dokey writes "In an interview with Builder AU, usability expert Jakob Nielsen gives his opinion of usability in Free and open source software. The article echoed what Jon "Maddog" Hall said earlier this year in a keynote at Linux.conf.au -- "Programmers Are From Mars, Users/Managers/Companies are from Venus". Is it time to pay more attention to end-users?(who aren't geeks)"

Reyk Floeter writes "AMSEL (Advanced Modular Secure Embedded Linux) is a new operating system, based on the Linux kernel, which was developed and optimized especially for the deployment in security critical embedded environments. The typical functions for an AMSEL installation are for example the deployment as firewall device or as a crypto gateway (VPN, SSH-to-Telnet).
AMSEL is Open Source Software, covered by the GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 2. In contrast to most other embedded Linux solutions, AMSEL provides a broad range of security features and -extensions. AMSEL comes with specially hardened kernel, userland and in a secure by default state. Different security mechanisms, for example a non-executable stack (x86 only), Linux capability support and privilege separation throughout many of the system's daemons, have been directly and seamlessly integrated into the distribution. Through own developments like amcli, amwall and amselect the configuration and maintainance of the system is doable even by non-Linux professionals without much effort, effectively saving time and money and providing mechanisms for revision control for the complete configuration set of a machine. AMSEL runs on a wide variety of system boards and processors that are used in the industrial embedded sector and does not require much system resources.http://www.amselinux.com"

rmohr02 writes "Registration for the Ohio LinuxFest is now open." Small shows are always the most fun.

An anonymous reader writes "Knoppix-3.6 has been released. It is supposed to have the announced FreeNX Server, Kernel 2.4.27 and 2.6.7, KDE 3.2.3. It also includes ndiswrapper to use windows drivers for wlan cards. Download using bittorrent tracker at http://torrent.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/. Remember: Leave your bittorrent client running after the download is finished! Distribution to ftp mirrors will follow tomorrow."

codergeek42 writes "The International Open-Source Network has created a desktop manual aimed at end-users with little or no prior knowledge of PCs. This manual goes through using The Fedora Project to do things from file-management to using the internet (as in browsing the WWW and using email), how to use the OpenOffice.org office suite, and even a basic intro to using the shell. This is definitely a step in the right direction for GNU/Linux, and the Free Software and Open-Source Software movements. And the cool part is that the entire thing is under an attributions-required OSI-approved Creative Common license, and is available in .sxw (OpenOffice.org Writer) or PDF formats."

MadFarmAnimalz writes "BusinessWeek has an article about the perceived threat of patents to linux, citing the SCO case, the opening of OSRM, and the Munich situation as evidence for the veracity of their conclusion that Linux isn't safe. Their solution? Relicense to the BSD license or the Mozilla license. On a positive note, the article's author does link to RMS' article Why Software Should Not Have Owners; good to see Stallman being quoted and linked to in a publication Like BusinessWeek."

MrOion writes "Marius Grigoriu has posted a HOWTO for running the PC MMORPG Anarchy Online under Linux (screenshot). This is done using Cedega from Transgaming, in addition to the patch from Marius Grigoriu. A thread on the official Anarchy Online Messageboard contains more information on how the players are experiencing running AO under Linux."

Brainsur writes "ZDNet reports about Redhat : European marketing director Paul Salazar admits there have been plenty of screw-ups along the way but that Red Hat is now working hard to please the open-source community and investors alike. Making money from open source is a balancing act. While your underlying product is forged in the white-hot fires of online altruism, the success of your business means striking pleasing postures for the investment community."

An anonymous reader writes "Flexbeta reviews Xandros Business Desktop 2.5 which is aimed directly at Microsoft Windows users who want to run a Linux Distribution within a mixed network, especially networks based around a Microsoft Windows Domain Controller or Active Directory Server. What makes this latest version of Xandros a Windows killer? Apart from the networking capabilities, Xandros also features drag and drop CD burning as well as Crossover Office 3, letting you run MS Office and Internet Explorer."

Jan Stafford writes "Linux clusters can not offer the same price-performance as supercomputers, according to Paul Terry, chief technology officer of Burnaby, British Columbia-based Cray Canada. In this interview, Terry explains that assertion and describes Cray's new Linux-based XD1 system, which will be priced competitively with other types of high-end Linux clusters."

scorp1us was one of several to note that KDE 3.3 has been released. You can also read the infopage and the requirements. Commence downloading. Features a new spell checking library, a new theme manager, and much more.

gvc writes "So much for the GPL 'never being tested in court.' IBM, in its third motion for summary judgement against SCO, is seeking a permanent injunction against SCO's distribution of Linux, on the grounds that SCO has renounced and violated the GPL, and therefore has no right to distribute the 700,000 lines of IBM-copyrighted code therein. As usual, Groklaw broke the story." We previously reported on another IBM summary judgement from earlier this week.

treebeard77 writes "BusinessWeek has posted Linus Torvalds interview ' The creator of Linux says "I can't be nasty" when leading the open-source movement since it's all built on trust and teamwork' "

Armchair Dissident writes "The Register is reporting that IBM has filed for partial summary judgement against SCO. Groklaw also has the story, and is saying that SCO was still offering the disputed code for download as recently as August 4 2004. If this is true, then - according to Groklaw - SCO's case must surely be scuppered. Again."

Joe Barr writes "There's an interesting story on NewsForge today about Unisys and its new-found love for Linux. In the story, Robin Miller interviews Unisys VP of engineering Anthony Gold and asks such delicate questions as how Unisys 'planned to make amends for its use of GIF patents against open source projects'? It's a good read, and in this day and age of software dinosaurs trying for peaceful co-existence with Linux, a very timely one."

Gentu writes "People are always accusing Open Source proponents of being communists, but an editorial by the OSNews publisher, ex-Red Hat employee David Adams, takes a critical look at whether Free and Open Source Software is really anti-capitalistic or is, in fact, only a product of the free market at work. Does wide availability of high quality, low cost software harm or help the world's economy?"

Bruce Perens writes "Many system admins have learned how to use syslog to log events of remote systems. But when the kernel crashes, its final messages never get to syslog. If you don't have a remote console manager, you won't see them, unless you run netconsole."

Gleng writes "The latest Linux Kernel, 2.6.8 has been released. The changelog is here. Don't download that though! A follow up to patch it to version 2.6.8.1 has been released, which fixes an NFS client bug in 2.6.8. The mini-changelog is here."

J ROC writes "According to The Linux Kernel Archives kernel 2.6.8 is now out. It includes some fixes from 2.6.7. Happy upgrading." You may want to read this earlier story and think twice before upgrading.

An anonymous reader writes "LinuxDevices has published an article about the Telly MC1200, a new convergent PVR/mediaplayer made by Interact-TV. The Linux-based device supports up to three internal hard drives on which it can store and manage libraries of digital music, photos, and DVDs/video. It can also burn CDs and save DVDs to local mpeg (DivX?) files, and it can pause and record live TV in TiVO-like fashion. The device is based on a 1.2GHz VIA C3 processor and has 256MB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory, expandable to 1GB."