"Within this last month, I've also had a chance to dabble with a couple new products like Intel's Pentium 4. Will the Pentium 4 finally make it on this list? Find out this and more in our Linux Buyer's Guide #11" says Patrick Mullen.

Pervasive's powerful, low-cost, multi-platform database engine supports version 2.2 and higher of the Linux kernel, which is now the fastest-growing operating system, according to IDC. Pervasive.SQL 2000i provides backward compatibility with existing Btrieve API-based applications on Linux, NetWare and Windows NT platforms and incorporates a rich set of features to minimize deployment and support costs, while facilitating Web and cross-platform migrations.

CodeWeavers, who provide support for the Wine project, has opened a Wine Application Database, where users can list and rate Win32 applications.

Analysts said Rogers Interactive TV, launched last November on Microsoft's WebTV software platform, may be upstaged by what appears to be a faster and more flexible service that's based on the rival Linux operating system. Rogers' decision to test out the Ucentric technology, first announced on May 10, is the latest sign that Microsoft may be losing support for its WebTV platform.

"It is utterly astonishing to me that people who are forever going on about "free speech" and the like would now suggest that a medium whose purpose is to cover things, Linux should not cover anything inconveniently embarrassing or that casts a bad light on what they wish people would believe, as they do, about Linux. This suggests to me that these poor, real-life-less specimens are merely conduits, who devote little or no time to thought and absolutely none to independent thought -- whose next original notion will be their first," says Dennis Powell.

"It should be a truism that the scientific literature exists to disseminate scientific knowledge, and that scientific journals exist to facilitate the process. It therefore follows that rules for use of the scientific literature should be designed to help achieve that goal. The modern technology for scientific publishing is the World Wide Web. Articles should be distributed in non-proprietary formats, with open access for all. And everyone should have the right to `mirror' articles; that is, to republish them verbatim with proper attribution," says Richard Stallman.

Use of the GNU GPL may be based more on fear than on freedom, but that fear is justified says Evan Leibovitch.

Gates observed that Microsoft routinely shares the source code for its Windows operating system with its partners. In addition, the company uses some open-source software in its Hotmail e-mail service. While he has no objection to open-source development efforts, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is concerned about the "Pac-Man-like nature" of the license that governs the distribution of such software.

The same week that smoldering hostilities in the GNOME development community burst forth, a longtime KDE developer has opened fire on that desktop project. The two desktops have long engaged in heated competition, which now seems to entail which can do the most damage not to the other but to itself. Both disputes highlight potential problems in large development projects staffed in whole or part by unpaid volunteers, and the KDE dispute underlines the ambiguities surrounding the rights of individual developers involved in such projects.

Red Hat, Inc. the leader in developing, deploying and managing open source solutions, has reported revenue of $25.6 million for the first quarter ended May 31, 2001, an increase of 18% versus the $21.7 million reported for the first quarter of fiscal 2001 and a decrease of 5% over the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001.