Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 wins Operating System and Server Product of the Year
27 June 2005

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 has received the Operating System and Server Product of the Year award at the Techworld Network Awards 2005, which was presented a Gala Dinner in Central London last week.

Techworld is a leading media company providing news and features on infrastructure and networking technology with a market-leading reach into the technical community in the UK enterprise computing market. The Operating System and Server Product of the Year award recognizes companies who have delivered a smart, innovative server solution that enabled businesses to manage risk, increase productivity or gain other business advantages.

Launched in February 2005, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 enables enterprise organisations to realise the benefits of open source innovation throughout their IT environment, particularly in the areas of performance and security. Red Hat Enterprise Linux proves that Linux solutions can effectively eliminate for the need for Solaris in the enterprise.

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LINUX BOARD REGISTRATION FIXED!
15 November 2004

I'm sorry to say that the Linux board registration was broken for quite some time, which would explain why registartion numbers had slumped. This issue should be corrected now. Please tell anyone you know that may have been trying to register to drop in now and sign up!

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Security Report: Windows v. Linux
26 October 2004

Much ado has been made about whether or not Linux is truly more secure than Windows. We compared Windows vs. Linux by examining metrics in the 40 most recent patches/vulnerabilities listed for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS v.3

The results were not unexpected. Even by Microsoft's standards, fully 38% of the most recent patches address flaws that Microsoft ranks as Critical. Only 10% of Red Hat's patches and alerts address flaws of Critical severity. These results are easily demonstrated to be generous to Microsoft and arguably harsh with Red Hat, since the above results are based on Microsoft's ratings rather than our more stringent application of the security metrics. If we were to apply our own metrics, it would increase the number of Critical flaws in Windows Server 2003 to 50%.

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Fake Security Vulnerability seeks to dup Red Hat users
25 October 2004

It's not often that someone tries launching a trojan attack on Linux users, but earlier this weekend it appears that someone was trying to do just that to Red Hat and Fedora Core users.

An e-mail message was sent to several Red Hat users over the weekend, claiming to be from the RedHat [sic] Security Team. The note warned recipients to download and install a patch for fileutils-1.0.6, indicating that a vulnerability "could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with root privileges."

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Red Hat Delivers Open Source Application Server
03 August 2004

LINUXWORLD San Francisco, CA—August 3, 2004—Red Hat, Inc. the world's leading provider of open source solutions to the enterprise, today announced the availability of Red Hat Application Server. Red Hat is delivering this new solution in response to customer demand for a commercially supported, lightweight and lower cost application server. With this announcement, Red Hat is reinforcing its strategy to work with partners and open source developers to create quality enterprise options for customers building Open Source Architectures.

...Red Hat Application Server is tested and supported on all major commercial JVMs, including Sun SDK, BEA WebLogic JRockit and IBM JDK and will also be tested and certified with leading DBMS platforms, including the Oracle® Database, IBM DB2 and Sybase...

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Red Hat adds Helix Player to desktop
28 June 2004

UPDATE: 2004-08-04 - RealPlayer 10 for Linux and Helix Player 1.0 Final Released: atricle

Red Hat has signed a deal with RealNetworks that will see the Linux firm bundle the open source Helix Player with its desktop products.

Under the terms of the agreement Red Hat will also offer a free upgrade to RealPlayer 10 for Linux to its customers on their initial installation of the Red Hat Desktop when the player is available later this summer.

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Red Hat gains security certification
30 April 2004

Red Hat's newest version of Linux has been granted a significant security certification, bringing the company a step closer to competitors.

Version 3 of Red Hat Enterprise Linux has been certified to meet Evaluation Assurance Level 2 (EAL2) of the Common Criteria certification, Red Hat said Thursday. The internationally recognized Common Criteria certification is a typical requirement for government customers.

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IBM to launch MS Office for Linux
13 February 2004

As part of its initiative to put Linux on the desktop, IBM Corp. wants to migrate Microsoft Corp.'s Office suite to Linux. Microsoft said it's not involved and suggests that IBM might do it by emulation.

"It will be possible to run the Office package on the Linux platform. Exactly how it's done, I can't reveal right now. But we're working together with Microsoft, who have provided us with part of their code. We've worked together like that previously."

For several years, the Linux operating system has been part of IBM's explicit strategy. So far, we've mostly seen server-side solutions. Now, IBM is going for the desktop.

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Novell Completes Acquisition of SUSE LINUX
13 January 2004

PROVO, Utah - Novell today completed its acquisition of SUSE LINUX, a combination that brings global technical support, consulting and training services and industry-leading networking and security to Linux, and provides a compelling alternative for companies wishing to leverage the many benefits of open source. Novell now offers a full range of enterprise solutions on the Linux platform, from the server to the desktop. The closing of the $210 million cash deal also opens the door for completion of the $50 million investment of IBM in Novell announced November 4.

- Novell brings enterprise infrastructure to Linux, becomes market’s largest Linux vendor

- Novell worldwide technical support will help enterprises deploy Linux with confidence

- Completion of deal sets stage for $50 million IBM investment in Novell

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Linux gets heart transplant with 2.6.0
17 December 2003

Top programmers on Wednesday released a major update to Linux, version 2.6.0, a change that's expected to help carry the open-source operating system into new markets.

The new version of the core, or kernel, of Linux has several changes that make Linux better suited to powerful computers with numerous processors, a market dominated today by servers running versions of the Unix operating system on which Linux is based.

This version will be the first major change since 2.4.0 was released in January 2001. From its lowly roots as a student project Linus Torvalds began 12 years ago, the software has matured to become a major competitor to Microsoft and a key part of most computing companies' plans.

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux gets broad LSB certification
11 December 2003

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 may not be replacing Advanced Server 2.1 installations in record numbers, but it has reached a landmark certification status that no other Linux distribution has.

The Free Standards Group has certified RHEL 3.0 across all platforms that the organization has judged to be Linux Standard Base (LSB) runtime environments, including all x86-compatible architectures, like Itanium and IBM's iSeries, S/390 and zSeries platforms. RHEL 3.0 is the first to be LSB certified on the iSeries, S/390, pSeries and zSeries platforms.

"It's harder for non-LSB distributions to be accepted by enterprises that care about standards, like governments, for example," said Brian Stevens, vice president of Red Hat's operating systems development group. "They want LSB compliance."

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IBM to support Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 Across eServer Line
11 December 2003

IBM and Red Hat today announced that Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3, Red Hat's newest offering, is now available across the entire IBM eServer product line.

The two companies are also announcing that Red Hat Enterprise Linux is now packaged with sales of IBM's xSeries and BladeCenter servers in Japan, North America, and eventually around the world. The packaging will include Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, ES and WS, and in the future the recently released Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3.

Today's announcement represents an expansion of the existing multiyear agreement that commenced last year. The agreement calls for the two companies to work together to provide broad Linux support, including servers, software and implementation services, to customers worldwide.

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Red Hat's Fedora brings outsiders on board
03 December 2003

Independent programmers have released a test version of Red Hat's Fedora version of Linux for Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron processor, marking a modest success in the company's effort to engage outside developers.

Programmer Justin M. Forbes on Saturday released the preview version that runs on AMD's 64-bit Opteron and Athlon 64 processors. Red Hat's version of Fedora, by contrast, works on 32-bit processors such as Intel's Pentium and AMD's Athlon, but it can't take advantage of Opteron features such as the ability to use more memory.

Fedora is Red Hat's free version of Linux, but unlike its predecessors, it's intended chiefly for experimental use. For customers that need long-term support and assurances that Linux will work with specific hardware and software, Red Hat sells its Enterprise Linux product.

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UserLinux: Repairing the Economic Paradigm of Enterprise Linux
03 December 2003

A first draft white paper:

"We, the Free Software developers, created this software to empower everyone, and for everyone to share. But today's Enterprise Linux is a lock-in play, designed to draw the customer into expensive subscriptions and single-vendor service. Customers are made to agree not to pass service bulletins on to others. While this is within the letter of the licenses that we crafted for our software, it's outside of their spirit. We have no problem with payment for service, when service is rendered. But the $1000 per year or greater that many customers now pay for their Linux systems goes not for service, but for a brand and the endorsement of a few application providers like Oracle."

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ODSL Launched Linux Kernel Awareness Initiative
26 November 2003

BEAVERTON, Ore. - November 26, 2003 - The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), a global consortium of leading technology companies dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux, today announced a new initiative to raise awareness about how the Linux kernel is developed.

With the highly-anticipated release of the final Linux 2.6 production kernel due shortly, OSDL is taking a series of steps to increase customer confidence in using Linux. The new Linux kernel will be used by tens of millions of people in new ways, not only on servers and in telecommunications networks, but also on desktops and in consumer electronic devices. Among the Lab's first steps in this new initiative is the creation of a simplified graphical model that illustrates how software code is contributed to the Linux kernel.

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IBM sees growing Linux programmer community
18 November 2003

This month, IBM's Linux efforts will reach a milestone as it registers the 100,000th developer working with IBM software to create Linux-based applications, Big Blue's Software Development Group announced.

Every month IBM tracks an average of 2,000 developers who register to build applications for the software. And, on a monthly basis, those developers create an estimated 750 new Linux-based applications that run on IBM software.

BM has gathered all these metrics based on registrations for its Linux Speed-start program, said Adam Jollans, Linux strategy manager for the IBM Software Group. When developers register a Linux application with Big Blue, they even get a free T-shirt, he said.

But as much as developers love free T-shirts that's not what's driving the trend that Jollans is seeing in Linux development. Developers, particularly in ISV shops, are attracted to Linux because customers using Intel-based servers are exercising choices in operating systems, he said. And they are trying to market their applications to both the Windows and Linux worlds.

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Sun will provide Linux to the Chinese government
17 November 2003

Sun Microsystems Chief Executive Scott McNealy always seemed like he was tilting at windmills when he said Sun would challenge Microsoft's dominance on the desktop computer.

But McNealy announced today that the Chinese government has pledged to deploy a million computers in the next year using Sun's Linux desktop software. The cost: $50 per license for Sun's desktop software, which includes its Star Office 7.0 productivity program that is a clone of Microsoft's Office suite. Microsoft Office can cost more than $400 a copy.

The China Standard Software Co., a consortium of government-funded companies, selected Sun as its preferred technology partner to deploy Linux-based desktops. The deal is part of China's deliberate policy to diversify away from Microsoft. Other governments in Europe and Asia have embraced a similar strategy, as has the state of Massachusetts. China has pledged to deploy 200 million copies of open standards-based desktop software.

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Review: SuSE Linux 9
13 November 2003

SuSE Linux 9, the latest release from Nuremberg, Germany-based SuSE Linux, was released at the end of last month. ... I found it to be the most user-friendly Linux distribution on the market ... SuSE 9 closes the gap in certain areas by complying with standards such as the File System Hierarchy Standard (FHS) and the Linux Standard Base (LSB).

Installation of SuSE 9 is very simple. The installer is almost the same as it has been in the last few releases, making it easy for those who have used SuSE before or who are upgrading from a prior version. For those who have not installed SuSE Linux before the installer asks a minimal amount of questions and assumes the rest. You can change certain settings before you start the installation; I added more packages to the basic selection that the installer had chosen.

One of the new installer features is the ability to resize NTFS partitions, the file system most Microsoft Windows machines use as a default. Once you are happy with all your settings, from languages to the boot loader, the installer begins its work. It took around 45 minutes to copy all the packages I selected, including KDE, multimedia, games, and basic development and networking tools, from the DVD (or 5 CDs if your computer doesn't have a DVD drive); had I gone for a more basic installation it would have taken less time.

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Linux is the smart option for grid computing
11 November 2003

[Johannesburg] - Peter Perregaard, Oracle regional enterprise VP, says computer grids are likely to comprise a variety of operating systems in the foreseeable future, but Linux is the smart option for grid computing.

Oracle's definition of enterprise grid computing, where small servers are used to act as one large computer, means the same operating system must be used for each level of servers in the grid, explains Perregaard.

“In a grid, database and application servers need to be identical so they can be managed as one system.” He says one of the benefits of grid computing is the ability to automate actions across thousands of servers within a single grid.

“At Oracle we think Linux is a big thing because it takes cost away, which makes it perfect for grid computing. Linux is smart because it gives you the opportunity to run the cheapest hardware components.”

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Announcing Fedora Core 1
06 November 2003

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Red Hat, Inc. (NASDAQ:RHAT), the world's premier open source software provider, today announced the availability of Fedora(TM) Core 1, the first software release of the Fedora Project.

The Fedora Project is a Red Hat-sponsored and community-supported open source project that promotes rapid development of innovative opensource software through a collaborative, community effort. Fedora Core1 provides a complete Linux platform built exclusively from open source software. Available at no cost, the release serves the needs of community developers, testers, and other technology enthusiasts who wish to participate in and accelerate the technology development process.

As a community forum for advanced development, the Fedora Project provides early visibility to the latest open source technology andserves as a proving ground for technology that may eventually make itsway into Red Hat's fully-supported commercial solutions such as RedHat Enterprise Linux. Red Hat contributes development resources, editorial direction and management to the Fedora Project.

Following this release, Red Hat and the community's efforts will turn to the development of Fedora Core 2, which will focus on the next wave of leading edge technology including the integration of the Linux 2.6 kernel. Developers and testers alike are welcome to visit fedora.redhat.com and get directly involved with building the future of Linux.

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Linux by the numbers: A round-up of accounting applications for Linux
05 November 2003

When people switch from Windows to Linux, it seems that accounting software often remains one of the problems holding them back. Neither Intuit Quicken nor Microsoft Money, the market leaders in that category, provide Linux versions.

This void has kept many users from moving to Linux, and it forces others to keep at least one computer running Windows. And these are people who want to switch to Linux.

Luckily, Linux application developers have risen to the challenge. If you are a Quicken or Money user, then these alternatives are well worth checking out for your personal accounting needs.

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Novell Announces Agreement to Acquire Leading Enterprise Linux Technology Company SUSE LINUX
04 November 2003

Novell today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire SUSE LINUX, one of the world’s leading enterprise Linux companies, expanding Novell’s ability to provide enterprise-class services and support on the Linux platform. With the open source expertise of SUSE LINUX and Novell’s world-class networking and identity solutions and support, training and consulting services, Novell will be able to deliver Linux and all its components – from the server to the desktop – and give organizations a secure, reliable and mature Linux foundation. Novell will pay $210 million in cash to complete the acquisition. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and the winding up of shareholder agreements. Novell expects the transaction to close by the end of its first fiscal quarter (January 2004).

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CodeWeavers, Inc., announces new versions of CrossOver Office™ and CrossOver Office Server Edition
27 October 2003

CodeWeavers, Inc., the leading Windows®-to-Linux® software developer, today announced new versions of CrossOver Office™ and CrossOver Office Server Edition, two products that enable today's most popular Windows-based applications to run within the Linux operating system without a Windows OS license. Leading the pack is CrossOver Office 2.1, now supporting Macromedia® Dreamweaver MX® and Flash MX™ under Linux-no Windows operating system or emulator needed.

"CrossOver Office has become the product of choice for Linux users who wish to easily and dependably use professional office automation applications including Microsoft Office XP, Access, Visio, Lotus Notes, and Intuit's Quicken," said Jeremy White, CEO of CodeWeavers. "Now, with additional support for Macromedia Dreamweaver MX and Flash MX, combined with our existing support for Adobe Photoshop, CrossOver Office 2.1 gives web developers and design firms the first Linux solution for their most important design applications."

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VERITAS and SUSE LINUX Team to Accelerate Open Source Adoption in Enterprise Data Centers
27 October 2003

VERITAS Software Corporation (Nasdaq: VRTS), the leading storage software provider, and SUSE LINUX today announced an engineering and marketing partnership for the development, certification, support and sale of VERITAS storage management and high availability software on the SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server platform—helping to eliminate many of the barriers for Linux deployment in enterprise data centers.

VERITAS—currently conducting a beta program for its SUSE LINUX products with customers in finance, banking, healthcare, government and technical computing—is planning to offer its core VERITAS File System™, VERITAS Volume Manager™ and VERITAS Cluster Server™ software products on SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server in Q1 of 2004. VERITAS Foundation Suite™ and VERITAS Cluster Server software have become the de-facto standard in mission-critical Fortune 500 enterprise environments. Making them available for SUSE LINUX provides customers with the key building blocks to construct a highly available, scalable and performance-driven Linux infrastructure.

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Linux finds more homes among enterprises
26 October 2003

Hong Kong: Linux cannot hold a candle to Microsoft in the fight for OS space yet, but it is gaining popularity among enterprises because of its low cost and support from governments.

According to IDC, paid shipments of Linux server operating environments captured 23.1% of the market in 2002, and 2.8% for client operating environments.

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Unix is dead: Red Hat
23 October 2003

Red Hat today announced the launch of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 for corporate customers, specifically targeting those running Unix-based environments.

Enterprise 3 is an annual subscription service that includes free access to software, services and upgrades for 12 months.

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SuSE signs up key software partner
22 October 2003

SuSE Linux has enlisted the backing of server-software maker Veritas, an important step in supporting the needs of business computing and keeping up with top Linux seller Red Hat.

Veritas and SuSE plan to announce Monday that they will cooperate in sales as well as technology.

"The relationship between the two companies will enable joint engineering, joint support and joint marketing so we can sell into each other's customer bases," said Ranajit Nevatia, director of Veritas' Linux strategy.

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Novell Connects Linux Desktop Users to Microsoft Exchange 2003
21 October 2003

Novell today announced support for Microsoft* Exchange 2003 via its Ximian® Connector for Microsoft Exchange. Ximian Connector for Microsoft Exchange version 1.4.5 is currently available, enabling users of the Ximian Evolution® e-mail and workgroup information management application to easily collaborate with Windows-desktop-using co-workers connected to Microsoft Exchange 2000 or 2003 servers. Ximian Connector for Microsoft Exchange is a client software add-on that allows Ximian Evolution users on Linux* and Solaris* desktops to be supported as full Microsoft Exchange 2000/2003 clients, so Linux desktop users can easily manage their e-mail, calendars, group schedules, address books, public folders and tasks in Exchange.

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