"It is not portable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that's all I have. Well, never say never."

Linus Torvalds wrote the above to a newsgroup on August 25, 1991, in what's regarded as his first public announcement about Linux.

The open-source operating system for his Intel 386 computer has since been come a long way in the ten years hence, helped out by the Internet, which made it possible for groups of disparate developers to continue the work.

Linux now holds a 27 percent share of the server market, with Windows holding down a 41 percent share, Netware 17 percent and Unix 14 percent, according to IDC.

Microsoft probably began noticing this coalition of geeks and smart guys in February 1999 when Linux users organised a protest demanding a refund for having to buy personal computers pre-installed with Windows software. While the poorly attended protest fizzled it got a lot of Press.

Currently Linux seems to have settled into a sort of a holding position, as both it and Microsoft battle for position on a strategy of developing a seamless co-ordination between personal computers and the Internet, what's being tooted as an 'Internet operating system'.

This sort of community spirit, of consumers against the hegemony of established companies, is the spirit of this age. It can be seen in the disparate groups that make up what is loosely termed the anti-globalisation movement.

Now another underground movement is attempting to take on an even tougher nut than Microsoft - the stranglehold of the telecom companies.

The rise of what are termed the "parasitic grid" wireless movement or the "free metro wireless data network" in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Aspen, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, British Columbia and London marks the start of this attempt.

Using a standard for wireless Ethernet, users have built networks over unlicensed portions of the airwave spectrum, and which they claim works five times faster than the best speeds promised for 3G services. In technical terms the community networks use a standard called 802.11b.

In Europe, telcos that paid millions of dollars to some governments for a slice of the spectrum could be soon hearing the awful sound of gigantic flush if these networks start to attract more of their potential consumers.

Here we have a network of volunteers deploying, at their own expense, a wireless access point on the outside of their home, and connected to their personal computers. Once a series of points are established participants are able to connect into network grid and access a variety of services, including a free voice-over the Internet alternative to fee-based cellular networks.

The legal problem could come from broadband providers over users sharing their connections with strangers.

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Bermuda-based ISI Publications has published what looks like the start of a reference guide to e-commerce in offshore jurisdictions.

Disclaimer: I am the editor of Offshore Online (www.offshoreon.com), which is owned by ISI Publications so you don't have to believe anything I have to say.

The book, Offshore E-Commerce, was co-coordinated by Graham Wood of Appleby Spurling & Kempe, and covers Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Malaysia, and Singapore. Each jurisdiction is covered by a law firm working in the area.

The chapters are very thorough, and are divided into 25 sections according to topics such as legislation, immigration, taxation and current operators in each jurisdiction. While this was a big project to compile, the task in the years ahead will be to expand the coverage to the 20 or more other offshore jurisdictions to make this an "offshore bible" on e-commerce.

"The ability to enter into multi-jurisdictional relationships is often a great deal easier when operating offshore," Mr. Woods says. "Bringing income into multi-currency accounts, and attributing the income to beneficiaries all over the world, is something that is done on a daily basis in offshore jurisdictions that are geared up to the needs of an international clientele." The problem, as he notes, is the downturn in the global economy, and the shakeout in the Internet business, has meant that the flow of the money has lessened considerably - for the moment anyway.

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Watch out for Win32.All3gro.A, a new worm that claims to clean up bad worms on your computer, but is actually a bad worm itself. The new strategy for infecting hard drives is for someone to send you via e-mail a file attachment labelled "ntivirus.exe" with a subject line stating "New Antivirus Tool".

If you get fooled the worm apparently starts messing up the file structure on your computer.

Tech Tattle deals with topics relating to technology. You can contact Ahmed at editor offshoreon.com or (33) 467901474.