Sun says it is looking to open source a few remaining Java components so it can ship unencumbered with Linux, and hopefully encourage more Linux developers to use Java.

I have benchmarked various Linux filesystems using different blocksizes and workloads on an mdadm RAID 1 setup using two Western Digital 500 GB SATA 3.0 drives and a 3ware 9550XS 4-port hardware RAID card (which I had trouble getting to work initially). It's not as extensive as I would have liked, but I came across some interesting results.

"The lack of personal tax software, like the lack of commercial games, is sometimes cited as a clear indication that Linux is not yet ready for ‘prime time’. To be honest, I haven’t the foggiest idea as to why this is such a ‘tell-tale’ sign."

Mandriva, the leading European Linux distributor, today announces the launch of Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring, the major new release of Mandriva Linux, featuring hundreds of improvements which make for a quicker and more powerful distribution that is easier to use than ever.

"Spencer is the inventor of Asterisk, a free software program that establishes phone calls over the Internet and handles voicemail, caller ID, teleconferencing and a host of novel features for the phone [...] Outsourcing company Sutherland Global Services has tested Asterisk in 400-person call centers, finding it cuts telephone costs by two-thirds."

Imagine the next time you are trying reading a great list of Ubuntu programs. One of them catches your eye, and you want to try it. Instead of either using Add/Remove or opening a terminal to install the program, you simply click a link. A message box pops up asking you if you want to install the program, and then you enter your password.

A collection including adverts from Red Hat, IBM, a Chinese ad that is apparently for Linux, a homemade advert that was possibly made with Blender.

The MacBook Air went first; a tiny Fujitsu laptop running Vista was hacked on the last day of the contest; but it was Linux, running on a Sony Vaio, that remained undefeated as conference organizers ended a three-way computer hacking challenge Friday at the CanSecWest conference. Article and video.