimed at advancing corporate adoption of Linux...
www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles/990922-7.shtml
New Linux Bulletin BoardANNOUNCEMENT FROM: WM. Baker Associates
On 09/13/99 WM. Baker Associates launched the Linux Bulletin Board at:
http://www.w-b-a.com/linux.html
This new Linux Bulletin Board provides a forum for visitors to ask questions, learn, and share ideas about Linux related issues and events.
Bulletin Board Categories include:
Linux Technical Information Linux News, Events & Publications Linux Investment Information
Ziatech and Intel Sponsor Applied Computing Software SeminarsSan Luis Obispo, CA, September 20, 1999 -- Ziatech Corporation, with sponsorship from Intel Corporation, is hosting a continuing series of one-day seminars focusing on real-time operating system solutions for applied computing applications, it was announced today. Beginning in late October, the 1999 Applied Computing Software Seminar Series will feature presentations from leading software companies, including Wind River Systems (VxWorks=AE, Tornado(tm)), QNX Software Systems (QNX=AE, Neutrino=AE), and MontaVista Software (Hard Hat(tm) Linux), in addition to presentations by Ziatech and Intel. The seminar series begins in San Jose on October 29, and continues in San Diego (November 4), Tokyo (November 8), Dallas (November 30), and Boston (December 2). Each one-day session begin with registration at 7:30 a.m., includes lunch, and concludes at 5 p.m.
www.ziatech.com
Linux C Programming Mailing ListsThe Linux C Programming Lists now officially exist. They will be archived on-line and also via majordomo. The Linux C Programming Lists aim to help people programming linux with C. Hopefully no question will be too simple nor too difficult for someone on the list to answer. For anyone learning how to program linux with C these lists will be a valuable resource to help you in your learning.
David Lloyd has agreed to host a common home page for the linux c programming lists. It is at users.senet.com.au/~lloy0076/linux_c_programming/index.html
The easiest way to become a member of the (dual) lists is to e-mail .
LJ sopnsors Atlanta Linux Showcase conference and tutorialsLinux Journal, the monthly magazine of the Linux community, is proud to announce its leading sponsorship role in the 1999 Atlanta Linux Showcase.
The Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts and the USENIX association, in cooperation with Linux International, are pleased to announce the Conference and Tutorials Schedule for the 3rd Annual Atlanta Linux Showcase.
The tutorial program, sponsored and managed by the USENIX Association will feature two days of top rate instruction in the following subjects:
The Conference program will consist of 41 sessions with up to five sessions in each track. Our tracks cover all of the cutting edge topics in the Linux Community today: Distributed Computing, Kernel Internals, Applications, Security, System Administration, and Development. The sessions are lead by a top notch line of speakers including Bernie Thompson, Eric Raymond, Phil Hughes, Matthew O'Keefe, Jes Sorensen, Michael Hammel, Miguel de Icaza, Mike Warfield, Steve Oualline, Dirk Hondel. Full details on the conference program are available and online at: www.linuxshowcase.org.
In addition to Jeremy Allison's Keynote, Norm Shryer from AT&T Research will be giving a keynote entitled: "The Pain of Success, The Joy of Defeat: Unix History"-the story of what happened to Unix on the way from Ken Thompson's mind to the marketplace, and how this affects Linux.
ALS activities for attendees include 3 days of free vendor exhibits, freeform birds-of-a- feather sessions, and the listed tutorials, keynotes, and conference sessions.
RMS Software Legislation InitiativeDate: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 04:31:52 +0000 (UTC)
From: Dwight Johnson <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Richard Stallman is promoting an initiative to campaign against UCITA and other legislation that is damaging to the free software movement.
Considering the many legislative issues that affect free software, some, like myself, believe there is a need for a Ralph Nader type of organization to both be a watchdog and also lobby legislators to protect the interests of free software.
Richard Stallman has volunteered himself to lead off the initiative and Below is his latest correspondence.
Because the free software movement encompasses both commercial and non-commercial interests and Linux International is an association of commercial Linux interests, it is probably not appropriate for Linux International to attempt to serve the watchdog and lobbying function which is needed.
There are two ways Linux International may become involved:
1) Individual companies within Linux International may wish to commit themselves to sponsor the Richard Stallman initiative;
2) Linux International may collectively endorse and sponsor the Richard Stallman initiative.
Richard recognizes that his leadership may be controversial to some and has told me he wants to join with 'open-source' people to support the common cause.
As Linux and free software/open-source solutions move into center stage in the technology arena, the agendas of those who support the older model of intellectual property to oppose the inevitability of this evolution are becoming more sharply defined and dangerous -- they are seeking legislative solutions.
We need to pursue our own agenda and our own legislative solutions and time is of the essence. A cursory search of the Linux Today news archives will reveal that there are several bills on their way through the U.S. Congress right now, in addition to UCITA, which could be disruptive to the free software movement.
I urge the Linux International Board of Directors both collectively and individually to take action and support the Richard Stallman initiative to defend open-source/free software against damaging legislation.
Andover.Net Files Registration for Open IPOActon, Mass.--September 17, 1999-- Andover.Net www.andover.net, a network of Linux/Open Source web sites which include Slashdot.org, today announced that it has filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1 with respect to a proposed initial public offering of 4,000,000 shares of Andover.Net common stock. All 4,000,000 shares are being offered by Andover.Net at a proposed price range of $12 to $15 per share.
Information regarding the OpenIPO process may be obtained through www.wrhambrecht.com. Copies of the preliminary prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained when available through the web site.
Linux BreakfastNew Age Consulting Service, Inc., a Network consulting corporation and Tier 2 Internet Service Provider that has been providing corporate Linux solutions for nearly five years, is introducing Linux to Cleveland at a Breakfast on September 30, 1999. The Linux Breakfast is designed to educate the quickly expanding Linux market in Cleveland about the exciting commercial applications of the open source operating system and how it increases network efficiency in conjunction with or as an alternative to other network operating systems such as Novell and Microsoft NT server solutions.
NACS.NET's goal is to provide business owners and managers with information that demonstrates how Linux is quickly building a strong hold on the enterprise market and that it is being rolled out in a very strong and well supported manner. Caldera Systems, Inc. and Cobalt Networks, Inc., national leaders in Linux technology, will be presenters at the event.
Caldera Systems, Inc. is the leader in providing Linux-based business solutions through its award winning OpenLinux line of products and services. OpenLinux for business solutions are full-featured, proven, tested, stable and supported. Through these solutions, the total cost of ownership and management for small-to-medium size businesses is greatly reduced while expanding network capabilities.
Cobalt Networks, Inc. is a leading developer of server appliances that enable organizations to establish an online presence easily, cost effectively, and reliably. Cobalt's product lines - the Cobalt Qube, Cobalt Cache, Cobalt RaQ, and Cobalt NASRaQ - are widely used as Internet and Web hosting server appliances at businesses, Internet Service Providers, and educational institutions. Cobalt's solutions are delivered through a global network of distributors, value-added resellers and ISPs. Founded in 1996, Cobalt networks, Inc. is located in Mountain View, California-the heart of Silicon Valley - with international offices in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
The presentation will be held in the Cleveland Flats at Shooters on the Water. A full buffet style breakfast will be offered to all registered attendees.
Franklin Institute Linux web serverPhiladelphia PA -- The Franklin Institute Science Museum has installed a Linux Web server built by LinuxForce Inc. The server is now on line and being used by The Franklin Institute in their Keystone Science Network. The network has been designed to create a professional community of science educators throughout the Eastern half of Pennsylvania.
Christopher Fearnley Senior VP Technology LinuxForce Inc. said that "LinuxForce is proud to have built the server and its integrated Linux software that will aid the Keystone Science Network in promoting teacher professional growth." The Network has been designed to promote teacher professional growth through the implementation of K-8 standards-based science kits supported by the application of network technology.
The Web Server built for the program by LinuxForce Inc.'s Hardware Division includes the Debian GNU/Linux operating system. Fearnley commented that the powerful Keystone web server will meet all current requirements and the challenge of any expansion beyond the ten core sites located in school districts throughout the Eastern half of Pennsylvania.
www.linuxforce2000.com
Java EnterpriseBeans: no-cost developer's version + contestP-P-P-Promotion --- don't start stuttering. If you are on Linux, it's alright for you to laugh! Penguin, ProSyst, PSION: CARESS the Penguin, DOWNLOAD the EJB application server from ProSyst: EnterpriseBeans Server, Developer Edition without any charge and WIN one of three PSION Series 5mx Pro palmtop computers every month!
Download EnterpriseBeans Server, Developer Edition for Linux and register to Win! All download registrations and answered questionnaires received by October 15, November 15 and December 15, 1999 will be entered in a drawing to win any one time one of three PSION Series 5mx Pro palmtop computers. The winners will be posted on ProSyst's Web site at www.prosyst.com every month.
WIN again: If you have developed some nice Enterprise JavaBeans or services and you are planning to deploy it, purchase EnterpriseBeans Server, any Server Edition for Linux by December 31, 1999 and get 50% off. You save up to US $ 5,500.
Linux LinksLinuxPR. From the web page: "Linux PR is a website for organizations to publish press releases to the enormous market that is the Linux community. Linux PR is backed by the resources of Linux Today and is offered at no charge. Journalists from large media organizations can monitor Linux PR as a source for their Linux-related information."
C.O.L.A software newstsinvest is for the real time programmed day trading of stocks. "Quantitative financial analysis of equities. The optimal gains of multiple equity investments are computed. The program decides which of all available equities to invest in at any single time, by calculating the instantaneous Shannon probability of all equities..." Freely redistributable, but cannot sell or include in a commercial product.
www2.inow.com/~conover/ntropix
xshipwars game (GPL). Uses the latest Linux joystick driver. Nice-looking lettering and graphics at web site.
Flight Gear flight simulator game (GPL). "A large portion of the world (in Flight Gear scenery format) is now available for download." Development version is 0.7.0; stable version is 0.6.2.
wvDecrypt decrypts Word97 documents (given the correct password). A library version (part of wv library) is also available at www.csn.ul.ie/~caolan/publink/mswordview/development.
hc-cron (GPL) is a modification of Paul Vixie's cron daemon that remembers when it was shut down and catches up on any jobs that were missed while the computer was off. The author is looking for programmers who can take over its further development.
The Linux Product Guide by FirstLinux is "a comprehensive guide to commercial Linux resources."
suckmt is a multi-threaded version of suck (an NNTP news puller). Its purpose is to make fuller use of dialup modem capacity, to cut down on connect-time charges. It is more of a feasability study than application at this point.
Jackal/MEC is a video streaming client/server pair for Linux.
Personal Genealogy Database projectThis project is just beginning and needs help in coding. The complete program objectives and wishlist are at the project home page. For more information, subscribe to the development mailing list or email the project manager.
Home Page: www.msn.fullfeed.com/~slambo/genes/
FTP site: none yet; will be announced when code is released.
License: GPL
Development: C++, Qt and Berkeley DB; this may change as development progresses.
Project Manager: Sean Lamb - [email protected]
Mailing List: www.onelist.com/community/genes-devel
Subscribe: blank message to
or visit the list home page.
Caldera open-sources Lizard installOrem, UT -September 7, 1999 - Caldera Systems, Inc. today announced that its award-winning LInux wiZARD (LIZARD) - the industry's first point and click install of Linux -is now available under the Q Public License (QPL) for download from www.openlinux.org.
The LIZARD install was developed for OpenLinux by Caldera Systems Engineers in Germany, and by Troll Tech, a leading software tools development company in Oslo, Norway.
LIZARD makes the transition from Windows to Linux easier for the new user and reduces down time created by command line installation. "We're happy to contribute back to the Open Source community and Linux industry," said Ransom Love, CEO of Caldera Systems, Inc. "We're particularly grateful to Troll Tech for their support of-and contributions to-this effort. LIZARD will help Linux move further into the enterprise as others develop to the technology" "We congratulate Caldera Systems on their bold move of open-sourcing LIZARD," said Haavard Nord, CEO of Troll Tech. "LIZARD is the easiest to use Linux installer available today, and it demonstrates the versatility of Qt, our GUI application framework."
Under the Q Public License LIZARD may be copied and distributed in unmodified form provided that the entire package, including-but not restricted to-copyright, trademark notices and disclaimers, as released by the initial developer, is distributed. For more information about the Q Public License and distribution options, please visit www.openlinux.org/lizard/qpl.html
Xpresso LINUX 2000Xpresso LINUX 2000 is a safe, simple, stable computer OS with a full set of programs (Star Office 5.1, WordPerfect 8, Netscape 4.51, Chess and more). Everything you need and all made simple for the Linux user. All on a single CD Rom with small pocket-sized manual.
It is based on Red Hat 6 with the KDE 1.1 graphical interface and sells for just UK Pounds 15.95, delivered to your door world-wide.
www.xpresso.org
News from Loki (games and video libraries)TUSTIN, CA -- September 8, 1999 -- Loki Entertainment Software announces their third Open-Source project, the SDL Motion JPEG Library (SMJPEG) .
SMJPEG creates and displays full motion video using an open, non-proprietary format created by Loki. It is based on a modified version of the Independent JPEG Group's library for JPEG image manipulation and freely available source code for ADPCM audio compression. Among its many benefits, SMJPEG allows for arbitrary video sizes and frame-rates, user-tuneable compression levels, and facilities for frame-skipping and time synchronization.
Loki developed SMJPEG in the course of porting Railroad Tycoon II: Gold Edition by PopTop Software and Gathering of Developers. While Loki is contractually bound to protect the publisher's original game code, Loki shares any improvements to the underlying Linux software code with the Open Source community.
Loki's first Open Source project, the SDL MPEG Player Library (SMPEG) is a general purpose MPEG video/audio player for Linux, developed while porting their first title, Civilization: Call to Power by Activision. The second project is Fenris, Loki's bug system based on Bugzilla from the Mozilla codebase.
SMJPEG, SMPEG and Fenris are freely available for download from www.lokigames.com, and are offered under the GNU Library Public License (LGPL).
About Loki Entertainment Software: Based in Orange County, CA, Loki works with leading game publishers to port their best-selling PC and Macintosh titles to the Linux platform. Loki meets a pent-up need in the Linux community by providing fully-supported, shrink-wrapped games for sale through traditional retail channels. For more information, visit www.lokigames.com.
Tustin, CA. -- September 17, 1999 -- Loki Entertainment Software, in cooperation with Activision, Inc. and the Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts, announces Loki Hack 1999 to be held on October 11 through 13 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta in conjunction with the Atlanta Linux Showcase.
Loki Entertainment Software launched the Linux version of Activision's popular strategy game Civilization: Call to Power(TM) in May 1999 to strong reviews. During Loki Hack, up to 30 qualified hackers will have 48 hours in a secure setting to make alterations to the Linux source code for this game. In turn Loki will make available in binary form all resulting work from the contest. Winners of this unique contest will be announced during the Atlanta Linux Showcase. First prize will be a dual-processor workstation (running Linux of course).
Qualified hackers may apply to participate on the Loki web site (above).
New Linux Distribution from EMJ Embedded SystemsApex, NC -- Using Linux for embedded applications on the world's smallest computer just got easier, thanks to the new EMJ-linux distribution, developed by EMJ Embedded Systems.
EMJ has compiled a small distribution that runs Linux on JUMPtec®'s DIMM-PC/486, saving hardware developers the hours of time required to modify Linux to run on the world’s smallest PC. The DIMM PC is a full featured 486 PC in the size of a 144-pin memory DIMM.
The DIMM-PC/486 from JUMPtec measures 40x68 mm (1.57 x 2.68 inches) but packs the same punch as a standard 486 PC. The DIMM-PC is perfect for use in high performance applications such as security apparatuses, medical instruments, factory automation and global positioning systems. It ships with 16 MB of DRAM, 16 MB of IDE compatible flash and supports two serial ports and a parallel port, as well as floppy and hard drive interfaces, a real time clock and watchdog timer, and an I2C-bus.
The EMJ-linux distribution consists of a 1.4MB bootdisk. This bootdisk contains everything needed to do a network install of EMJ-linux. Currently v0.9 is a 5.7MB compressed file (9.8MB uncompressed), designed to download directly to DIMM-PC's 16MB Flash Drive, or to an IDE Drive. Once loaded, the DIMM-PC with Linux will support Ethernet, TCP/ip, Telnet, FTP, WWW (Apache 1.3.9), as well as two serial ports, parallel, floppy, IDE and VGA.
EMJ-linux is based roughly on Slackware v4.0 which uses the current Linux kernel 2.2.x. It will be kept up to date by EMJ as Linux revisions occur. EMJ will also develop similar Linux solutions for other JUMPtec products.
The EMJ-linux distribution is available on EMJ's Web site, www.emjembedded.com/linux
Armed Linux: a distro for Windows users[The following was written by the LG Editor, who has not used the software. The web site is sparse on technical details, so the comments below may not be totally correct. -Ed.]
Armed Linux is a Linux distribution that comes as a 192 MB zip file. You unzip it under Windows and run a batch file --- and it installs Linux. Apparently (this has not been verified) it uses the loopback device to create an entire Linux filesystem in a huge DOS file. An alternative to UMSDOS, for those who remember that.
The current version, workstation beta 1.1, is available for free download, or for $11.99 on CD. It includes the Enlightenment and WindowMaker, an office suite, Netscape, an MP3 player, and a graphics editor (GIMP?). A server version is planned, which will contain Apache/Samba/Sendmail etc. and an SMP kernel. Both versions have an automated uninstall routine, if you're nervous about installing an unknown program.
SMART software for LinuxSANTA CRUZ, CA-- Free software enabling users of the Linux operating system to monitor their hard drives and detect predictable drive failures is available from the Concurrent Systems Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Development of the software is sponsored by Quantum Corp. of Milpitas, Calif., a leading manufacturer of hard-disk drives.
The S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) system monitors hard drives and warns of impending failures before they happen. Originally developed by Compaq, S.M.A.R.T. technology has become an industry standard for hard drive manufacturers.
"The S.M.A.R.T. system allows the computer to talk to the hard drive and ask how it's doing by measuring various performance parameters," said Darrell Long, associate professor of computer science in the Jack Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz.
The initial Phase I release of the S.M.A.R.T. for Linux software only supports ATA, one of two standard interfaces for connecting hard drives to computers. A complete software package that supports both ATA and SCSI will be released by the end of the year, Cornwell said.
The S.M.A.R.T. software for Linux is available from the following Web site, which also has a link to a Quantum white paper on S.M.A.R.T. technology: http://csl.cse.ucsc.edu/software/smart/.
Other softwareThe GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) version 1.0.0 was released on September 7th, 1999. This is a free replacement for the PGP encryption software.
Three Axis, a new web site by a company dedicated to bringing more games to Linux.
LinuxOne is offering a beta version of its LinuxOne OS for download. The first 100 subscribers will get it free; afterwards, there will be a $9.95 shipping and handling charge. (LinuxOne is also working with MandrakeSoft to develop a Chinese-language workstation and server distribution.)
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