Debian Project hit by crackers

An unknown cracker this week compromised several machines belonging to the Debian Project, including servers that house its bug-tracking system and security components, reports eWeek. Officials are still working to restore the affected machines.

Debian is an open source operating system that uses the Linux kernel and also includes a number of packages and tools from the GNU Project. The Debian Project is run by Software in the Public Interest, a non-profit group that runs a number of similar projects.

The project planned to announce a new release of the operating system on Friday, but the attack scotched those plans.

The debate over whether Mac or PC is a less expensive platform is, at first glance, easily resolved, if base cost alone is compared, reports NewsFactor.

A visit to Apple.com reveals that the company`s professional-level desktop, the G5, retails for $1 799. A comparable PC, the Dell Dimension 8300, with monitor and keyboard (not included with the Mac), retails for $1 050. A similar price disparity exists in lower-performance machines and laptops.

But it is one of the great truths of computer ownership that base cost is just part of the total cost of ownership (TCO). Read the report for some interesting comparisons and try to answer this question: are TCO comparisons really that relevant here?

E-commerce is starting to find a place in some of the world`s emerging economies, reports the New York Times. Governments and businesses in a growing number of developing nations have begun building the infrastructure needed for online commerce, according to a report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, or Unctad.

Thailand, for example, is starting to see results from a government strategy that began in 1996 and was updated in 2002. In Southeast Asia, companies have been feeling pressure from the market to get on the Internet. But not all developing countries have followed that path. In countries like El Salvador, the development and use of online commerce has been haphazard.