We're going to change direction in midstream. In this part, I'll cover non-performance-related topics. In the next and final part, I'll cover with benchmarking and then close with the final conclusion.

Linux, like other POSIX-compliant operating systems, provides facilities for coping with the Y2K bug, and software written properly for Linux should be able to cope with the end of the millennium. As a systems administrator, however, you may want to test both your Linux systems and any applications running on them for date compliance.

This audio interview of Caldera's Ransom Love by Emmett Plant demonstrates why Caldera is one of the leading Linux distribution companies.

Over the weekend ZDNet reported that Red hat was on a shopping spree. After having purchased Cygnus Solution- a company that creates software to develop other programs- Red hat was looking for new acquisitions. However, reliable source informed me that Red hat did indeed approach Corel but that the latter turned the former down. My own speculation is that Applixware is the real company.

There are a number of different theories amongst the larger Linux distributors regarding the number of CDs that their distribution should contain. Caldera have obviously had a recent change of mind in this area - OpenLinux, which previously shipped with 2 CDs, has acquired a third friend - a new 'Windows Tools & Commercial Packages' CD-ROM has joined the fold.

Currently, Linux is enjoying a huge groundswell of interest from Microsoft users interested in alternatives to Windows. One of many challenges for these users is to learn the difference between the productivity applications they know (Excel, Word, etc) and the productivity applications on their Linux desktop of choice.

Though Linux is not the model that Apple is striving to, or should, replicate given its revenue streams, there are some key insights to be garnered from Linux's successes. The most obvious is the open source model itself, which eliminates the significant financial barrier of entry to hobbyist developers... A community of hobbyist MacOS developers could launch the Mac into the IT conscience much in the same manner that Linux has in the past year or two. In the end, I could develop for my favorite platform, and I would no longer feel left out.

It's a modern phenomenon. Personal computers are rapidly becoming common household items. As they become more and more a part of our everyday lives, computers are increasingly being used for tasks that until recently were kept track of with pen and paper.

Just for fun, I assembled a 100% Microsoft-free computer. Actually, given how intertwined the high-tech universe is, I am not sure about that figure. Could be some Microsoft code in there somewhere.

Linux making inroads in such varied roles as file serving and hosting Internet services (Web, email, ftp) in the corporate world, it is beginning to push into the computational heavy world of supercomputing.