network

At some point in their career, a Linux developer or system administrator is going to find themselves having to generate some sort of Excel spreadsheet, usually to satisfy the whims of an IT-illiterate accountant, where a CSV or ODS file won't suffice. In such situations, the perl Spreadsheet::WriteExcel module can be a lifesaver - I've used it myself, and it works well, although has a bit of a learning curve. Here's a guide for it, from Linux Journal.

Linux Journal have published a good rundown of the latest flaw with many DNS servers; while mostly targeted at system administrators, it's also a good read for anyone who does a bit of network programming, as an example of some of the pitfalls that you can run into in this area...