Focus: Networks and Communication

While the technical focus for this month's issue is Networking and Communications, we also wanted to feature “World Domination” for this first issue of the year 2000. To do that, we invited Eric Raymond to write an editorial for us and asked permission of Aardman Animations to use their penguin, Feathers McGraw, on our cover. Both graciously consented, and both are fun to have in our magazine.

As it has been said many times, this is the “age of communication”, and the growth of the Internet has proved it. More and more people are reaching out to get in touch with others all over the world, using their computers. With the right equipment and software, you can call internationally without paying long-distance fees to the phone company, and see the person you are calling on your computer screen. This can be done using Linux. In the business world, communication with others, as well as keeping track of what they are doing, must be fast and efficient. E-mail service and the Internet provide that service in both cases. If the network is down, we find ourselves wandering through the hallways until it is back up, and we can resume contact with the outside world. In enterprise today, we cannot afford to cut ourselves off from the rest of the world. Our networks must provide the secure communication channel we need to stay on top.

This month, our feature articles cover Internet Telephony, advanced packet testing and the features of the new release of BIND. We also have Part 2 of David Morgan's series on virtual private networking, and the real-world story of a company that provides audio and video streaming over the Internet. And don't forget “Strictly On-Line”, where we have an article describing how to hold company meetings in the virtual world.

Our latest Linux Journal archive CD is now available. To celebrate the year 2000, we have our “Millennium Edition” containing issues 1 through 56 (1994 through 1998), as well as all issues of Linux Gazette through September 1999. Our most comprehensive CD yet, covering five years of publishing, it belongs in everyone's library. (Am I biased, or what?) Buy one for yourself and one for each of your friends!

—Marjorie Richardson

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