Linux Journal has an interesting article on Caldera's Volution Messaging Server, a Microsoft Exchange replacement for the SMB market. “Caldera's VARs, picked up with the acquisition of SCO last year, had a problem: Microsoft Exchange. Microsoft's notoriously complex mail server package was impractical for small and mid-sized businesses, but in order to sell those customers on a replacement, VARs had to offer compatibility with the shared address books and calendars that are part of the popular mail client Microsoft Outlook. “
TuxPPC has a review of SuSE Linux 7.3 for PPC. If you've been looking for a way to move towards PC's, or mix PC's with your Macintosh computers, this might be ideal for you. “Well, now that SuSE 7.3 has been released…and I have to admit, it was worth waiting.”
Computerworld has an opinion piece on a recently leaked memo from Microsoft. The memo, bemoaning the fact that many people are migrating from RISC UNIX to Linux rather than Windows, gives Nick Petreley a chance to delve into the advantages of the X Windowing System. “X11 is essentially a graphical user interface library, but don't make the mistake of thinking it's anything like Win32. X11 and the Win32 application programming interface are as different as night and hot. They're not even similar enough to deserve a comparison like night and day or cold and hot.”
CRN is carrying a report on moving to an entirely Linux-based environment. They found that moving to Linux proved more than adequate for most Small to Mid-sized Businesses, and at a substantial cost savings. “After constructing a practical solution, the Test Center reached the following conclusion: Linux and associated Linux applications can accomplish many of the same tasks as the Wintel standard at a much lower initial cost,in this case, for 93 percent less than the software cost of a similar Windows-based network”
NewsForge is carrying an article on the available options for running Windows software in Linux. This may be helpful if the main thing holding your company back from a Linux migration is legacy software. “There are already several Windows and Linux (WAL) programs out there. The three most popular are VMWare's VMWare 3.0 Workstation 3.0; NeTraverse's Win4Lin 3.0; and WINE.”
InfoWorld currently has a review of both RedHat, Inc. and SuSE GmbH's respective Linux offerings. The outcome? The reviewers give a big green light for deployment of both distributions. “[M]any companies are continuing to adopt Linux and its promise of a more-economical, yet full-featured computing platform.”
UnixReview.com has published a review of a computer system from Pogo Linux Systems. “It's safe to say that the Vorticon, powered by two Athlon chips and a generous helping of RAM, is zippier than a four-year-old on his third triple espresso. A lot more pleasant to deal with, too.”
Russell Pavlicek of InfoWorld writes on the control advantage of open source software. “[T]he most powerful reason for using open-source software in business is often ignored. This crucial benefit is control — control over the functionality of the software that fuels your business, and hence control over your business itself.”
ZDNet has a small report on how Linux is faring in the enterprise. “Reports may find that Linux is losing out in top companies, but they aren't getting the full picture, argues the distributor.”
ZDNet has posted a review of the BSD-variant OpenBSD. “Unlike other operating systems, with the exception of close relative NetBSD, the open source OpenBSD was built from the ground up to be secure. How do they do it? In no small part, it's by constantly auditing the operating system's code for potential security problems.”