eWeek Labs has a story on the major improvements Apache 2.0, the next generation of the world's most popular web server, has made on an unlike platform - Windows. “Apache 2.035 and IIS 5.0 were installed on Windows 2000 Advanced Server. Given the fact that IIS is essentially the benchmark for performance on Windows servers, Apache 2.0's ability to match it is very significant. These results can be attributed to the improved design and native Windows code for Apache 2.0. “
A NewsForge columnist talks about Linux distributor Xandros, a company that has not yet made a widely available beta of its distribution. “
Michael Bego would like you to know that he has not left the helm of Xandros, contrary to some gossip that's been going around. He would also like you to know that a little rumor about half the engineering staff laid off is just that — a rumor. But most of all, the Xandros president would like you to know more about the new desktop-focused Linux distribution he's been working on.”
Gary Krakow of MSNBC has a glowing review of the Lycoris Desktop/LX distribution of Linux.
Many companies have attempted to make computing easier - the latest releases of most Linux distributions, Apple Mac OS, and Windows all showcase different companies' varying visions on how to reach that goal. However, on closer inspection, one realizes that in fact all these different approaches really are not that different at all.
ZDNet reports how IBM has been using open source as a “deadly weapon,” the result of which is massive amounts of open source code made available to the community. “IBM officials speak fondly of an attitude adjustment that has changed Big Blue into a much more customer-focused company. They describe an altruistic metamorphosis that benefits end users who will settle for nothing less than interoperability and support of open standards.”
The KDE Project announced today the availability of KDE 3.0. The project's next generation desktop offers numerous enhancements and upgrades built on top of the excellent foundation that was launched a year and a half ago with KDE 2.0.
ZDNet UK has a nice size interview with open source advocate Eric Raymond of the Open Source Initiative. “Linux and the open-source movement have come a long way since the foundation of the Open Source Initiative in the late 1990s, Raymond says. It now has the credibility it needs to succeed in the business world”
Robin Miller of NewsForge looks at Sun's upcoming release of StarOffice 6 and its open source sibling, OpenOffice. “I have OpenOffice build 641C (now known as version 1.0) and a pre-release copy of StarOffice 6.0 running side by side, and I have been looking at the differences between them. OpenOffice is free in both senses of the word, while StarOffice is not. I am generally happy with OpenOffice, but I can also see why some people — and many corporate users — would be willing to pay up to $100 for StarOffice.”
NewsForge has an interesting piece on the U.S. Census Bureau's usage of open source for many of its web-based data mining services. “If you're checking out demographic information at the U.S. Census Bureau's Web site, there's a chance the information is courtesy of several Open Source tools. Two senior technology architects with the Census Bureau's Internet division said the low cost of Open Source software, plus strong support from the developer and user communities make Open Source the right choice for several Web-based projects at Census.gov.”
With increasingly important communications taking place using e-mail, the ability to verify the authenticity, and also
protect the contents, of such correspondence has become something that everyone should know. However, the tools created
to provide PGP security are generally cryptic and difficult to work with.