While I have been using computers for two decades, the majority of users today have only ever used PCs. Specifically: computers running Microsoft operating systems. Those who have only ever used Windows think the way it behaves is normal for computers in general, that this kind of behaviour is how it is with computers. They tolerate this state of affairs when for me, it's completely unacceptable.

The Linux USB Project, originally started in early 1999, is currently the definitive USB stack for Linux. Originally based upon a debug USB mouse driver that Linus wrote and released March 30, 1999, it rapidly progressed into a state of acceptable maturity.

Mousetrap, plus other barriers to success I don't see stability meeting with ease of use, ease of support and standards, on a Windows platform, but I do see this with Linux and FreeBSD. With this in mind I'll add some constructive criticism for Linux, FreeBSD and their GUI's.

After reading the past few articles' comments, I have found that a number of people seem to think and agree that "mainstreaming" Linux shouldn't be on Linux developers' minds. Linux isn't for everyone, and in fact, why should it be?

Having used SuSE for a few years now and have found the distribution to be full featured, heavily packed with software and targeted at the intermediate to advanced user. However, with the release of v6.4, SuSE has made significant strides in their effort to penetrate the growing 'new Linux user' market.

The rapid growth of Linux in the server market means that people who are primarily familiar with Windows will need to learn how to administer Linux servers. If you're one of these people, please accept some friendly advice: don't treat Linux like Windows.

Many IT managers are considering the Linux operating system for more demanding applications. Its appeals are undeniable: it is fast, Internet-ready, non-proprietary, and almost free. But corporates will require support for Linux.

The much-discussed convergence of separate voice, data and video into an integrated network is creating a host of new product opportunities, many with carrier-class reliability also known as high availability (HA). HA refers to maximizing the availability of systems and applications by decreasing downtime during both routine maintenance operations and unplanned system failures.

Both projects released preview versions of their upcoming stable series (GNOME 1.2 and KDE 2.0). While not intended for production environments, they should be stable enough for personal use.

"Security is a process, not a solution". Even if we design

a process that is fault tolerant, very robust, and easy to

implement, we are still doomed to failure in almost all

cases. So what can we do to enhance our chances of

surviving the inevitable attacks that to come that will

likely be successful?