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Bill Kendrick writes: "I noticed a ZDNet article titled "Why we should hail IBM's ode to open source--the Purple Book". It compares IBM's open release of the classic PC's hardware and BIOS specifications with today's OpenSource model and Linux." Shortly after IBM's open-spec PC, they reverted to the closed PS/2 with a patented bus in an attempt to monopolize the exploding market. Hopefully this particular bit of history won't replay itself.

altek writes: "CNET has an article describing a worm that has taken down over 12,000 MS IIS webservers." Bill Kendrick points to another CNET story, which reports that the worm will "cause every infected computer to flood the Whitehouse.gov address with data starting at 5 p.m. PDT," writing "Time to shut down all those IIS servers before the Internet gets flooded."

Slow Internet service due to all those extra packets of malice may not be the worst effect: As sp1n writes: "It appears that due to the way the worm formats its HTTP request and the semi-random way it seeks out vulnerable systems, it is also causing Cisco 67x DSL routers, widely deployed by Qwest, using firmware prior to 2.4.1, as well as some others, such as 3Com LanModems, to crash -- recoverable only by a power cycle. I have yet to see any news outlet cover the affect this is having on DSL service. Qwest's Interprise networking department confirmed they are receiving reports from all 14 states in their territory. Some routers running pre-2.4.1 firmware are crashing even though the web admin is disabled. This has become a huge support nightmare for every ISP in the region."

Bill Kendrick writes "John Gildred, CEO of Indrema, participated in an Indrema IRC chat today and gave folks a much-needed update on the L600 console and the company's current state off affairs. Unfortunately, the Big Bad Recession is hitting them as well. John says: "We have experienced our share of dry spells in this difficult economy lately. The situation has not improved. The reality is that we have one last chance to turn it around. There is a plan in motion to obtain interim funding, but [then] I will not have a conclusion until end of this month or early next month." After the update, we had a Q&A session and he mentioned the CPU is now spec'd at 750MHz, and will use a GeForce3. And if they do go belly up, they'll probably release a lot of their code as "LGPL or the like." I've already got his update online at my Indrema fan site."

Bill Kendrick writes "John Gildred, CEO of Indrema, participated in an Indrema IRC chat today and gave folks a much-needed update on the L600 console and the company's current state off affairs. Unfortunately, the Big Bad Recession is hitting them as well. John says: "We have experienced our share of dry spells in this difficult economy lately. The situation has not improved. The reality is that we have one last chance to turn it around. There is a plan in motion to obtain interim funding, but [then] I will not have a conclusion until end of this month or early next month." After the update, we had a Q&A session and he mentioned the CPU is now spec'd at 750MHz, and will use a GeForce3. And if they do go belly up, they'll probably release a lot of their code as "LGPL or the like." I've already got his update online at my Indrema fan site."

Bill Kendrick asks: "I run a small site dedicated to the upcoming Linux-based game console and entertainment system, the Indrema (which hasn't been mentioned here in months, by the way). While sniffing around the net, it's impossible not to notice the tons of really nasty comments being made on Usenet, message boards and talk-back forums about the system, the company, the concept... What amazes me is some of the worst flames come from folks in the Linux community! Is there really something so inherently bad about the idea? Is it truly destined to failure just because they company is new in town? With Sega faltering, MicroSoft being potentially broken up, and PlayStation2's nearly impossible to buy, isn't it conceivable that something with such good specs, cool features and an open-source philosophy to boot, might actually make it?" I haven't heard much of anything about the system more than the material passed out at trading shows or the stuff on their website. I'm actually looking forward to a Linux based gaming platform.

Bill Kendrick asks: "I run a small site dedicated to the upcoming Linux-based game console and entertainment system, the Indrema (which hasn't been mentioned here in months, by the way). While sniffing around the net, it's impossible not to notice the tons of really nasty comments being made on Usenet, message boards and talk-back forums about the system, the company, the concept... What amazes me is some of the worst flames come from folks in the Linux community! Is there really something so inherently bad about the idea? Is it truly destined to failure just because they company is new in town? With Sega faltering, MicroSoft being potentially broken up, and PlayStation2's nearly impossible to buy, isn't it conceivable that something with such good specs, cool features and an open-source philosophy to boot, might actually make it?" I haven't heard much of anything about the system more than the material passed out at trading shows or the stuff on their website. I'm actually looking forward to a Linux based gaming platform.

gr8fulnded sent us a CNet story that will knock your socks of: this guy has over a million unopened Atari 2600 and 7800 games sitting in a limestone mine-turned warehouse for sale for a bug a cardtridge. If you still have a machine, check it out (at a buck a cartridge, its quite the deal). Or else you could get the cartridge and make your emulator legal! (michael: Bill Kendrick sent us the proper device on which to play these carts: a 2600/Nomad combination.)

Bill Kendrick writes "Want to play a cool Linux game but don't want to bother installing that pesky OS? Yamamori Takenori has translated his "Linux CD-ROM Game System" to English. It's a step-by-step demonstration of how to burn a game, and just the necessary parts of Linux, onto a PC-bootable CDROM. (Original Japanese version available too, of course.)"

Bill Kendrick writes, "The long-awaited Atari Jaguar game Battle Sphere has finally been released. A special signed copy of the game is running on eBay for $1,225. After the auction is over, the game will start being sold for about $80 a cartridge. All proceeds from the auction will go to diabetes research."