Linux News Desk

A years-long debate over a harmonized technology patenting process throughout the European Union comes to a head this week when members of the European Parliament are set to vote on it. Supported by large technology companies in Europe, opposed by open-source proponents, it represents one facet of the ongoing global debate over copyrights, patents, and intellectual property. The vote is set for July 6, and if the bill is passed, would create a uniform patenting system throughout all EU members. Proponents see it as a way to simplify a process that is now handled individually by separate member states. Companies such as Nokia and Siemens have lobbied in favor of it, with tremendous pressure, according to reports. Open-source software proponents, on the other hand, oppose the bill, because they see it favoring large companies over small. The vote will come in Strasbourg, ... (more)

Greenblatt Describes CA's "Collaborative" Linux Strategy

Computer Associates, says Sam Greenblatt, is already among the five top providers of software for Linux. This comes as no surprise to those of us who had the pleasure of hearing CA's CTO, Yogesh Gupta, predict at last year's CA World in Las Vegas that Linux will over time become the standard OS of the entire computing world. Officially titled SVP & Chief Architect of CA's Linux Technology Group, and notable too as one of the founding members of the International Advisory Board of LinuxWorld Magazine, Greenblatt has been talking in advance of this year's LinuxWorld Conference & Ex... (more)

Novell Acquires Ximian to Expand Linux Solutions

Novell, Inc., today announced it has acquired privately held Ximian of Boston, Mass., a leading provider of desktop and server solutions that enable enterprise Linux adoption. No financial terms were disclosed. The acquisition of Ximian expands Novell's ability to support Linux solutions as the company adds best-of-breed Linux desktop, groupware and management technologies, and welcomes several of the open source community's leading visionaries to the Novell® team and a strong core of Linux developers into the Novell fold. Novell plans to carry forward two key Ximian Linux market ... (more)

Linux's Moment of Truth: 2nd SCO Suit vs Daimler-Chrysler, No Less

BREAKING NEWS: SCO just announced it is filing against Daimler-Chrysler now too for alleged violations of its UNIX software agreement with SCO. The lawsuit will be filed in the Oakland County Circuit Court in the State of Michigan today. According to the official SCO press release: SCO's lawsuit seeks the following relief: Enter an order that DaimlerChrysler has violated Section 2.05 of the Software Agreement by refusing to provide the certification of compliance with the "provisions" of that Agreement; Enter an order permanently enjoining DaimlerChrysler from further violations ... (more)

SELinux Symposium In Washington, DC March 2-4

Next week, March 2-4, Washington, DC will play host to the Enhanced Linux (SELinux) Symposium. The event is designed to promote the use of SELinux, particularly as it applies to government information sharing. SELinux is a security enhanced Linux OS that was designed by the National Security Agency (NSA) to enforce the separation of information based on confidentiality and integrity requirements. This version of Linux has a strong, flexible mandatory access control architecture incorporated into the major subsystems of the kernel. This allows threats of tampering and bypassing of... (more)