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NewsVac: News from around the Web

• Linus Torvalds Writes "Good Code" 14 minutes ago
  
  KernelTrap is reviewing the Linux process scheduler code over the years. The original code was written by none other than Linus Torvalds who described it in a 1993 email, 'the linux scheduling algorithm is one of the simplest ones possible'. An entertaining (and historically prescient) comment in the code proclaimed, 'this is GOOD CODE! There probably won't be any reason to change this, as it should work well in all circumstances (ie gives IO-bound processes good response etc).' The simple algorithm was evidently good code as advertised, judged by the fact that it took over a decode for another developer to come along with something better.
• Open Source Security, Part 1: Securing Credibility 44 minutes ago
  
  Some quarters in the software industry still carry a bias against the credibility of open source security applications. Open source network gateway developer Untangle did not expect to find its request for certified testing of the popular open source virus security product ClamAV shunned. When it was, Untangle decided to do its own test.
• Adopting Linux mobile devices in the enterprise 1 hour, 14 minutes ago
  
  Undoubtedly, at some point Linux devices will begin to take a larger role within enterprise rollouts, it is only a matter of time.
• Linus Torvalds runs a tight ship 1 hour, 44 minutes ago
  
  This past Sunday, as release candidate three (rc3) prepared for launch with the stable 2.6.23 Linux kernel, Linus Torvalds came out of relative seclusion to give a little smack-down and keep the project on track.
• No word on Linux Dell PCs for NZ 2 hours, 14 minutes ago
  
  Dell NZ can't say when the Ubuntu-packing PCs will make it to New Zealand - or if they will at all.
• Random Password Manager Supports Linux 2 hours, 44 minutes ago
  
  Deploying Linux systems with common root account credentials is the standard practice for IT departments at large organizations, but it's a method that can incur significant security consequences if even one account is compromised.
• Linus Torvalds: Linux Is Bigger Than Me! 3 hours, 14 minutes ago
  
  Linuxforu.com has morphed into a much bigger and better avatar, now called openITis.com (www.openITis.com). Considering the prevalent opinion that India is a net taker rather than a giver to the open source community, this site promises to be a step towards bridging that gap. And what's more, it features a mega interview with Linus Torvalds -- his first with an Indian perspective.
• Using DSPAM & ClamAV With Postfix (Virtual Users) On Debian Etch 3 hours, 44 minutes ago
  
  This article describes how to integrate DSPAM with embedded ClamAV into a mail server based on Postfix featuring virtual users and domains, i.e. users and domains that are in a MySQL database. DSPAM is a scalable and open-source content-based spam filter. The setup shown here is suitable for Debian Etch servers.>
• Ada Core Technologies: Free Software Business Model Is Viable 4 hours, 14 minutes ago
  
  It has been said there is no such thing as a 'true' Free Software business. Blue GNU interviewed the Ada Core Technologies team to learn about the company that has been a 'true' Free Software business for over 20 years. Ada Core is one of a few businesses listed as such by the Free Software Foundation/GNU Project.
• Details on the compromised Ubuntu servers 4 hours, 44 minutes ago
  
  This last week, 5 of the 8 servers that are LoCo hosted but Canonical sponsored, had to be shut down due to reports that they were actively attacking other machines. These servers were found to have a variety of problems including, but not limited to, missing security patches, FTP (not sftp, without SSL) was being used to access the machines, and no upgrades past breezy due to problems with the network cards and later kernels.
• In Defense of Microsoft: Thank You 20 hours, 44 minutes ago
  
  As a full time Linux user and someone who in the past has expressed concern over some of the choices Microsoft has made, this attempt by one single Digg.com user really irks me. Not considering the repercussions of stating something so completely untrue as fact, I honestly have a real problem with the following statement:
• Virgin America upgrades to Red Hat Enterprise to tap Linux support 21 hours, 14 minutes ago
  
  Virgin America, the airline that began domestic US flights last week, has increased its investment in Linux support and plans to migrate its web servers to Red Hat Enterprise Linux by the end of this year.
• Microsoft and Xandros Expand Collaboration 21 hours, 44 minutes ago
  
  Today, Microsoft Corp. and Linux platform provider Xandros announced a messaging protocol license and collaboration agreement that will enhance the interoperability of Scalix email servers with various mobile and personal computer-based email applications that utilize Microsoft® email protocols. This agreement expands on the ongoing Microsoft-Xandros collaboration. Both companies' commitment to protocol licensing and technical cooperation will help to provide more email choices and value. By continuing their focus on mixed-source solutions, Xandros and Microsoft are demonstrating how protocol-level collaboration can benefit customers who rely on a mix of Windows®-based and Linux systems.
• Will Torvalds Sue VMWare? 22 hours, 14 minutes ago
  
  Seems VMWare's premier product uses an illegal hack of an unsupported Linux kernel as a bootloader. This issue has been raised before and ignored, but that was then and this is Day IPO+1. Quoting a post from VentureCake:
• Firefox On Windows: Zero Day Concerns Have Arrived 22 hours, 44 minutes ago
  
  For many people using Firefox on Windows XP, this should prove to be a real eye opener. So when Vista users are complaining about the 'hassle' of the UAC popping up, consider what happens when there is no layer of security to slow embedded nasties from doing bad things to your PC.
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