I've been using OpenWrt on my Linksys router for a year or so. I take it for granted -- I ignore it because it just works. But back at X-Wrt.org, which is a related project, not a competitor to OpenWrt, developers have been busy creating a new user interface that both extends OpenWrt and makes it easier to use.

OpenWrt Kamikaze 8.09.2 is released. This is a Linux distribution for network routers, like the Linksys WRT54G, or the Asus WL-500g and a lot of other routers. This distribution adds a lot of new functionality to routers, like improved ipv6 functionality.

"Florian and Nico, two OpenWRT developers from Paris, come over for a two days non-stop OpenWRT workshop. The weekend is open to all. Beginners and experts are welcome! ..."

PacketProtector is an embedded Linux distribution based on OpenWRT, the first popular distribution designed to run on a number of wireless routers commonly found in SOHO settings. Like X-Wrt, which we reviewed earlier this year, PacketProtector extends OpenWrt by offering additional functionality to enhance network security right out of the box.

The Neufbox 4 is a BRCM63xx based DSL router the french ISP SFR provides to its customers, and more than 3 million units are currently in use. The device is developed by Efixo and the OpenWrt based sources are available through a subversion repository and documentation is placed in a Trac wiki.

"In an effort to enrich and contribute to the Free Software community, Ubiquiti Networks is offering $200,000 in cash prizes for developers who provide the most impressive User Interface/Firmware for Ubiquiti's newly released free-software embedded wireless platform, the RouterStation..." -- routerstation is based on openwrt as

Nokia announced a home automation system based on the open source OpenWrt Linux distribution. Due in late 2009, the Z-wave wireless radio-equipped Nokia Home Control Center will let users remotely control security, automation, and energy management applications via their mobile phones, says Nokia.

One of those, is BackTrack, a hackers delight, one that is loaded with all the best Free Software and Open Source penetration testing applications available. The latest edition is BackTrack 5, code-named Revolution. We are actually at BackTrack 5 R2. Keep in mind that BackTrack is not a distribution for newbies. This is serious stuff.

So you want to make a small fortune in open source software? It's simple, the joke goes: Just start with a large fortune. The open source revolution began at least two decades ago, but businesses and programmers are still struggling to understand the best way to share wonderful code and pay the mortgage.