Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future
-Niels Bohr

The future will be better tomorrow.
-Dan Quayle

Predicting the future is big business these days. As far as I can tell, the people who sell their divinatory services fall into two groups: one talks to spirit guides and reads tea leaves for lonely old ladies, while the other talks to economists and reads PowerPoint slides for corporate executives. While the methodologies differ, the results invariably do not.

That said, let's keep the task of predicting the future where it belongs: in the hands of rank amateurs.

Last January, my predecessor Mitch Wagner offered his Linux and open-source predictions for the year to come, and readers responded with a few of their own. Very soon, we'll revisit those predictions on Linux Pipeline, and I'll make some prognostications of my own for 2005. After all, this is a game anyone can play, even if you don't share your morning coffee with a prehistoric spirit entity named Zog.

I'm much more interested, however, in what all of you see coming for the open-source community during the year ahead. Roll the dice, call your psychic, stuff some tin foil into your hat, or do whatever else it takes to get some inspiration, and then send me an email with your best prediction concerning Linux or any other aspect of open-source technology. I'll take the best of the bunch (that is, the ones I like--them's the rules) and immortalize your predictive prowess on Linux Pipeline.

Be sure to make them good: In 2006, we'll go back to find out who has the gift of second sight and who needs a pair of psychic eyeglasses. And please, reading pig entrails is strictly against the rules--no animals are hurt in the making of this Pipeline.

Happy new year!

Matthew McKenzie
Editor, Linux Pipeline
mattcmp@sonic.net
www.LinuxPipeline.com

Study: Unpatched Linux PCs Survive Online For Months
A recent Honeypot Project report says unpatched Linux systems often run for months before falling prey to hackers; a similar study using Windows PCs, by comparison, measured their survival time in minutes.

Linux 2.6.10 Kernel Hits The Street
The latest update to the current Linux kernel was released late last week by creator and open-source maven Linus Torvalds.

EU Council Ices Software Patent Measure
The European Union Council has tabled a controversial proposal that could have legalized the enforcement of software patents, leaving the measure all but dead for the foreseeable future.

Tech Moguls Raise Millions For Tsunami Relief
As the earthquake and tsunami death toll climbs, the technology industry stepped up its contributions of money and other resources to the relief effort.

New Santy Variants Spread Beyond Google
The Santy worm, which uses search engines to attack certain sites using the open-source PHP scripting language, may now have other dangerous variants, virus experts said.

Bloggers Mobilize To Assist Tsunami Relief
A blog site set up this week to provide a clearinghouse for tsunami victim relief efforts has grown to 50 contributors and 100,000 visitors.

NT's Retirement Opens Windows For Linux
Friday's demise of general support for Windows NT 4.0 may create a temporary opportunity for alternative platforms, including Linux.

PalmSource Reports Profitable Quarter
Palm OS developer PalmSource reported a profitable quarter on increased sales compared to the same quarter a year ago, as the firm prepares to adopt a new Linux-based platform strategy.

EU Microsoft Ruling: Is There A Devil In The Details?
A European court aims to level the playing field for Microsoft's rivals, but competitors worry that Redmond might still find a way to play by its own rules.

Firefox Ad Boosts Downloads
Last week's two-page advertisement in the The New York Times paid for by fans of Mozilla's Firefox browser is drawing another wave of new users.

Japanese Wireless Operator Invests In U.S. Linux Vendor
NTT DoCoMo has bought a stake in MontaVista Software, the U.S. vendor providing software for the Japanese wireless firm's three new Linux-based phones.

Microsoft Exec Discusses Anti-Spyware Purchase For IE
The company acquired technology from Giant Software in order to get an effective anti-spyware solution to Internet Explorer users as quickly as possible, a company executive said.

Fire Up Firefox: Our Favorite Extensions
Firefox extensions allow you to add a host of features to Mozilla's hot new open-source browser. Developers have created nearly 200 extensions so far, with more coming every day. Here are six of the best.

The GPL: Saving Software From Itself
In a world where draconian software licenses and absurd patents are rapidly becoming the rule, the GPL licensing model is turning into a vital weapon to protect and benefit software users.

EU Microsoft Ruling: Seismic Shift Or Shaky Ground?
A recent court ruling could finally give European antitrust regulators the upper hand versus Redmond, but the advantage may only be temporary.

First Look: Mozilla's Thunderbird 1.0
Columnist Ramon Ray takes a first look at Thunderbird, Mozilla's new open-source e-mail program. Within three minutes, he's in love.

Open-Source Content Management Arrives At Last
The open-source world been waiting a long time for a world-class content management system. The wait is finally over, thanks to a new CMS solution named Plone.

Firefox Paws At IE
Firefox is reliable, easy to use, and much less vulnerable to security threats than Internet Explorer. It may sound like a no-brainer for widespread enterprise deployment, but so far, that's not the case.

Quick Take: Xandros Desktop OS
For users who want a viable alternative to Windows, Xandros Desktop OS may be the answer.

Startups Take To The Open-Source Trail
A growing number of commercial startups are springing up around open-source products and organizations such as Mozilla, Linux, Apache, and MySQL.

Active Directory: A Linux Administrator's Best Friend
Believe it or not, Linux and Windows can be friends, at least when they share a common directory. Throw in a dash of LDAP and a pinch of SSL, and you've got the recipe for a flexible yet reliable authentication framework.

The Evolving Open-Source Ecosystem
A growing number of startups are learning the best way to survive and prosper in the open-source jungle: Do one thing, and do it well.

Executive Q&A: Tarantella
Tarantella's CEO explains why the company's long-simmering rivalry with Citrix is a thing of the past.

Check Out Our Linux Product Finder
Don't reinvent the wheel. Find the right off-the-shelf product to do the job. How do you find the right one? Two words ... Product Finder:
   - Desktop Applications
   - Application Servers
   - Commercial Linux Distributions
   - Network Management
   - Web Servers

Discover All The Pipelines
Linux Pipeline is part of a large series of specialized IT sites from the TechWeb Network. Find out more about the Pipelines on the TechWeb Network Pipeline Publications page. Every Pipeline site has its own newsletter. Give them a try!

Recommend This Newsletter To A Friend
Do you have a friend or colleague who might enjoy this newsletter? Please forward it to him or her and point out the subscription page.