Now that your TV is a computer, Nov 17, 2007

After years of waiting, I finally turned my TV into a computer. It is also a computer that runs Linux, the free open-source operating system.

The move reflects an expanding role for Linux within HP, particularly as HP begins shipping more servers based on Intel's Itanium 2 processors. It also follows the broader reshuffling of HP's overall enterprise unit in May, which created the ESS group out of HP's server and storage units.

Updated code for the heart of current Linux products was released Friday, in the first major revamp to the kernel since November.

Penguin Computing, a server maker that specializes in Linux-running machines, has signed an agreement to acquire Scyld Computing, the two companies plan to announce Tuesday

Control-system specialist Verano has introduced a service and software package to help companies protect their critical infrastructure from digital attacks.

SuSE hopes to accelerate Linux desktop growth with the new product, which focuses on corporate concerns such as support and compatibility with existing systems. SuSE Linux Desktop comes with a standard one-year maintenance plan and includes CodeWeavers CrossOver Office 2.0 to allow the operating system to work with Microsoft's Office software package.

The company said it has uncovered a 1996 amendment to the contract under which Novell sold many of its Unix assets--which appears to give SCO claim to at least some Unix copyrights.

Wednesday's memo clearly identified Linux and open source as a growing threat to the company. Last year's missive barely mentioned Linux and open source as a challenge.

"Although Gartner has reservations on the merits of (SCO's claims), don't take them lightly," Gartner analyst George Weiss advised in a May note. "Minimize Linux in complex, mission-critical systems until the merits of SCO's claims or any resulting judgments become clear."

India's Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, which makes supercomputers used for heavy-duty data processing, said on Monday it had decided to use open source Linux software in a high-performance computing lab.

The Pune-based state agency, whose machines are used for advanced computing functions in activities such as oil exploration and weather forecasting, will use a Linux platform customised by International Business Machines. Click Here to go to AT&T Wireless!

Sherwin-Williams Co., the No. 1 U.S. paint maker, plans to convert its computers and cash registers in more than 2,500 stores to the upstart operating system in the next year and has hired International Business Machines Corp.'s services division to do the job. Click Here to go to Gateway!

It's not quite a huge victory for Linux -- Sherwin Williams' back office support systems isn't part of the deal -- but analysts say it could be an indication that retailers are turning to Linux as they replace their old systems.

International Business Machines Corp and Britain's business software maker Sage Group Plc announced on Tuesday they will offer the Linux operating system to medium-sized businesses around the globe.

No financial details were disclosed by either of the two companies, but Wladawsky-Berger said IBM, which is struggling with stagnating revenues, said it regards small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) as its "biggest growth area".

Microsoft asked a court on Thursday to stop a Linux start-up from using a name the software giant contends infringes on the Windows trademark.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant filed a motion with the U.S. Court for the Western District of Washington against Lindows , which is developing a version of the Linux operating system that will run popular applications written for Microsoft's Windows OS.

Sun bought the software when it acquired Star Division for $73.5 million in 1999 and offered StarOffice as a free download. Later, the company released the source code for the software, hoping to build a cooperative developer community such as the group that has pushed the Linux operating system into the mainstream.

A vulnerability in the most widely used FTP server program for Linux has left numerous sites open to online attackers, a situation worsened when Red Hat mistakenly released information on the flaw early, leaving other Linux companies scrambling to get a fix out.

Samsung Electronics announced at the Comdex Fall 2001 trade show that it will work with Los Angeles-based software company Codehost to develop Linux applications and drivers for Samsung printers, including the new ML-1210 printer. "Linux offers an unprecedented opportunity for companies to expand the market for their existing products," Codehost CEO Sam Bizri said in a statement.

Apache 2.0 is based on a new structure that allows faster performance in some cases, by allowing the software to answer Web page requests by initiating a new program job called a "thread." This job is less taxing than the earlier requirement of a more complicated "process." The new version also works better on Windows computers than the current version, which is geared for Unix and Linux systems.

Red Hat will release its version of Linux for IBM mainframes in the next 30 days, catching the company up to rivals who already have staked their claim in the niche market segment.

The Durham, N.C., company's mainframe version of Linux will be sold along with services through the Red Hat Network, Chief Executive Matthew Szulik said in an interview Friday.

Linux yields the most savings, compared with Unix or other operating systems, where Linux servers have a dedicated function, such as Web server, caching or proxy, and where the environment can be replicated over many servers--to hundreds or thousands in a server farm, for example.

Currently, the low end doesn't offer financial benefits focused on the operating system itself. Vendors such as IBM, Oracle and Veritas bet that as Linux moves up the enterprise food chain, the operating system will drive ample opportunities for value-based products and services.

Online retailer Amazon.com shaved millions of dollars from its technology costs last quarter by switching to the Linux operating system, a disclosure that could provide some guidance for other companies seeking to cut expenses in a stagnant economy.