From a press release at Business Wire: In an effort to evangelize the gospel of Linux, PogoLinux.com has announced a program to distribute popular Linux CDs free of charge and offer 30 days of complimentary e-mail installation support. This offer is intended to completely eliminate the cost barriers preventing users from trying the Linux operating system. The free installation support will ensure that users have help available during their transition to Linux.

Two stories about Web site security problems: Home furnishings retailer IKEA closed its online catalog order site last night after a privacy breach made the personal information of tens of thousands of its customers available online, reports CNet. Also, just days after Amazon.com tightened its privacy policy, a bug in one of its Web pages exposed numerous email addresses of the site’s Affiliate members. Again, the story is at CNet.

From a Linux Today story: In early July there was a lot of excitement about the SPECweb99 results of two almost identical Dell machines, one running Tux 1.0 on Red Hat Linux and the other running Internet Information Server 5.0 on Windows 2000. The results showed the Linux machine with over 2.5 times the performance of the Windows 2000 machine. A reader noticed that recently another Dell machine has been added to the SPECweb99 results page. Interestingly enough, this machine has 8 processors.

From an EE Times story on technology companies recruiting college students: “One thing that IBM execs think is cool right now is Linux. A recent Linux wristwatch program was done partly to attract collegiate research departments, and it’s only one of many.”

Maximum Linux updates the decisions by Loki and Trolltech to port apps to Linux.

From a story at CBSnews.com: “Stop me if you’ve read this before. A relatively new Internet company, on the cutting edge of technology, pushes the law’s envelope when it comes to federal copyright law and, in doing so, steps on the toes of an established industry. Worried about losing its intellectual property, not to mention a lot of money, the industry pushes back and a federal judge sides with the old and punishes the new.”

This week there is an interview
with Alexander Bokovoy, keeper of the Midgard 1.4 flame. Also there is news
of the transition of Midgard-Project.org to a new home. The
newsletter is at LWN.net.

Thousands of customers are stuck in so-called DSL hell, where infrastructure limitations and service-provider problems torture even the most determined users. But the nightmare may be over soon. Starting early next year, major DSL providers — including Covad Communications, NorthPoint Communications and Rhythms NetConnections — plan to begin simpler installations of their high-speed data services, courtesy of a government mandate requiring local phone companies to share their lines with DSL providers. The story is at ZDNet.

From a MandrakeSoft announcement: “MandrakeSoft is happy to announce the first Beta (Beta 1) of the upcoming 7.2 release: Ulysses. Please keep in mind that Ulysses is an experimental Operating System, it’s not for daily use! The goal of beta testing is to help debug it and Ulysses is sure to contain things that are broken.”

Baymountain, a provider of Linux-based ASP services announced that Barry Bryant has joined the company as chief operating officer. Bryant brings more than 14 years of experience in finance, sales and sales management. Most recently Bryant was senior vice president at SunTrust Bank. The press release is at LinuxPR.