Kevin O’Kane, PhD wrote in with the news that a MUMPS (M) compiler and interpreter C source code are now available under the GPL on his web site. This removes a major obstacle for adoption and use of Veterans Administration VistA project medical software code. Pro’s and Con’s of VistA were discussed recently on LinuxMedNews and a comment at the time was: ‘…An open
source entry into VistA would be considered a major event in medical computing.’

Updated: Michelle Head has an interview with Mitchell Baker, a Mozilla manager. Mozilla.org has released Milestone 18 of its long-awaited open source web browser. Relase notes say that Java should now work. The production version of the browser is scheduled for release this December-January. This key piece of software will be incorporated into Eazel’s Nautilus file manager, Netscape’s 6.0 browser and will be available to become an integral part of future open source medical software.