CMS are software packages which enable the creation and management of database-driven web sites (like this one). There’s a very informative and thorough review by Elliot Smith of six currently available Open Source packages — Drupal, Exponent, Lenya, Mambo, Plone and Silva. (Don’t ask me where they get these names!)

The non-profit Linux Coaching Organisation has a residential centre in the Auvergne, in deepest rural France, where you can go for residential courses at various levels. Neat idea: change your computing life, and eat lovely food at the same time! Block bookings for organisations also available, apparently. And St Etienne airport (with low-cost RyanAir […]

Just Say No to Microsoft is the title of a new book by Tony Bove. (The subtitle is “How to Ditch Microsoft and Why It’s Not as Hard as You Think”.) Brian Burnham has written a sympathetic review. Excerpt:
The book delivers background on the history of Microsoft, Apple and Linux (including the […]

There’s not much in the way of details yet, but the FT is reporting that MS Office file formats are to be opened up.

Within about 18 months, customers, competitors and developers should be able to download detailed files from Ecma on how to create a Microsoft Word, Powerpoint or Excel document.

This is good news, but […]