The much-discussed convergence of separate voice, data and video into an integrated network is creating a host of new product opportunities, many with carrier-class reliability also known as high availability (HA). HA refers to maximizing the availability of systems and applications by decreasing downtime during both routine maintenance operations and unplanned system failures.

Both projects released preview versions of their upcoming stable series (GNOME 1.2 and KDE 2.0). While not intended for production environments, they should be stable enough for personal use.

"Security is a process, not a solution". Even if we design

a process that is fault tolerant, very robust, and easy to

implement, we are still doomed to failure in almost all

cases. So what can we do to enhance our chances of

surviving the inevitable attacks that to come that will

likely be successful?

In February, Novell introduced NDS eDirectory and NDS Corporate Edition for Linux. NDS is the first Novell product available for Linux, and is further evidence that Linux is playing a more important role in the corporate environment. Such Linux companies as Caldera Systems, Red Hat, Sendmail, and TurboLinux announced plans to support NDS for Linux software.

Until Jabber, there was no way to deploy instant messaging on the Net in the way we deploy e-mail or web servers.

When it comes to Windows, most users reach for what's most comfortable: Microsoft Office. Linux users, however, have not had such a choice--until now. We tried on two recently released Linux suites: Corel's WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux and Applix Applixware 5.0.

In addition to being a very robust client, Linux makes a great network server, and is also a great platform for a small home or office network.

Lynx has changed its name to LynuxWorks in a move that symbolizes the pre-eminence of Linux over Lynx's proprietary operating system in the company's future.

Open source changes everything. That's what the pundits will tell you. What they mean is that open source isn't just about free or better software. It's a whole new way of thinking about how to solve problems and manage projects.

Red Hat, which sells software and technical support for Linux, a Unix-like operating system, today unveiled an investment unit aimed at funding open source-related start-ups.