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Web Analysis Using Analog by Gaelyne R. Gasson is an introduction to this open-source program. Analog analyzes log files from your web servers and gives you many different reports, in your language of choice (it supports 35). Find out how you can obtain accurate statistics on web traffic to your sites with this easy-to-use program.

Shell Functions and Path Variables, Part 2 by Stephen Collyer is a continuation of the series that started in the March issue. This time, he takes a detailed look at the addpath function and how it is used.

Enlightenment Basics by Michael J. Hammel is a guide to getting and installing Enlightenment. It is an excellent precursor to Mr. Hammel's article in this issue on using Enlightenment (“Artists' Guide to the Desktop, Part 2”).

The Generation Gap by Brian R. Marshall is a serious discussion of the issues involved with the use of open-source software components in closed-source applications. Giving the pros and cons of this controversial subject, this article is not to be missed by those interested in the Open Source movement and all its ramifications.

From the beginning, Linux has been something of a hermit crab operating system, because it tends to inhabit boxes designed first for other operating systems. This has been especially true for clients. While special-purpose servers have been built around Linux for years, clients have mostly been Window boxes with Linux flowers, instead of the more familiar sort.

Portables have been especially vexing to Linux hardware manufacturers. All your familiar laptops are packed with arcane drivers and embedded characteristics that make running Linux somewhat of an iffy proposition.

Not any more. Now we are seeing a new generation of portables designed from the ground up to run Linux. One of the first out of the gate appears to be a remarkable new machine from Boxx, http://www.boxx.net/. Described as “the first portable/slim desktop hybrid computer designed from the ground up for Linux-compatible multi-platform computing”, it's a veritable arsenal for the road warrior.

Despite its extreme variety of physical features, its best talent may be its dual-boot capabilities. The user can install and run two x86-compatible operating systems, one off the primary hard drive and the other off the swappable device bay, key-selecting between the two—it's like having two computers in one.

Here are a few more features of Boxx computers:

—Doc Searls

In a recent article, three flavors of Linux that work on PowerPC were listed, including NetBSD (often not recognized as a flavor of Linux, and for good reason—it isn't one!), MkLinux (an implementation that sits on top of the Mach kernel) and LinuxPPC (a typical Linux distribution for PPC). Three species? Diversity is a big evolutionary advantage, and Linux intends on stickin' around, so maybe you can see what's coming up 5th Avenue.

Linux for PowerPC is available from a number of sources, the latest of which is SuSE. The chameleon enthusiasts from Germany have delivered a beta of 6.3, and once the kinks get ironed out, we can look forward to lizards on our Apples. TurboLinux, even though it does not have a cute mascot of any kind, is nevertheless able to bring its Japanese, Chinese and English language distribution to users of the Motorola. Getting back to fuzzy furry animals, Terra Soft's Yellow Dog Linux is yet another offering for Apple PowerPCs and IBM RS/6000s.

—Jason Kroll