In order for the business to be successful, it needs to be bigger than it is, said Derek Burney, chief executive. There are a number of ways to do that. We could acquire the missing pieces, we could merge with someone, or we could simply sell it. We are prepared to look at any possibility.

Linux users wanting advanced management tools for their environments will have a new option when Computer Associates releases, in a few days, a new version of Unicenter TNG, The Next Generation. TNG 2.4 lets companies manage homogeneous Linux networks. Previous versions required network managers to run TNG from another supported operating system, such as Windows 2000 or Unix.

The New Zealand Army is among a growing band turning to open source operating system Linux. The Army's simulation centres in Trentham and Linton run Linux-based Janus military software, which allows soldiers to simulate military battles for training and exercises.

The company expects to make $270 million in its 2001 fiscal year. It also expects to reach a 27% gross-earnings margin by the end of the fiscal year. That's a pretty high margin for a computer maker, but CEO Augustin thinks the company can pull it off by trimming expenses and reaching sales targets over the next three quarters.

Canadian software vendor Corel Corp. is sending some very confusing messages into the open-source ether. The company is seeking either to sell off completely or to gain additional investments in its Linux business, according to multiple sources.

The KDE League, which announced its official formation at Comdex here last week, tried to downplay possible conflicts within the Linux community, specifically with the GNOME Foundation.

Even on a device just slightly larger than a credit card and powered by a pair of AAA batteries, a handheld running Linux can deliver the real-time multitasking desktop power that developers crave and users will hopefully demand.

Apple has quietly updated its open source operating system foundation, Darwin, to version 1.2.1, and it appears to come with a plea for more work on the x86 side of things.

Apple has quietly updated its open source operating system foundation, Darwin, to version 1.2.1, and it appears to come with a plea for more work on the x86 side of things.

The Plex86 project has some way to go before it achieves the slickness of the latest commercial VMWare releases. But at $299 or $399 VMWare is priced for business users, rather than for light users, enough to prohibit it from being bundled in the majority of desktop distros.