A few months ago I wrote a column for Linux Magazine about ClamAV, an open source anti-virus tool that runs on Linux & Windows & Mac OS X, & comes standard on Knoppix & many other Live CDs. That column, called (cleverly enough) "ClamAV: Anti-Virus for Linux", covers the basics of Clam, but for more info, I recommend taking a look at "Clam AntiVirus: Open source vs. the bad guys", from NewsForge. But really, the best way to learn about ClamAV is just to use it. It's free, pretty lightweight in terms of system resources, and it's easy to use. The guys behind ClamAV are dedicated to stamping out viruses, so you can feel pretty safe using it. Give it a try - it's not like you have anything to lose! (Check out all of our posts on ClamAV, viruses, & security.) ...

When it comes to open source anti-virus software, ClamAV is at the head of the class. I use it on Windows and Linux. On Linux, it's definitely a GNOME app. Now it's a KDE app as well. Theoden explains the whole process - installation, configuration, and usage - in detail in "KlamAV - Bringing The Power of ClamAV To The KDE Desktop". It's a good guide, with pictures and everything! KDE users, look to KlamAV. You'll be happier. (Check out all of our posts on ClamAV.) ...

One of the more interesting open source projects to arise out of Novell recently is Hula, a calendar & mail server. Several clients will be supported, including Evolution (duh), KMail, Thunderbird, and even Outlook (well, especially Outlook - they want this to compete a bit with Exchange). Works with ClamAV & SpamAssassin, which is cool. The screenshots look interesting, & I can already tell that this thing is gonna have a lot more aesthetic sense that anything from MSFT ever did. Oh, and installing this thing is really easy. Super duper easy. Don't believe me? Read the installation page. Now, Hula's not 100% ready for prime time totally & completely, but it's good enough to play with, and some people are using it to do real work, so it's close. To learn more, check out the User Guide. BTW, I especially like this statement on the FAQ: "How well does it scale? Insanely well." Well, heck, that's great! (Check out all of our posts on ...