It used to be that finding a PC with pre-installed Linux was harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Now, though, all the major PC vendors are offering Linux-powered PCs.

One security outfit which conducted a study into the use of open source software in the enterprise, the results of which are published today, seems to think so. It states that "Open Source Software (OSS) development communities have yet to adopt a secure development process and often leave dangerous vulnerabilities unaddressed."

A software forge is a tools platform for collaborative software development, similar to integrated CASE environments. Unlike CASE tools, however, software forges have been designed for the software development practices of the open source community. In this paper, we discuss our experiences with using a software forge to bring open source best practices into corporations.

# "I saw on the front page that Richard Stallman is going to be speaking at the business of software conference. I guess my question is why? ..."

## Yet, it is easy to understand:
* Software and Community in the Early 21st Century (Eben Moglen):

Linux security may seem daunting, but there are a host of best practices to simplify the maze. Recently, Steve Grubb of Red Hat Inc. outlined some important security principles, including minimizing admin access, the increasing sophistication of SELinux and the importance of auditing systems.

Ubuntu Linux isn’t just for desktop users anymore. That will be the key message when Canonical and Openbravo demonstrate open source ERP software on Ubuntu servers at Linuxworld in August, The VAR Guy has learned. Here’s the scoop, directly from Openbravo CEO Manel Sarasa (pictured).

Over at the Open Sources blog, Savio Rodrigues calls attention to two critical security vulnerabilities in the Spring Framework for Java. They were discovered by security consultancy Ounce Labs, which disclosed the exploits in a detailed report. If you use Spring for critical business applications, you'll definitely want to be aware of the threats and take appropriate measures.

The Federation Against Software Theft has apparently published a survey indicating that 79% of British company directors “would be happy to avoid buying software licences in order to support their company’s balance sheet during the current tough economic climate.”