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SCO's litigation against IBM and other companies over the use of Linux has led many in the open-source community to consider the software company an enemy. But recently SCO has been attempting to clarify its position on the issue, noting that it not only uses open source in its products but also has...

The best method known for getting people extremely angry at you is simply to be right where they're wrong -- especially if you give them any opportunity to read a moral subtext into whatever they're wrong about. It's sometimes okay be a tiny bit smarter than the people you work with, but it's always...

As Linux moves into mainstream corporate environments, Microsoft has acknowledged that open-source software is a growing threat. The software giant, however, stops short of calling Linux a serious competitor for the desktop. The company is so strongly focused on spreading its opinions about Linux be...

It's nice to know someone is reading my column. According to some of your letters, it seems my recent column on the GPL touched a nerve. To my critics who referred to me by names other than Phil, I can only respond with an equally mature "Same to you!" For those who prefer a more reasoned discussion...

"Service Pack 2 is a significant step in delivering on our goal to help customers make their PCs better isolated and more resilient in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks," said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft.

Storage-management software developer Acronis has announced release of its True Image Server for Linux 8.0, the industry's first native Linux disk imaging, backup and bare-metal restore application, the company said. The South San Francisco, California-based company also announced release of a new v...

Thin client vendors have shown a greater presence at this week's LinuxWorld conference than in the past, with Wyse Technology, Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems all offering new products. The moves set the stage for broader deployment of the technology in the coming year. IDC analyst Bob O'Donnel...

Microsoft of Redmond, Washington, is reportedly finalizing a far-ranging security patch for its Windows XP operating system. The patch, to be known as Windows XP Service Pack 2, should be available some time this month.

In an announcement at LinuxWorld, IBM said that it will not use its patents against Linux, and it encouraged other software companies to make the same vow. As the owner of 60 patents on which the Linux core might infringe, IBM could wreak havoc on Linux if it chose to do so. The new promise, deliver...

Computer Associates has said that it has released Ingres r3 under the CA Trusted Open Source License (CATOSL). According to CA, this release will enable the open-source community to review and submit modifications to the Ingres r3 code line for possible inclusion in the general availability version ...

HP has launched its first pre-installed Linux notebook PC at the LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco, labeling the release a "coming of age" for desktop Linux.

IBM announced that it will not use its patents against Linux, and it encouraged other software companies to make the same vow. As the owner of 60 patents on which the Linux core may infringe, IBM could wreak havoc on Linux if it chose to do so. The new promise, delivered at LinuxWorld, emphasizes th...

Industry observers have taken positions on rumors that Sun Microsystems might buy Novell. "I don't find the speculation credible," analyst Dan Kusnetzky, vice president of operating systems at International Data Corporation, said. Kusnetzky said such a merger would face problems from potential regul...

Last week a dashboard light in my car (a Volvo V70R) came on, leaving me groping for the manual while trying to survive traffic. As it turns out, an "ETS" light is a failure warning from something called the "electronic throttle system," so the obvious thing to do was find a place to pull off the hi...

Hewlett-Packard will be the first major PC maker to offer a Linux-based notebook computer, the company announced at LinuxWorld in San Francisco. The Compaq nx5000 business notebook PC will be preinstalled with Novell's SuSE Linux 9.1, along with OpenOffice, CD-R/RW support, DVD and media player, wir...