Japan's top mobile operator, aims to offer

third-generation (3G) handsets that run on the

Linux-based operating system (OS) as early as the

second half of 2004, a source close to the firm said on Tuesday.

Inspired by stirrings among corporate users for desktop Linux and with Microsoft's forthcoming Longhorn operating system not expected on desktops until 2005, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell are augmenting their corporate Linux desktop wares. Novell and Red Hat also are assembling Linux desktops.

If you need a CD distribution that is more flexible and customizable than the ones readily available, create your own.

The current flap between SCO Group and the Linux community brings back memories of summer 1995. It was an unforgettable time for me, in a bad way.

Just as the name Linux on iPod suggests, now you can have Linux running on your iPod. With Linux on iPod, you can play (to a limited degree, as of this writing) MP3 and Ogg files under Linux on your iPod.

The impending release of a new stable kernel promises greater adoption for Linux, as it becomes more reliable and scalable over a larger variety of processors. Here we'll highlight some of the changes, both big and small, with some code samples.

Dominant Linux seller Red Hat has begun offering the newest incarnation of its product for business customers, a version that opens several new markets for the company.

Probably the biggest surprise about Mozilla 1.5 is that it exists at all. When the Mozilla Foundation laid out its road map earlier this year, the plan was for Mozilla 1.4 (see review) to be the last version of the big integrated Mozilla suite.

The new release of the software, which provides file and print services on Windows networks, can serve as a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) on NT 4.0.

Thousands of computers in ministries, government-linked organizations and universities in South Korea will replace the Microsoft Windows operating system and Office productivity suite with open source alternatives under the plan, according to the country's Ministry of Information and Communication.