Since 1992 an organization called the Linux Documentation Project (LDP) has worked to develop free, high-quality documentation for Linux. It is set up much the same way as the Linux development team. Volunteers from across the Internet work together. The LDP develops three types of documents: Guides, HOWTOs, and FAQs.

"Generally, as you might expect, the Linux media has given the new kernel positive reviews, plus a plethora of articles on how to do something or another with 2.4. The more general technology press has been more skeptical about what this all means; all in all, a fair critique of 2.4, despite some misunderstandings of how Open Source products are released."

"Last Saturday, GNOME 1.4's first beta release came out. Ximian had it packaged and ready to go in remarkably short time. A few days later, Ximian was at it again,rolling out Red Carpet 0.9, which we'll look at further along in this column."

"Probably the next big upgrade cycle will be centered around the Itanium," says VA Linux CEO Larry Augustin, whose company provides Linux hardware and services to large enterprises. "When computers start rolling off production lines, Linux will be on equal footing with everyone else, including Microsoft, in terms of taking advantage of the new hardware."

Thirty-three year old Theodore Ts'o remembers when the Linux kernel was small enough to print out and read cover to cover, when "it was about an inch thick." That was around 1991, when he first joined the then scanty ranks of kernel hackers.

"I've long contended that for all the discussion in the Linux and open source arenas about the GPL (GNU Public License), a lot of people don't really know what the license does and doesn't say. So why don't we put my theory to the test and have a little fun with a licensing quiz?"

Kernel 2.4 brings some new features to this class of device. Linux already has run on a Palm Pilot, soon, with this technology, it may be networking your toaster with your fridge to your cell phone!

Waiting for a fsck to complete on a server system can tax your patience more than it should. Fortunately, a new breed of filesystem is coming to your Linux machine soon. One of the most-anticipated of recent Linux developments is the availability of journaling filesystems.

Squid provides for caching and/or forwarding requests for internet objects such as the data available via HTTP, FTP and gopher protocols. Web browsers can then use the local Squid cache server as a proxy HTTP server, reducing access time as well as bandwidth consumption.

"Those who hope to see Linux as a corporate mainstay, as opposed to an interesting experiment, are eagerly awaiting the first deal between Red Hat, or even another Linux distributor, and someone of the order of Compaq, Dell, Hewlett Packard or IBM to sell the operating system into their major accounts."