One especially impressive feature of zsh is its context-sensitive completion system. With zsh, you can use the tab key to complete file names, command flags, shell variable names, and even scripting language syntax.

Choosing the right database involves balancing a number of factors. Here are some of the most important ones.

Open Source is about to change your life. Find out how it could even affect your genetic structure.

XML may be the best way to store your data, but how do you make it presentable? Enter XSL.

One of the keys to Apache's success is its extensible modular architecture. Developers have created custom modules for authentication, streaming audio, database access, and so on. However, Apache itself only comes with a handful of core modules installed.

Last month's column introduced the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and described how SNMP can be used to monitor devices and hosts connected to your network. This month, we'll configure a Linux machine as an SNMP agent and learn how to keep SNMP secure.

In the past few columns, we've discussed parallel computing, a methodology that divides and distributes the work of solving a significant computing task. Parallel computing can solve large problems more quickly because it focuses the processing power of many computers working in tandem (called a cluster) on a single task. A master node in the cluster breaks the problem into discrete parts, and passes tasks and computational data to slave nodes. The master node receives results from the slave nodes and generates a final answer. Coordination of the entire process is controlled with message-passing APIs.

Last month began our look at PostNuke (http://www.postnuke.com), a popular PHP-based Web site framework. Out of the box, PostNuke provides a modular and customizable interface for building community Web sites. However, PostNuke's default setup is only intended as a starting point. So this month we'll look at some ways to add features and flavor to your PostNuke site.

In March 2002, Sun Microsystems released Version 1.4 of its Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE) software (http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4). J2SE is the core of the Java platform. While other Java kits are specialized (e.g., J2ME is targeted at small devices and J2EE provides a range of server and e-commerce solutions), J2SE provides fundamental components that every Java programmer can use.

The Linux box currently hosting stonehenge.com is in a rented space at a co-location facility. As a result of the Internet shakeout happening everywhere, the co-lo facility was bought by a larger networking company and we've been having network interruptions, including complete loss of service, from time to time. The administrator of the box came to me looking for evidence that these outages had been going on for extended periods of time so that he could take that to the new owner, get some of his money back, and pass the savings along to me.

Over time, this column has discussed many programming topics and techniques. However, one subject we have never fully addressed is what actually happens at "compile time." How does a compiler take the program you write and translate it into something that a machine can understand and execute?

PowerBook G4 Titanium

Get ready hombres... there's a new Unix in town, and its name is Mac OS X. Actually, if you haven't been living under a rock for the past year or so (which is something I'm sometimes accused of, by the way), then you probably already know that Apple's new Mac OS X may be all eye-candy outside, but it's mostly good ol' FreeBSD Unix under the hood.

You know Linux works great on servers. I know Linux works great on servers. But does your CIO know how great Linux works on servers? Chances are the answer is no.