The Linux Advocate

 

by Scott Dowdle
dowdle@icstech.net
ICQ UIN: 15509440

Column #46
May 14th, 1999
LOGIN:

Well, I've been playing more with VMware this week. I got 640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768 resolutions in 8-bit and 16-bit color working well. I got sound working although with the speed CPU I have, it is a bit choppy at times. I also got bridged networking going... which is pretty cool because it allows for a LAN inside a single computer. I have IP Masquerading support in Linux so Windows95 in a window is able to use the Internet over my Linux PPP connection. Sweet. I just happened to buy a game for my son that wouldn't run in my wife's Windows95 setup but ran fine under VMware... which means in some situations, VMware is more Windows compatible than Windows is. I know that's a very particular situation but I thought it was kind of funny. The following link talks about the commercial release of VMware and special pricing they will have in place although, at time of writing, I've yet to find confirmation on the www.vmware.com  website.

VMware for Linux Released for Commercial Shipment -
http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=CnZJ8WbWbu0zxmdu4&FQ=Linux&SymHdl=1&Nav=na-search-&StoryTitle=Linux

Thank goodness for the special pricing. I'm not much to pay $299 for a piece of software... but my needs aren't too complicated. Everything I tried running on it ran fantastically (I did upgrade to 64MB of RAM). Not quite as fast as the real thing but then again, I had a lot of Linux stuff going on too. I had hoped to take a lot of screenshots for a full writeup but I think I'll wait for the full release version and do it right.

NEWS:

Item #1: A-Z of Linux - The Linux Lounge on ZDNet UK has put together a pretty informative yet humorous dictionary like resource. What exactly is that? Check it out for yourself and see: http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/specials/1998/10/linux_lounge/az/

Item #2: Linux Versus NT - HotWired put together a decent piece that offers opinions and counter opinions from top web site developers about how NT and Linux stack up against each other. I think it is a fair and well rounded piece so check it out if you are interested in that sort of thing: http://www.hotwired.com/webmonkey/99/20/index3a.html

Item #3: Linux for dummies? - I just love Salon magazine. They did a sort of a review on the latest Caldera OpenLinux release... and go on to point out potential splits in the Linux community with the various distributions. I don't believe that splits stuff as they all work together. Decent story though, so check it out at the following URL: http://www.salon.com/tech/review/1999/05/11/openlinux/index.html

Item #4: Linux Gazette May issue released - Just trying to be informative: http://www.ssc.com/lg/issue41/lg_toc41.html

Item #5: Linux development kernel 2.3.0 introduced - (Linux 2.2.8 released also) Just when everyone was wondering when the development tree for the next version of Linux would start, out pops 2.3.0. Linus made a complete copy of 2.2.8 and renumbered it as a starting point for the new development kernel. A message from Linus on the subject can be found at the following URL: http://linuxtoday.com/stories/5869.html

Item #6: Mac-on-Linux - I've talked a bit about Linux for the PowerPC based systems but I don't think I've talked to much about running native Macintosh programs under Linux. There is a commercial, software based Mac emulator available, but I'll not get into that now. The following URL talks about another development effort to get Linux on Mac to run native Mac software. Pretty interesting I'd say so read on brother (or sister): http://www.ibrium.se/linux/mac_on_linux.html

Item #7: Toshiba Expands Server Line - Ok, so like... the OEMs that have jumped on the Linux bandwagon has been growing by leaps and bounds in 1999. Toshiba is the latest member of the bunch. Read the press release that sneaks in the Linux reference at the very bottom: http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990510S0012

Item #8: Mobile Linux for Bluetooth - spanner for Microsoft? - Interested in short range radio frequency connectivity technology? If so, read the following article that talks about yet another area where Linux has a foothold among developers: http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/1999/18/ns-8070.html

Item #9: Linus Torvalds to Keynote at Lotus DevCon99 - Even more proof that Linus has gained notoriety and fame in circles outside the Linux community... by being asked to deliver a Keynote at Lotus DevCon99. Read the press release at the following URL: http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=CnZERqbWbtKvuvtaWnq

Item #10: Yet another Unix Vendor going Linux - It appears that yet another Unix vendor has put together a package to run Linux programs within their environment. Who? Sun for Solaris, that's who. Solaris on Intel anyway. Read for yourself at the following URL: Sun increases Linux  support http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,0-36460,00.html?st.ne.lh..ni

Run Linux binaries unmodified on Solaris http://www.sun.com/linux/lxrun/

Item #11: Linux Approaches the Enterprise - Nothing to amazing about the following link... it's just on Intel's site so that makes it worthwhile reading, right? :) Check it out for yourself at: http://www.intel.com/tech/work/server/linux.htm

Item #12: The dope on Civilization: Call To Power - I'm not much of a gamer but I'll probably pick up a copy of Civ:CTP if I ever see it sitting on a store shelf somewhere. Read the Slashdotter's reaction to the recent release of this popular title for Linux: http://www.slashdot.org/features/99/05/11/1750246.shtml

Item #13: Which Linux? - Distributions, distributions, distributions... what's it all about? Information Week does a mini-survey of the various Linux distributions. It can be found at the following URL: http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter/

Item #14: Deconstructing Linus - Last but not least is an article discussing some of the stuff Linus said during a recent speech. Come, on... I don't really need to provide a description of this because you are going to rush out and read it anyway... because you are a rabid Linus fan like me... right? :) You know where to click: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/technology/archive/1999/05/07/linus.dtl&type=printable


SPOTLIGHT: Ok, ok... one VMware screenshot to wet your appetite!



LOGOUT:

Let it be known that I visited http://www.cheapbytes.com and ordered myself a copy of Caldera OpenLinux 2.2 as well as 20 copies of the unofficial RedHat 6.0 CD. Sound like a lot? Well, you have to remember, I'm the Linux Advocate and I have a lot of people who come to me for Linux stuff. Those cheap CDs only cost $1.99 and buying them in bulk really saves on the postage.

 

As Always, Thanks for reading....   Any feedback would sure be appreciated!

Scott Dowdle

 

 

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