First, congratulations that I have received here in Australia the May issue and it is still March 29th! I am puzzled by the choice of Mandriva One for the DVD. The list of contents on Page 19 show hardly any difference at all between this version and the Mandriva version you included with the December 2005 issue. Perhaps I am missing something, but surely I am not alone in wondering why you have selected Mandriva again so soon.
A brief explanation would be appreciated.
Morrison Hoyle, by email
| LM |
We're glad to hear that airmail subscriptions to Australia are delivered on schedule.
You're right, the main components listed in our highlights box are mostly the same. But for the record, Mandriva One does include some improvements, such as:
The live boot option represents a new direction for Mandriva, and it is very much the big event for this release, but the updates and patches are also very important. The security advisories page at the Mandriva website lists over 100 advisories between the time we obtained the Mandriva 2006 DVD and the time we got the DVD for Mandriva One.
We should also point out that Linux vendors often spend time working on components that are not easy to reduce to a simple highlights box like the one we have on our DVD description pages.
Your question also brings up a larger, and perhaps more philosophical, question regarding the role of our Linux Magazine DVDs. Our goal is to bring you the latest versions of all the best and hottest Linux distributions. Mandriva is certainly one of the best known Linux alternatives, and if Mandriva brings out a new version, we want to be able to provide it for our readers. Mandriva One is news in the Linux community, and we at Linux Magazine don't just tell you about it in our News section - we actually deliver a full, permanent version of the product that you can install and test yourself.
In the article "SOX and the GPL" (Linux Magazine issue #66 / May 2006, Business News) you write "most Developers know that modifying GPLed code without releasing the changes is a violation of the software license."
The GPL does not say that. The restrictions you mention obtain only for distribution outside your company. You see in paragraph two of the GPL: "the intent is to exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or collective works based on the program."
Duncan MacGregor, by email
| LM |
Hmmm... an interesting point for the lawyers. Some parts of the GPL do indeed seem to focus specifically on "distribution," while other parts mention "copying, distribution, and modification."
I am a regular reader of the Linux Magazine. Each month it comes with new articles, tips and tricks, ideas etc. Since I am a system administrator, I am interested in good open source tools by which I can manage my servers, and I came across OpenQRM. Could you please include an article on the OpenQRM management platform?.
Moahmmed SalihP K
| LM |
Thanks for the great topic. We'd be happy to look for a good article on the OpenQRM management platform. Stay tuned!