Let's play some easy computer games. The method of this madness is that while we are having a good time playing games we really are learning how to start and run programs from the Linux desktop -- and getting more comfortable using Linux too.

Linux is predicted to become the most dominant global web server platform by mid 2002, and open source software is expected to become the dominant underlying technology for web hosting services by 2003. However, this growth is dependent on improvements in Linux functionality and failsafe techniques.

Despite sometimes fractious philosophical differences among open-source advocates, alliances make sense in these days when start-ups are worried more about solvency than competing with one another.

The Linux community has long been formulating a wish list for the 2.5 kernel. A slew of issues were already under discussion for the 2.5 development tree. These range from minor modifications to major issues such as the incorporation of a Journaling File System, more work on Linux clusters and continued work on the scheduler.

SmoothWall 0.9.8, Britain's most successful Open Source project, has been released. The latest version of the security device software attacks the traditional marketplace of the SoHO and SME security at a price that gives it a major advantage and is available for free download under the GNU General Public Licence.

The potential damage they can do with this license is staggering. I encourage everyone to take the time to read it, particularly "License to Microsoft". It's heinous, and more, it's frightening because I know that some people won't read it and will lose the rights to their own data/content without knowing.

Linux is a phenomenon that holds the potential to change the game along two important dimensions. First, it fulfills a big promise: all hardware, software and applications working together and second, it alters the way our industry delivers value to its customers.

PWM is a simple little window manager with the capability to combine multiple windows into one frame. By linking separate instances of Netscape together, you can build a simulated multi-tabbed browser with all your favorite Linux haunts. And you can edit the config file to create this automatically.

After some last minute technical difficulties, GNOME 1.4 "Tranquility" is finally released. This release includes a number of fixes and doc and translation updates relative to RC1. It also excludes Medusa.

Atipa, which began building a presence in the end-to-end Linux hardware market in 1999, has laid off 40 of its 50 Kansas City employees in recent months, including most of its technical staff. The layoffs are said to be a part of a move to shift Atipa's focus from computer hardware to software as company officials feel that the Linux market is too crowded for long-term success.