Things the general public need to know about
Linux and Open Source Software !
Last modified 12/11/08

First and most important: All of the following are well documented information that has been given to me from emails or other sources. The following are explained in my own words and are not direct quotes from the sources. They will be listed in random order. I will try to list at least one documented source.

• Linux App Finder
  http://linuxappfinder.com/

• Free Linux Software and Products
  http://www.linuxproducts.org/

• Linux #1 Operating System in Hollywood
  http://www.linuxmovies.org/

• Why Open Source Software / Free Software (OSS/FS, FLOSS, or FOSS)? Look at the Numbers! (Revised April 16, 2007)
  www.dwheeler.com/oss_fs_why.html

• Eighty-five percent of companies are already using open-source software, with most of the remaining 15 percent expecting to do so within the next year, according to analysts at Gartner - 11/17/08
  http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-249842.html?tag=nl.e539

• Australians Demand Linux Netbooks - 10/26/08
  http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/26/australians-demand-linux-netbooks/

• Linux Netbooks Impact Microsoft Sales - 10/24/08
  http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/24/linux-netbooks-impact-microsoft-sales/

• Linux takes a seat on Qantas' new superjumbo (airplanes) - 10/14/08
  http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/101408-linux-takes-a-seat-on.html

• Linux cutting software costs in Kenya - 05/05/08
  http://www.tectonic.co.za/?p=2392

• Russians Say Nyet To Windows, But Da To Linux - 05/13/08
  http://www.bloggernews.net/115636

• Your Money is Linux-Powered - 05/16/08
  http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2460.html

• Wind River, Intel ride Linux into car market - 05/20/08
  http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207801122

• Linux opens London's Oyster (contactless card system) - 05/22/08
  http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39419829,00.htm

• Linux sales grow 22 per cent in China - 05/22/08
  http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2217332/linux-sales-grow-22-per-cent

• HP launches school mini - 04/08/08
  http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/08/hp-launches-school-mini

• (All 430,000 of them) Brazil migrates voting machines to GNU/Linux) - 04/08/08
  http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/08/brazil-migrates-voting-machines

• Verizon backs up Limo (Linux-based free operating system as the preferred software on its network) - 05/15/08
  http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/15/cable-outfit-admits-snooping

• Asus to ship all motherboards with Linux - 05/15/08
  http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/14/asus-ship-motherboards-linux

• School districts serve up lessons in Linux - 04/01/08
  http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=821318543&rid=-219

• The OSS Cure for What Ails Hospital IT - 04/11/08
  http://linuxinsider.com/story/62536.html

• Linux: 9000 PCs in Swiss schools will switch to Ubuntu only (was dual-boot with windows) - 04/04/08
  http://www.duvet-dayz.com/archives/2008/04/04/654/

• Peugeot Citroen revs up 20,000 Suse Linux desktops - 01/30/07
  http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/30/HNpeugeotlinux_1.html

• Open-source advocates to build free PCs for need (San Francisco) Bay Area schools - 02/29/08
  http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=linux_and_unix&articleId=9065899&taxonomyId=122&intsrc=kc_top

• US Army struggles with Windows to Linux overhaul - 02/05/08
  http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2008/02/05/us_army_linux_integration/

• Linux is greener than Vista - 01/17/08
  http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/01/17/linux-greener-alternative-vista

• Convincing the Military to Embrace Open Source - 12/29/07
  http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/60965.html

• iPlayer for Linux wins approval of open source - 12/20/07
  http://www.linux.org/news/2007/12/20/0007.html

• Major Chinese handset vendor adopts Linux for 3G phones - 12/20/07
  http://www.linux.org/news/2007/12/20/0009.html

• Samba Team Receives Microsoft Protocol Documentation - 12/20/07
  http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2007-12-20-025-26-NW-MS-LL

• SAP prefers SUSE - 12/18/07
  http://www.linux.org/news/2007/12/18/0006.html

• Dutch Government Chooses Open Source as Software Standard - 12/17/07
  http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/60799.html

• NYSE places buy on Linux, hold on UNIX - 12/14/07
  http://www.linux.org/news/2007/12/14/0005.html

• Tux delivers fresh milk in Germany - 12/13/07
  http://www.linux.org/news/2007/12/13/0009.html

• Hospital software vendor McKesson uses Linux to heal IT budgets - 12/12/07
  http://www.linux.org/news/2007/12/12/0006.html

• Novell Lands Major Linux Server Contract with Office Depot - 12/12/07
  http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2232881,00.asp

• North, South Korea Unite Over Linux - 12/04/07
  http://www.linux.org/news/2007/12/04/0002.html

• Will the Vista Migration Path Become the Road Less Traveled? - 12/04/07
  http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/distros/60585.html

• German Police Wants Linux (follow on from the Tax Authority switch) - 11/20/07
  http://news.softpedia.com/news/German-Police-Wants-Linux-71320.shtml

• Dell To Ship PCs with SLED 10 Linux In China - 11/07/07
  http://www.crn.com/software/202803595

• Five Ways Linux Is Better Than Vista - 08/25/07
  http://www.crn.com/software/202101693

• HP To Expand Effort On Linux PCs - 08/19/07
  http://www.crn.com/software/202101693

• Intuit Tests the Linux Waters with Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions - 06/13/07
  http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Linux-and-Open-Source/Intuit-Tests-the-Linux-Waters-with-QuickBooks-Enterprise-Solutions/

• San Diego rolls out laptops with Linux - 06/21/07
  http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=46376&CFID=3014181&CFTOKEN=31842474#2343881240835174876

• The Feds Warm To White Boxes - 05/28/07
  http://www.crn.com/government/199601338

• Dell To Ship Ubuntu-loaded PCs - 05/24/07
  http://www.crn.com/hardware/199701645

• H&R Block Embraces Benefits of Open Source - 05/22/07
  http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2135191,00.asp

• Review: Move .NET Apps To Linux - 04/23/07
  http://www.crn.com/software/199100694

• It's Channel Time For Linux - 03/19/07
  http://www.crn.com/software/198001430

• HP Sees Huge Linux Desktop Deals - 03/06/07
  http://www.crn.com/hardware/197800591

• OpenDocument Software Gains Momentum (Texas and Minnesota) - 02/07/07
  http://www.crn.com/software/197004139

• Wal-Mart Taps Microsoft, Novell for Linux Deployment – 01/24/07
  http://www.crn.com/software/197000343

• A Unified Linux - 01/22/07
  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2086365,00.asp

• German Tax Authority Switches to Linux - 06/13/06
  http://news.softpedia.com/news/German-tax-authority-is-going-for-Linux-26384.shtml

• One-third of Japanese engineers willing switch to desktop Linux - 06/15/06
  http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6753305216.html

• Is Gates' retirement Linux's chance? - 06/21/06
  http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3436284810.html

• The Linux engine in Cars - 06/21/06
  http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6281055297.html

• The Linux Mobile Phones Showcase - 02/22/06
  http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT9423084269.html

• US Marshals Switching to Red Hat Linux - 05/29/06
  http://www.technewsworld.com/story/50750.html

• Linux Helps FAA Monitor Air Traffic - 05/28/06
  http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/50672.html

• Small Step for NASA, Giant Leap for Linux - 05/24/06
  http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/50715.html
  
  In the long run, said Brent Farr, director of aerospace solutions at Linux Networx, acquiring a supercomputing system to aid in aircraft design and then to test those designs in simulated environments will prove a bargain compared with the traditional creation of physical models and erection of wind tunnels.

• Open Source Gaining Traction - 03/28/06
  http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/implementation/49591.html
  
  The 25 high schools in Indiana receiving computers so far through the state's IN Access program run three versions of Linux, saving the state more than US$1 million, said Mike Huffman, the Department of Education's special assistant for technology.

• IBM Contributes Open Source Code to Make FireFox More Accessible - From IBM LinuxLine - 09/16/05

  IBM announced that it is contributing software to the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox Web browser to make it easier for more users -- including those with visual and motor impairments -- to access and navigate the Web. In addition to contributing code that will make it possible for Web pages to be automatically narrated or magnified, and to be better navigated with keystrokes rather than mouse clicks, IBM is contributing Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) accessibility technology to the upcoming Firefox Version 1.5. This will allow software developers to build accessible and navigable "Rich Internet Applications" (RIAs) -- a new class of applications that are particularly visual and interactive. DHTML will also allow users to efficiently navigate content more easily using keystrokes rather than a mouse. This is being done in support of ongoing work at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative, and as part of IBM's commitment to open standards and open source. For more information, go here.

• REAL Software Ships REALbasic 2005 for Linux - From IBM LinuxLine - 09/16/05

  Yesterday, REAL Software, Inc. announced the company is shipping REALbasic 2005 for Linux, a rapid application development (RAD) environment that enables professional and non-professional programmers alike to quickly create software for Linux. "REALbasic 2005 for Linux is powerful and easy-to-use and it is helping to bring new software to the Linux platform," sais Geoff Perlman, president and CEO of REAL Software. "Because it's similar to Visual Basic, for the first time, the more than three million Visual Basic developers around the world can leverage their skills to create software for Linux, or Windows, or Macintosh, or all three. REALbasic is cross-platform that really works."

  To ease the burden of migrating existing Visual Basic applications to Linux, REALbasic 2005 includes a Visual Basic Project Converter and has developed a white paper titled, "Migrate Visual Basic Applications to Linux and Mac OS X."

  “REALbasic is the best development tool for delivering our software
  cross-platform for all the major desktop environments," states Douglas Lyman, founder and president of AltaPoint Data Systems, provider of Practice Management and Electronic Medical Records software for Linux, Windows and Macintosh. "REALbasic 2005 for Linux provides an easy-to-use and productive environment that is helping us offer our software on multiple platforms and eliminating the common problems associated with other cross-platform development tools."

• Linux Network Security Higher than Other Platforms - From IBM LinuxLine - 08/04/05
  
  Last week, security researchers at the SANS Institute, experts from the U.S., U.K. and Canadian governments and four private groups released a report identifying the most critical new Internet security vulnerabilities discovered during the second quarter of 2005. In general, the news was sobering, with more than 422 new vulnerabilities discovered, an increase of 10.8 percent from the first quarter of 2005 (381) and an increase of nearly 20 percent from the second quarter of 2004 (352).
  
  But, noted Mark Cox, head of the Red Hat security response team, of the top 20 security vulnerabilities named in the report, only two were found in Red Hat Linux and both had already been patched. "There are many research reports that try to compare the number of vulnerabilities between Linux and other operating systems but none take into account the severity of the issues," Cox said.
  
  The new report provides a quarterly update to the SANS Top 20 Internet Security Vulnerabilities list published annually in the fall. To be included on the new quarterly update, vulnerabilities must meet five requirements: (1) they affect a large number of users, (2) they have not been patched on a substantial number of systems, (3) they allow computers to be taken over by a remote, unauthorized user, (4) sufficient details about the vulnerabilities have been posted to the Internet to enable attackers to exploit them, and (5) they were discovered or first patched during the second three months of 2005. "This report shows there are relatively few critical issues affecting users of Linux based operating systems," Cox added.

• REAL Software Announces REALBasic Public Beta - From IBM LinuxLine - 07/07/05
  
  REAL Software has announced that REALbasic 2005 for Linux, a new visual development environment for Linux, is available for public beta. The REALbasic 2005 for Linux Standard Edition will be offered for free when it ships in August. "REALbasic 2005 for Linux provides a solution to two issues in the Linux market," said Geoff Perlman, president and CEO of REAL Software. "First is the lack of a good Visual Basic-like development environment and the second is the lack of desktop software for Linux. We believe Linux users can benefit from using REALbasic's powerful, visual development capabilities."
  
  REALbasic 2005 for Linux Standard Edition makes it easy to create software for Linux and features a visual rapid application development (RAD) environment, REAL SQL Database, a single-user database engine based on SQLite, a public domain database engine, low and high-level networking capabilities and an industrial-strength XML parser and generator. Highly compatible with Visual Basic, it includes a utility to migrate existing applications to REALbasic. REALbasic 2005 is compatible with major x86 Linux distributions, including SUSE, RedHat, Mandriva/Mandrake, with GTK+ 2.0 (or higher), Glibc-2.3 (or higher) and CUPS (Common Unix Printing System).
  
  REALbasic 2005 for Linux Professional Edition includes all the Standard Edition features and more advanced features, such as cross-platform compilation from Linux to Windows (98-XP) and Mac OS X, and the ability to create powerful applications that connect to a wide range of commercial and open source databases.
  From IBM LinuxLine - 07/07/05

• Wimbledon Solution Recap - From IBM LinuxLine - 07/07/05
  
  Call it IBM's own version of the Grand Slam of Tennis. Each June, the sporting world's attention turns to the grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), home of The Championships, Wimbledon. Since 1990, IBM has been there with on demand business solutions that enable the tournament organizers to respond to the enormous increase of usage on the IT infrastructure. And, since 1999, those solutions have been running on Linux.
  
  On demand solutions developed and implemented specifically for the Wimbledon Championship are most visible in the IBM On Demand Scoreboard. Over 1000 statistics are collected simultaneously for every match on the AELTC's 18 courts. This information is automatically loaded into an IBM DB2 Universal Database™ for Linux hosted on an IBM eServer™ xSeries® server. Visitors to the Wimbledon site download the standalone application, which delivers information directly to the users' desktop scoreboard as the scores change--every point, for every match.

• Linux in Business
  http://mtechit.com/linux-biz/

• Linux made the cover of the January 31, 2005 issue of Business Week with a 7 page article inside. I havent read it, but it apears positive and reenforces to CEOs and CFOs that Linux is a valid alternative to Microsoft. Open Source is also discussed.
  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_05/b3918001_mz001.htm

• By Stephen Shankland
  Staff Writer, CNET News.com
  
  Google has hired the lead programmer of the Firefox Web browser, the newest step in the search engine powerhouse's encroachment on Microsoft's turf.
  
  Ben Goodger announced Monday on his blog that he took a job with Google on Jan. 10. The move is the latest of several that are fueling speculation that Google plans its own Web browser.
  
  Ben Goodger
  
  Firefox, which has cut into the dominant market share enjoyed by Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, is a variant of the open-source Mozilla browser project begun in 1998 by Netscape Communications. Despite no longer being employed by the Mozilla Foundation, "my role with Firefox and the Mozilla project will remain largely unchanged,"Goodger said on his blog. At Google, Goodger will continue work on the browser. Since the release of Firefox 1.0 in 2004, he's been focusing on "successful 1.1, 1.5 and 2.0 releases," he said on the blog.
  
  Among other clues pointing to browser interest at Google are the registration of the gbrowser.com Internet address, the hiring of some key programmers, and sponsorship of a Mozilla programmer meeting.
  
  Even without a browser, Google is involved in significant competition with Microsoft. Both companies are working on desktop search tools, and Microsoft is pushing its MSN Search service as an alternative to Google.
  
  Firefox also has a built-in search box that offers Google's search engine as its default option.
  
  Goodger himself complained about Microsoft's software in a December posting on his blog. "I've set up a new personal e-mail address, and as soon as I can figure out how, I will make it so that it cannot receive e-mail from Microsoft Outlook users. Why? Because Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express are the unsung security hole in most people's systems," the posting said. "Microsoft would like you to continue not to think about your software and continue to use theirs, paying what amounts to extortion fees on ISP filtering solutions."
  
  Goodger's hiring at Google this month explains a Jan. 22 blog posting in which he said he had just returned to Firefox 1.1 development after being "incredibly busy this past two weeks taking care of some important matters." He indicated earlier in the month that he hoped the version would be released in March.
  
  According to the plans published on the Firefox Wiki page, version 1.1 is called Deer Park. Plans for that new version include tools to help users of several Mac OS X browsers move their settings to Firefox. Also being discussed are localization ideas to make Firefox better able to work in multiple languages.
  
  Version 1.5, called The Ocho, is slated to get improvements in accessibility and for use on large groups of computers.
  
  Planned version 2.0 features include improvements to tabbed browsing, password management, software updates, software downloads and performance on Apple Computer systems.

• PalmOS switch to Linux: (August 2004)
  http://www.palmsource.com/press/2004/120804_cms.html http://www.palmsource.com/announcement/linuxletter.pdf http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/08/1435259&tid=100

• Balanced article on Linux and Open Source in schools.
  
  9-29-04 -- Software Solution Saves Dollars -- Education Week
  <http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=05linux.h24>

• H-P's first Linux laptop a winner (August 2004)
  http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5831949/

• New Sinbad Movie Done Entirely on Linux: Dreamworks, the folks that brought you Shrek, is busily readying its latest animated flick, Sinbad. But it turns out that Sinbad is the first feature-length movie to be designed, developed and rendered entirely on Linux. We've got all the details on how they did it -- but here's something you'll only learn from WNN. The next all-Linux movie will probably be Shrek 2, followed by the cinematic debut of the popular comic-strip Over the Hedge. We still don't know, however, if the penguin will make a Hitchcockian appearance in these open-source flicks.
  Linux Plays Starring Role in Sinbad Movie:
  http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd/cts?d=75-28-1-1-425006-1162-1

• NASA to build 10,000-processor Linux computer. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has given the green light to a project that will build the largest ever supercomputer based on Silicon Graphics Inc.'s (SGI) 512-processor Altix computers.
  http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=7C7098:1F5C4EF

• Lockheed Replaces 10,000 Solaris Seats with Linux
  <http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/04/07/30/1741240.shtml?tid=163&tid=102>

• CONSUMER ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY RALLIES AROUND LINUX
  
  Posted July 01, 2003 6:51 AM Pacific Time
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - In a move that could potentially bring Linux to the masses, eight of the world's top consumer electronics vendors have formed an alliance to promote development of the open-source operating system (OS) for use in digital devices including audio and visual equipment and mobile phones.
  Sony, Royal Philips Electronics and Matsushita, which makes the Panasonic brand, are among the founding members of the CE Linux Forum (CELF), which was announced Tuesday. Its goals include defining the technical requirements that will make Linux more suitable for consumer devices and promoting wider use of the OS in the consumer electronics industry, according to a joint statement.
  
  For the full story:
  http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/07/01/HNcon_1.html

• According to Forbes magazine the Department of Defense (DOD) has issued an memo outlining policy on Open Source/Linux.
  
  Forbes.com: The Feds Love Linux
  <http://www.forbes.com/2003/06/20/cz_eb_0620linux.html>

• "Cyber War" (Apr, 2003) PBS's Frontline ran a show on cyber warfare the week before last. Interviews with former White House cyber czar Richard Clarke, former DEPSECDEF John Hamre, a professor from the Naval Postgraduate School (who talks about offensive measures used in Kosovo and Afghanistan), the former director of the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center, Microsoft's head of "trustworthy computing", and others. Interestingly, the entire broadcast is available in multiple video formats, in six segments (about 55 minutes total), here: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/ Transcripts of the complete interviews used to build the show are also available. Opinions on the seriousness of the threat range from very serious (Clarke, who also warned about Al Qaeda long before 9/11) to "weapons of mass annoyance". Hamre struck a balance, and is probably the most thoughtful overall, though not entirely comforting.
  
  From the interview with the unidentified "hacker"/consultant (SCADA is an acronym for systems control and data acquisition devices used to control/monitor pipelines, electrical power grids, etc. ):
  
  The reason that SCADA is particularly dangerous is that SCADA is a standard approach towards control systems that pervades everything from water supply to fuel lines. The problem is that most SCADA systems are running Microsoft operating systems, and if you are running a Microsoft operating system, you have a target painted on your forehead.
  
  What do you mean?
  
  Out of the box as a basic install or even with a sophisticated system operator, making Windows secure -- any of the Windows varieties, Windows NT or Windows 2000, which are your common SCADA platforms -- is an incredibly sophisticated and complicated task. It is not the kind of thing that you can do easily or simply, and it is not the skill base normally available to a low-end infrastructure job. It is the kind of skill base that's available at the high end of the transnational. It's the kind of thing that we bring to the table and that Joe Power Supply Company doesn't have available to them.
  
  The National Security Agency, the U.S. agency responsible for protecting the cyberinfrastructure, has many, many hundreds of pages of how to close the security holes in Windows NT. I mean, it's a huge volume of material. But the knowledge it would take even to follow their step-by-step instructions is very, very high. And so the number of vulnerabilities are extreme and the knowledge base necessary to protect it is too much for your ordinary group.
  
  So is Microsoft a problem or is it part of the solution?
  
  Microsoft has very bad system design regarding security. Microsoft knows this. It's a directive now right from the very top at Bill Gates to try and find some way to solve the problems that Microsoft has regarding security. The problem runs in when you are in a monopoly position, such as Microsoft is, as the dominant operating system not just in the United States but around the world. It's why other governments other than the United States are moving to other standards other than Microsoft.
  
  They recognized that Microsoft is a national security threat to their economy by the very fact that when you buy a computer it comes with Windows installed, and most people don't know what to do after that. So what these people do is they take their computer home and they plug it into the network, and then somebody like me can then break into that computer and turn it against anybody anywhere else in the world.
  
  Even if it's got a firewall?
  
  Trust me, there is no measure built into Microsoft Windows that keeps somebody like me out. Firewalls do not protect you. ... I can tell you professionally, inside the computer security industry, firewalls are referred to as "speed bumps".
  
  The electrical grid -- if you wanted to jump into a SCADA system, how long would it take you?
  
  Penetrating a SCADA system that's running a Microsoft operating system takes less than two minutes.
  
  Are other systems more secure?
  
  No. But again, this is where you're dealing with the issue of monoculture.
  
  Once you're into the box, though, then you have the question of what do you use?
  
  Right. I know for a fact this has occurred in the past, that SCADA systems of critical infrastructure have been broken into. The hacker who broke into them had no idea what they were looking at. To them, it was just one more insecure Windows box. And then, it was used for whatever purposes that you would use an insecure Windows box for. The fact that it was a controlled system for something very complicated and dangerous to play with was not understood by the person who broke into it.
  
  (Or, as the security advocates say, "If you need effective fences or walls, who wants Gates and Windows?")

• There's more to come........