Linux and open-source columns from LinuxWorld

Microsoft: still a business of threats?

Scott Bradner — 2008-07-29T00:00:00Z

For years Microsoft has been claiming that Linux has been stealing its intellectual property rights, and there's no sign that the company will stop threatening Linux users with patent problems.

The gPhone: Google’s software erector set

Scott Bradner — 2007-11-06T00:00:00Z

After a frenzied build-up, Google did not announce the gPhone. Instead, the company announced there might be a gPhone in your future.

Dzubeck on the year ahead: What’s hot for 2007

Frank Dzubeck — 2007-01-03T00:00:00Z

Looking even a year ahead into the network future can be a daunting task. For example, three years ago at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Bill Gates, then Microsoft’s chairman, boldly predicted the problem of spam on the Internet would be solved by 2006. Recent studies, however, indicate worldwide spam traffic doubled in 2006 and now accounts for nine of 10 e-mail messages sent on the Internet.

Redmond vs. Red Hat: Divide and conquer

Kevin Tolly — 2006-12-15T00:00:00Z

As we close out the year, it is instructive to ponder last month's pro-Linux announcement by Microsoft. It tells us a lot about how the company's thinking is evolving with respect to competition. And, more importantly, what that might mean to customers in the coming year.

WGA: When is a planet a black hole?

Scott Bradner — 2006-07-17T00:00:00Z

Microsoft is not stupid, so why does it act so stupid? Did it think the spyware functions of WGA would stay hidden from the user community? If so, what planet was it on? Now it has a world of upset users, it has had to back off some of the intrusiveness, and it is being sued for, among other things, violating antispyware laws.

Secure MySQL connections

Steve Blass — 2005-06-06T00:00:00Z

We want to connect a desktop database client from a Windows PC directly to a MySQL database server. The server is configured to only accept connections from a specified Web server that uses a shell account that logs on via SSH. What can we do?

Linux creeps into the enterprise

Kevin Tolly — 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

It is not a question of "if" you'll deploy Linux in your company, but rather when - and how deep. There's a good chance that you've deployed it already and don't know it. Even if you're not ideologically opposed to Microsoft, there are just too many benefits to ignore Linux for very long.

Tester's Challenge update

Christine Burns,Rodney Thayer — 2004-03-29T00:00:00Z

Network World's most recent Tester's Challenge published two weeks ago called on the major operating system vendors to streamline the process of supplying security update information to customers.

Fix the patch update system

Rodney Thayer — 2004-03-15T00:00:00Z

As the major operating system vendors, we throw our Tester's Challenge gauntlet at the feet of Apple, Microsoft, Novell and Red Hat. We challenge you to create an effective, simplified means by which we can get our hands on pertinent patch information pertaining to your products.

Wading into an Eggdrop soup

Steve Blass — 2003-11-10T00:00:00Z

I found a directory called sitebot with a readme file that referred to the software in the directory as an Eggdrop. This was under the Windows directory on a PC that claimed to have zero free space on an almost empty hard drive. What's an Eggdrop?