Free Software Linux

UKnow4Kids is a Live DVD Linux distribution compiling educational and gaming software for children 2- to 10-years-old. The distribution is intended for broad usage by a non-technical audience (regular parents). Because UKnow4Kids runs as a "live DVD," no installation or configuration is required, it is essentially indestructible for children's use, and it is impossible for the hard drive of the host PC to be affected when the live DVD is running. UKnow4Kids also runs well on old Intel hardware, so it should run fine on a Pentium II with 256 MB RAM (that's what my kid uses) or better. UKnow4Kids provides a familiar Windows-like/Mac-like user experience, requiring only minimal computer experience to run.

http://www.serverwatch.com/trends/ar...n-American.htm

floppy

Linux Mag article on first Linux Distro's, nice little read.

http://www.linux-mag.com/cache/7721/1.html

"Apple has taken legal action against phone maker HTC, alleging it has infringed patented technology."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8545976.stm

"Copyright is not the only thing that matters online, says Bill Thompson:"

"John Young is a brave and tenacious man, an architect based in New York whose website, cryptome.org, has been a safe online repository for documents that someone, somewhere does not want published."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8544935.stm

Well it appears I forgot to look at my options when I switched to 64bit Linux. It appears I'm missing out on JavaME development. The old Wireless Toolkit 2.5.2 is only in an i486 binary on Linux and the JavaME SDK 3.0 isn't even available!

However, there appears to be some encouraging news for anybody who cares. The following link mentions the interest in a Linux port of the JavaME 3.0 SDK
http://blogs.sun.com/javamesdk/entry...-1240832848000

And since then, they hinted about the Linux release and release a Mac OS version. Lets just hope this also means a 64bit version as-well.

File under what just happened here? According to a press release issued by Microsoft yesterday, it has entered into a cross-licensing patent deal with Amazon.

This covers the Kindle as well the Linux-based servers that Amazon uses, and comes back to the Microsoft claim that a number of Linux implementations are infringing upon patents it holds. This is not the first such deal to be brokered by Microsoft, and the amount of money that Amazon is to pay Microsoft in order to continue using Linux has not been disclosed and probably never will be.

Here's what that Microsoft statement had to say on the matter:

MeeGo* enables an open ecosystem for rapid development of exciting new user experiences

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
• Global leaders Intel Corporation and Nokia merge Moblin and Maemo to create MeeGo*, a Linux-based software platform that will support multiple hardware architectures across the broadest range of device segments, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems.
• MeeGo offers the Qt application development environment, and builds on the capabilities of the Moblin core operating system and reference user experiences. Using Qt, developers can write once to create applications for a variety of devices and platforms, and market them through Nokia's Ovi Store and Intel AppUpSM Center.

"Google is spreading its wings in yet another direction - this time as a network provider, offering super-fast broadband to thousands of US homes."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8509110.stm

PeaZip 3.0.bet features faster archive testing, more informations about job's progress and speed, and more descriptive error messages.
3.x completes the UI development of 2.x line: multiple selection, bookmarks, themes, quick navigation bar on the left of file/archive browser, easier archiving and extraction dialogs etc...

Stable (2.9.1) http://peazip.sourceforge.net/
Beta (3.0.beta) http://peazip.sourceforge.net/index-next.html

If you are willing to contribute a translation, or improve, update, or correct an existing one, your help is really appreciated:

The polls are closed and the results are in. We had a record number of votes cast for the ninth straight year. Congratulations should go to each and every nominee. We once again had some extremely close races and a couple multi-year winners were unseated. The official results:

Desktop Distribution of the Year - Ubuntu (30.13%)
Server Distribution of the Year - Debian (24.24%)
Security/Forensic/Rescue Distribution of the Year - BackTrack (43.48%)
Database of the Year - MySQL (60.81%)
Office Suite of the Year - OpenOffice.org (90.76%)
Browser of the Year - Firefox (65.21%)
Desktop Environment of the Year - Gnome (41.96%)
Window Manager of the Year - Compiz (23.10%)
Messaging App of the Year - Pidgin (48.74%)

This week marks the first milestone release of openSUSE, on the road to 11.3. With their current stable release, 11.2, the distribution made KDE the official default desktop and thanks to their efforts, created the greatest implementation ever.

Now, with version 4.4 on the way the KDE desktop experience from openSUSE is looking to be better than ever.

The KDE Live CD includes a “KDE Quick Start” guide for assisting users find their way around the desktop. It’s an excellent, easy to read document which explains the ins and outs of KDE, providing lots of advice along the way. It’s also available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Mozilla last night announced that two experimental Firefox add-ons, Master Filer and the Sothink Web Video Downloader version 4, infected victim PCs with Trojans when either add-on was installed.

The small-distribution extensions were previously available via Mozilla's add-on site, but have since been removed. According to Mozilla's post, the Master Filer add-on had been downloaded about 600 times and installed the Bifrose Trojan. The Sothink Web Video Downloader version 4 slipped in the LdPinch Trojan, and had been downloaded about 4,000 times.

"A 17-year-old bug in Windows will be patched by Microsoft in its latest security update."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8499859.stm

"In the first case of its kind, an Australian court has ruled that an internet service provider cannot be responsible for illegal downloading."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8498100.stm