Kernel release: 2.6.5-rc2, Mar 19, 2004

2.6.5-rc2 has been released today.
See changelog for full details.

Files added: 133
Files changed: 1674
Files removed: 42

Microsoft recognises the benefits of open source but is not prepared to turn over its Windows operating system to the paradigm. Instead, Microsoft provides access to source code on a limited basis.

Jason Matusow, manager of Microsoft's Shared Source Initiative, was speaking at the Open Source Business Conference in San Francisco yesterday.

"We're not open-sourcing all Microsoft technologies. We'll be strategic in how we share that," he said.

On Feb. 16, I wrote in this column that SCOX stock " … broke a key level of support around $13.5-ish, establishing a downtrend and putting in place a five-month top." At the time, I wrote that "SCOX is looking to test the next important area of chart support -- at around $8.5 to $9 -- so I would hold off starting a long position for now."

Since then, the stock has fallen 36% from the high $13s to close Wednesday, March 17, at $8.74. $10 was pretty significant support for the stock, and while it has obviously violated that level, the volume seems to be decelerating. SCOX is getting pretty close to that low-end of the area of support of around $8.5 to $9. I might be concerned if I was short at this level and would start reeling in some of a short position around here. Short-term, at some point I expect SCOX to bounce a bit and it could potentially run back up into resistance at $10. That said, I don't like the stock on the long side for a longer-term position and see $5 as downside, although I'd like to see some more volume on the downward move.

Law has not quite caught up to software intellectual property issues, said attorney Irwin Gross, of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosata. “Under current copyright laws, software is protected like literature. It’s treated like a book,” Gross said. The law was not made to address the copying of small snippets of code that go into larger projects, he said.

“I think eventually there will be regulatory responses to this,” said Gross.

Reversing a long-standing position, Novell plans to adopt a widely used open-source license for its Linux management tool in a plan to spread the program and make its SuSE Linux product more popular, CNET News.com has learned.

For years, SuSE has considered its YAST (Yet Another Setup Tool) technology--software for installing, configuring and managing Linux--an advantage over its competitors and forbade them from incorporating it into the products they sold. But with the new plan, to be announced Monday at Novell's Brainshare conference, the company will release YAST under the General Public License (GPL), sources familiar with the plan said.

Sun Microsystems Inc. trumpeted its latest desktop Linux milestone Thursday, declaring that German original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Markement GmbH had sold over one million units of its StarOffice productivity suite. But Germany is StarOffice's home market -- the software has been available form its original Hamburg-based developer since 1993 -- and it remains to be seen if Sun can replicate its success elsewhere.

Carsten Müller, Sun product marketing manager for desktop software in Germany, is confident, however, saying that consumers are hungry for change and now is the time for Linux on the desktop.

Linux distributor Red Hat has opened its sales and support office in Bangalore. The new office will now be able to provide its customers in Southern India with the entire range of products and services on a local basis.

World’s largest distributor Red Hat also recently announced a long-term technology strategy, Open Source Architecture for the Enterprise. Open Source Architecture aims to extend the benefits of the Open Source model further up the software solution stack - to the middleware, application, and management layers - so open source benefits can be realized across the computing infrastructure. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the platform for Open Source Architecture. Red Hat Applications and partnerships make up the solution stack on this platform and Red Hat Network is the complete systems management platform for Linux.

Trolltech, a Norwegian company that makes graphical user interface (GUI) software, plans an April launch for a version of its Qtopia software for Linux-based mobile phones, said Chief Executive Harvaard Nord in an interview. Qtopia, which was selected for Motorola's A760 phone, includes graphics components, games, Internet programs, a personal information manager and other modules.

Avid has introduced Version 2.0 of its iNews system broadcast tools, which now supports Linux operating system, enabling more operating platforms and tighter integration with Avid end-to-end news production environments and third party news systems.

"Linux developers do not live up (or down, depending on your perspective) to the image of geeks who spend all their time typing cryptic commands," says EDC Analyst Erik Orgell. Only 20 percent of respondents say they use a CLI (command-line interface) exclusively; 45 percent prefer graphical IDEs (integrated development environments), while 28 percent mix IDE and CLI tools.

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