Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced its plans to ship a Linux version of the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE). The union of the Java 2 platform and Linux satisfies a growing desire among developers to utilize the power of the Java 2 platform with the popular open source Linux operating system.

The biggest news at Chaos Manor other than the Microsoft decision is our Linux communications server. It's the Rebel.com NetWinder.

Red Hat Software has proven adept at positioning Red Hat Linux as a superior server OS, exploiting the best features of Linux and convincing the corporate world that Red Hat Linux belongs at the center of corporate Internet planning.

In a world of scarcity, a new opportunity to make money should have people clamoring to take advantage of it; apparently not as far as Linux goes, according to the various commentators at various magazines, companies, web sites, etc.

What I want to focus on, is something you might not think of until you actually use it. "Keyboard shortcuts". I know what you might be thinking, "Who cares about keyboard shortcuts when I have a mouse.

I started using UNIX years ago at school, so when Linux came along I eagerly installed it on my home computer so that I could have the same wonderful operating system in both places.

In any system, an important funciton is scheduling tasks to be run. Users and administrators alike often pay hundreds of dollars for Windows tools to run programs at specified times. In Linux, there is a tool called 'cron' which will handle all of your scheduling needs.

Linux is rapidly becoming the server platform to beat. Along with Linux, Java is growing as a viable deployment platform on the server side. Java's ability to run on multiple platforms allows it to integrate at a high level a disparate network of computers, and make it work cohesively as a system.

With competitive performance, serious support, and useful new patches to the kernel, SGI can be proud of its Linux-loaded 1400L. But the server has its problems, including an awkward physical design, a lack of good documentation, and difficulty handling RAID.

In a week that has seen Corel President & CEO Michael Cowpland appear on both CNBC and ROBTv answering questions about a possible takeover by Linux giant Red Hat, StockHouse has been granted an in-depth interview with the man behind the software company.