Does your job require you to draw pretty pictures with boxes and lines before you get to write any code? If UML is party of your workplace reality, Excel Software has begun shipping QuickUML 2.0 for Linux, Windows and Mac. According to Excel, QuickUML is designed to be, well, quick. They claim that no formal training is needed to begin designing objects using the tool, and that QuickUML can generate code stubs for C++, Java or Delphi. Single-user licenses start at $295 US.

www.excelsoftware.com

You've got mail. Lots and lots of mail. Maybe you need the Merak mail server from IceWarp Software Ltd. Already a widely deployed server under Windows, the new Linux edition of the software is specifically tuned to the OS. Certified for use with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, it also has been tested on Red Hat Fedora Core and Gentoo. Success also has been reported on SUSE, Mandrake, Ubuntu and Debian distributions. The package includes antispam, antivirus, groupware and instant-messaging capabilities, and it is designed for loads of up to 20,000 messages per minute and up to 100,000 active accounts. Pricing runs from $210 US for a single domain version to $5,700 US for a full-blown package with all the features.

www.icewarp.com

With government spooks evidently reading all our e-mail, perhaps it's time to invest in a cryptographic solution for your sensitive data. CRYPTOCard-Server version 6.3 offers an all-in-one access solution combining a smart card or software token with a user-specific pin to validate access to the corporate network. Compatible with SUSE Enterprise Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, the CRYPTOCard solution can lock the doors to authorized users trying to sneak in via PPP, SSH, Samba and VPN solutions, as well as the Linux display managers. A five-user package with the server and five tokens is available for $499 US.

www.cryptocard.com

If you need more capabilities than a bootable Flash or CD distribution of Linux offers, LaCie has released a bootable Linux distribution pre-installed onto a 40 or 80GB USB hard drive. Based on its FA Porsche-designed USB hard drive family, the GlobeTrotter 2.0 features a copy of Mandriva Linux Limited Edition 2005 pre-installed on the drive and tuned to launch on just about any system that supports booting from USB devices. The 40GB version retails for $139.99 US and the 80GB for $199.99 US, and it includes a one-month membership to Mandriva Online. The drives also include OpenOffice.org.

www.lacie.com