Does Linux on the Mainframe Provide a Way Out?, Jan 11, 2002

... ConsultingTimes conducted an extensive interview with Tom Adelstein, the CTO of Bynari, Inc., an IBM business partner specializing in Linux solutions. As a communications expert specializing in messaging and collaboration, Tom possesses intimate knowledge of the inner workings of Microsoft's Outlook and Exchange, including the protocols by which they communicate. He shows us, in detail, the steps by which the PC-based distributed computing model won over the enterprise, how Exchange servers and Outlook clients were grafted onto that model, how Microsoft is attempting to lock up these systems through secret proprietary extensions, and how the enterprise can navigate the stormy seas of single-vendor dependency back to the safe harbor of open solutions.

... Is Linux totally impervious to an email virus? In theory, no. But in practice, it comes close.

Open source provides an inherent advantage in protecting against vulnerability exploits. Rather than standardizing on a particular program with all its peculiar weaknesses, open-source solutions standardize on protocols.

When everyone can see your code, you cannot hide the way you speak to other parts of the system. The protocols are laid bare. The issue becomes, Which program provides the best implementation of the protocol and the best features?

RL: What is your philosophy/attitude with regards to open source software in general, and linux in specific?

Goldberg: In my opinion, developing in an open environment enforces much higher standards on the quality of the code developed, compared to proprietary applications. Look at the amount of code review taking place. However, it also removes the direct accountability that forces people to work on more mundane aspects of a project. A fair amount of discipline is required to ensure that the core of a project is solid, and you are not just adding "neat" features.

DocPro will correctly transform multiple documents, to multiple output formats. It includes the capability to arbitrarily set font sizes, margins, callout definitions etc... via a GUI interface.

A representative of Samsung, developer G.Mate's partner in the project, told CNET News.com at this week's Consumer Electonics Show in Las Vegas that Yopy had been cancelled, following the company's announcement of the Nexio PDA, powered by Microsoft's Windows CE.

However, G.Mate says the project is still on, and in fact the company is already selling Yopy via its Web site. G.Mate said that its partner is Samsung Electro-Mechanics, a distinct division from Samsung Electronics, maker of the Nexio.

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