Kernel release: 2.4.24-pre1, Dec 10, 2003

2.4.24-pre1 has been released today.
See changelog for full details.

Files added: 251
Files changed: 811
Files removed: 36

The Royal Bank of Canada is changing the terms of its investment in SCO Group, which claims copyright ownership over parts of the Linux operating system.

RBC, which along with investors at U.S-based BayStar Capital Partners pumped $50-million (U.S.) into the company in October, wants to distance itself from any sale of SCO that would result in a 20-per-cent contingency payment to the company's lawyers.

The agreement between the software maker and its lawyers for the high contingency fees has raised many eyebrows in the banking and high-tech industries.

Novell Inc. today furthered its Linux initiative by joining Open Source Development Labs Inc., a consortium of companies that are accelerating Linux adoption.

Novell will participate in the Data Center Linux working group, which is focused on hardening Linux for use in the data center.

The Australian Capital Territory is set to become the first jurisdiction in the country to adopt a bill which says that public bodies should, as far as practicable, consider the use of open source software when procuring computer software.

The bill, which goes before the ACT Legislative Assembly tonight, also specifies that public bodies should not use software that does not comply with open standards or standards recognised by the ISO or software for which support or maintenance is provided only by an entity that has the right to exercise exclusive control over its sale or distribution.

A handful of recent online attacks on free and open-source software servers has open-source developers looking over their shoulders.

During the last four months, unknown intruders have breached the security around servers hosting programs and code published by the Linux kernel development team, the Debian Project, the Gentoo Linux Project and the GNU Project, which manages the development of many important programs used by Linux and other Unix-like systems. The attacks have convinced open-source project leaders to take another look at their security.

Following a deal between Sun Microsystems and the Office of Government Commerce, it may be a possibility that Open Source Software could be used on desktop computers for the entire UK Civil Service - for all 500,000 Civil Servants. Initially being trialled, Sun's software could become widespread if it proves a more cost-effective alternative to proprietary software solutions from Microsoft.

Peter Gershon, Chief Executive of OGC, who met with CEO of Sun Microsystems, Scott McNealy, on Friday to conclude the negotiations commented:

“I welcome these trials of OSS Desktop solutions by Sun Microsystems, which if successful, could significantly extend the choice of IT systems in the government marketplace. The public sector is alive to the possibilities inherent in this innovative approach, which would enable us to free up resources for delivery.”

Performance Technologies announced that it has updated its Linux-based NexusWare software suite, an embedded Linux implementation and development environment supporting the company's telecommunications board- and chassis-level hardware. NexusWare 6 is based on the 2.4.18 Linux kernel, and targets embedded applications in the communications, military, and commercial markets, the company says

New regulations have made it harder for small-cap companies to get noticed, but this is certainly not the case for The SCO Group. Whether you like him or not, CEO Darl McBride is a master of PR. In March, he sued IBM for $3 billion, hiring "take-no-prisoners" law firm Boies Schiller & Flexner, and raising a cool $50 million to pay for the battle.

Of course, mega-message PR has a downside: It demands a steady flow of mega messages. Last week, McBride declared in an open letter, "There is a group of software developers in the United States, and other parts of the world, that do not believe in the approach to copyright protection mandated by Congress ... The future of the global economy hangs in the balance."

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