News from PANUG/BizNix - March 4, 2003
http://panug.org - http://biznix.org

OREGON OPEN SOURCE BILL

Ken Barbur, a sometimes PANUG/BizNix meeting attendee, is
the author of HB 2892, a bill requiring all state agencies
to "consider the use of Open Source" in all software
acquisitions. It was introduced into the Oregon House of 
Representatives about an hour ago (about noon).

Since there will be no working URL to the bill until
sometime in the middle of the night tonight, the story
won't break until tomorrow morning.

Ken says "Hopefully this will have caught Microsoft by
surprise. One of their known tactics (as done in Maryland,
for instance) is to influence the Speaker of the House to
divert the bill to a committee of their choosing. The
committee that is SUPPOSED to get the bill has already been
lobbied. We've tried very hard to keep this very quiet.
Think happy thoughts...."


NETWORK SECURITY

The PANUG and BizNix user groups are hosting a 2-day course
on Network Security on March 11 and 12. The practical course
focuses on security issues and problems that YOU can solve.
It covers a wide range of topics. 

For details, visit the PANUG or BizNix Web sites or access
the course information directly at:
http://www.alcpress.com/courses/intsec1.html


MICROSOFT BUYS CONNECTIX FEEDBACK 

Paul Rogers write this about Alan Spaeth's article in
yesterday's broadcast:

"It's equally amusing that Microsoft's rationale for opening
it's kimono to the Chinese was China's interest in Linux and
open source code. These are the same Chinese that are renowned
for pirating everything with a copyright notice? What is it
that I just don't get?"