Dell invests big in RedHat

Dell has invested nearly $100 million in Linux vendor Red Hat, which according to eWeek, is a clear indication that the Linux server market is red hot, and the Linux desktop market is not far behind.

The report quotes analysts as saying Dell chairman Michael Dell`s $99.5 million investment of his own money is recognition of Red Hat`s successes in the Linux market in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Although the investment is said to have surprised many in the industry, some say Dell, like a lot of organizations, has looked at Linux and open source as a `greenfield` opportunity for revenue.

The report says according to the Yankee Group, Linux has captured about 20 percent of the server operating system market.

Google has launched in the UK the Google Mini, which is a scaled-down version of its enterprise search appliance designed to provide a search function for the intranets or public websites of small to medium businesses.

The Register says the box is capable of searching and indexing 100 000 documents and it recognises over 220 different file types, including HTML, PDF and Word, provided they are web enabled.

The box can be set to crawl on a regular basis, but can also be managed remotely, with full administrator access through its web-based interface.

A security firm has proved that cars cannot catch computer viruses, according to a report by BBC News.

The report says after exhaustive testing, Finnish security firm F-Secure has failed to make a virus leap from a mobile phone handset to a car`s onboard communications system.

Many security firms fear that the increasing number of computers and communications system on cars will eventually make them vulnerable to the viruses that plague desktop machines.

F-Secure did the tests in response to rumours that some Lexus cars from Toyota had been infected by a virus, however the phone system on the vehicle did not respond to any of the attacks tried out by researchers.

Attempts by online activists to halt an electronic ID card for the US have failed with the Senate voting to impose a sweeping set of identification requirements on Americans, reports News.Com.

The so-called Real ID Act now heads to President Bush, who is expected to sign the bill into law this month. The Act is aimed at stopping illegal immigrants from obtaining drivers` licenses.

If the Act goes into effect in May 2008, as expected, Americans will be required to obtain federally approved ID cards with "machine readable technology". Anyone without such an ID card will be effectively prohibited from travelling by air or rail, opening a bank account, or entering federal buildings.

The first UK trial of TV on mobile handsets by NTL Broadcast and O2 are due to start in Oxford from July, reports BBC News.

All 350 testers will be able to see shows from the Discovery Channel, CNN, the Cartoon Network and a short-film channel called Shorts International.

The service uses a special mobile broadcast transmission standard, DVB-H (digital video broadcast - handheld), which has been specifically developed for the broadcast of TV signals on mobiles and other handheld devices.

The report says mobile companies are keen to take advantage of mobile TV as a way of making more money, but they are not as clear about how people will use the services, or whether people will be willing to pay to watch TV on such small devices with limited battery life.

The DVB-H standard is currently being tested by US, Germany, France, Finland, Sweden and others. More trials expected to launch later in 2005 and in 2006.