A virtual appliance combines the benefits of virtualization with the simplicity of a single-service device. We show you how to roll your own virtual appliances with VWware Studio and SUSE Studio.

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of the LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine.com

The Debian-based distro Sidux will shortly have a new version, code-named Pontos, that will concentrate on getting the Kernel 2.6.27 changes integrated error free.

Close to year's end, U.S. chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has released the Linux code for its ATI R600 and R700 microprocessors.

Novell developer Michael Meeks has warned of an increasing imbalance in the OpenOffice.org Project. His concerns: too few developers, inadequate code maintenance and the gradual withdrawal of companies like Sun.

The Sabayon project has released its version 4.0 of the multimedia friendly Gentoo derivative just in time for the Holidays and calls it the "next big thing."

Two French developers have introduced a configuration software for Intellon-based Power Line Communication devices (PLC) at the 25c3 in Berlin. Simultaneously, the developers declared the software, called Faifa, as Open Source.

Dan Kaminsky, front man of the DNS attacks band the middle of 2008, has delivered a retrospective at the 25th annual Chaos Communication Congress (25C3) on the background and process of DNS vulnerability. But he also set his sights on the future. And outside-the-box thinker Dan J. Bernstein also had a thing or two to say.

Newly appointed CTO of the Linux Foundation and kernel developer Ted Ts'o is appealing to the Debian project to adopt a more pragmatic attitude about its Linux distro. The provocation for his advice is the current controversy over Debian's next 5.0 "Lenny" release.

More than 14,000 users participated in this year's Linux graphics survey from Phoronix. The results of the study are now out.