The release of Linux XP 2008 has highlighted an interesting opportunity for the open source code which might see it eventually crack the mass market after a number of false starts. Linux XP 2008 offers an interesting backdrop to Windows XP and gives users the opportunity to use what is fast being recognised as a more flexible and user friendly system. But can it work in the long term?

Years ago, Florida Hospital in Orlando faced problems with its IT system, much of which relied on proprietary software. Innovative projects were abandoned due to high costs, and disaster recovery time was unacceptably long. So the hospital turned to open source. It was difficult at first, but officials say things are becoming easier as OSS goes more mainstream.

For some months, strange goings-on have been reported in branches of Toys 'R' Us. Shifty-looking middle-aged men and younger males wearing ponytails and Grateful Dead T-shirts have been observed leaving the premises with small cardboard boxes which they then gleefully tear open upon reaching the safety of their cars. Exclamations of 'Yes!

In this article by David Mercer, we will look at an entirely different aspect of running a Drupal website. Once we have added the functionality to the site, we now have to give some thoughts about how this functionality is to be accessed, or by whom. As the site grows, you will most likely feel the need to delegate certain responsibilities to various people.

All right fellow newbs, in the last post..I tried to make the argument for why GNU/Linux is wonderful and how everyone should make the switch..I may have forgotten some things but hey, I'm still a newb too!

See the pattern? It might not be entirely evident from the headlines, but if you read the articles, it will become immediately clear: these positive statements about Linux and negative statements about Windows are courtesy of analysts.

The Linux Foundation has found that the number of developers putting work into the Linux kernel is growing fast, tripling over the past three years. Over that period, the number of individual contributors has doubled. Linux is being used more often as the firmware found in consumer electronics, and now more than 70 percent of all kernel development is done by paid professionals.

There is no equating software piracy, the theft and misuse of copyrighted software, with using open source, where the license specifically allows and encourages the redistribution of the software. Piracy violates the terms of the copyright and license. It's possible to do this with open source software as well, by not following the terms of the license.