Linux users wanting advanced management tools for their environments will have a new option when Computer Associates releases, in a few days, a new version of Unicenter TNG, The Next Generation. TNG 2.4 lets companies manage homogeneous Linux networks. Previous versions required network managers to run TNG from another supported operating system, such as Windows 2000 or Unix.

The New Zealand Army is among a growing band turning to open source operating system Linux. The Army's simulation centres in Trentham and Linton run Linux-based Janus military software, which allows soldiers to simulate military battles for training and exercises.

The company expects to make $270 million in its 2001 fiscal year. It also expects to reach a 27% gross-earnings margin by the end of the fiscal year. That's a pretty high margin for a computer maker, but CEO Augustin thinks the company can pull it off by trimming expenses and reaching sales targets over the next three quarters.

Canadian software vendor Corel Corp. is sending some very confusing messages into the open-source ether. The company is seeking either to sell off completely or to gain additional investments in its Linux business, according to multiple sources.

Linux experts at Comdex agree on one thing: Linux is a great enterprise operating system, but it can't become a leading enterprise platform until developers create products that run on it. If the apps come, Linux will give Microsoft a run for the money.

if Linux wants to increase the user base, improvements in the developmental process are needed in the operating system and software. Linux software needs to solve problems by providing solutions not only to the developer, but also to the business and hobby users.

There's always a moment's hesitation when you try out favorite tools in a new environment, and dragging a fairly new laptop off to COMDEX this past week was no exception. As it turned out, though, GNOME provided the perfect environment for everything I needed to do to keep caught up between walks around the convention floor.

The KDE League, which announced its official formation at Comdex here last week, tried to downplay possible conflicts within the Linux community, specifically with the GNOME Foundation.

The Internet is built with communication in mind. You will routinely move

around the Web from one site to the other or telnet to another machine to

check your mail or to administer that machine. The trouble with most of

these protocols is that they are not encrypted. Over a telnet connection,

your passwords are sent as plain-text, which can be read by anyone.

Using sophisticated programs called packet sniffers, even a amateur hacker

can spy on your connection and grab your data.

Secure Shell (SSH) was built to address these faults and provide a more

"You actually run Linux on your desktop?" is the kind of incredulous response I get whenever I tell people that I run Linux on my desktop (and my notebook, for that matter). After listening to such skeptical remarks for some time now, I decided to put pen to paper and tell people why it does make sense to use Linux on your desktop.