"The Ubuntu team is proud to present the beta release of Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake). With Ubuntu 6.06 Beta comes loads of bug fixes, a new look-and-feel, a new live-CD installer, GNOME 2.14.1, and much more." You can download it as both live-CD and install CD, and as always, available for x86, x86-64, and PowerPC.

"Opera Software today announced the first public beta of Opera 9. This version includes Widgets, small web programs running in their own windows that are fun, easy-to-use and live on users' desktops. The Opera 9 beta also features support for BitTorrent, a popular file downloading technology, in addition to an easy-to-use content blocker and thumbnail previews of tabbed sites. And yes, Opera remains available free of charge."

LLVM 1.7 has been released. "This release contains a completely rewritten llvm-gcc (based on GCC 4.0.1), a brand new SPARC backend, supports GCC-style generic vectors, supports SSE and Altivec intrinsics, support for Objective C/C++, the X86 backend generates much better code and can produce Scalar SSE code, this release has initial DWARF debugging support, includes a new llvm-config utility, has initial support for GCC-style inline assembly, and includes many target-independent code generator and optimizer improvements."

"Microsoft announces the availability of SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 with Database Mirroring, SQL Server Management Studio Express, additional options for ISVs and normal feature fixes. The release of SQL Server 2005 SP1 follows the March 2006 Community Technology Preview and the initiation of a new customer collaboration model, which allowed active customer feedback to drive final updates and routine fixes delivered in this service pack."

After more than 5 million downloads, Microsoft has decided to extend its free Visual Studio Express downloads indefinitely. In related news, they are running a contest too.

As part of its quarterly patch cycle, Oracle on Tuesday released fixes for a long list of security vulnerabilities in many of its products. The Critical Patch Update delivers remedies for 14 flaws related to Oracle's Database products, five related to the Collaboration Suite, one in Application Server, 15 related to E-Business Suite and Applications, two in the Enterprise Manager, one in PeopleSoft's Enterprise portal and one in JD Edwards software.

"Sometimes we don't really see what our eyes are viewing. That's true with your computer screen, and it's true in nature as well. Oh sure, we can say what we think we're seeing, but we're missing the big story such as the man behind the curtain, to recall a famous phrase from an even more beloved movie." Read the article here.

Mark Shuttleworth has announced the plans for the next Ubuntu release - The Edgy Eft, the successor to Dapper Drake. He charts the territory post-Dapper for those of you who like to dream a little.

Efforts to bring glitzy new graphics to Linux are fueling an old conflict: Does proprietary software belong in open-source Linux? The issue involves software modules called drivers, which plug into the kernel at the heart of the open-source operating system. Drivers let software communicate with hardware such as network adapters, hard drives and video cards.

Noted PC Magazine columnist John C. Dvorak was one of the first to predict the release of Boot Camp. His prophesizing continues in his lastest column. "A cloud is rising over Mac OS X and its future unless Apple makes its boldest move ever: turning OS X into an open-source project. That would make the battle between OS X and Linux the most interesting one on the computer scene. With all attention turned in that direction, there would be nothing Microsoft could do to stem a reversal of its fortunes."

Microsoft still isn't talking specifics regarding its Windows Vista pricing plans. But company watchers are predicting that Microsoft could reap big rewards from its planned premium edition push.

A U.S. judge has quashed Microsoft's attempts to obtain documents in its antitrust battle against the European Commission, ruling the software giant was trying to undermine European Union law. Elsewhere, Burst.com has filed a countersuit against Apple Computer claiming that the iTunes software, the iPod and the Quicktime streaming software all infringe on patents held by Burst.com, Burst announced Monday.

While eyes were drawn to Novell as a potential acquisition target for Oracle, a far less expensive Linux distribution was also mentioned as a better fit for the database giant-turned-open-source advocate. The distro was Ubuntu, the most popular Linux flavor, according to the user community site DistroWatch.com. Larry Ellison, Oracle's chairman and CEO, recently made some public comments about wanting his own version of Linux for Oracle. Snapping up Ubuntu would not only save Ellison and Oracle a considerable amount of money, it would also eliminate some of the headaches associated with trying to integrate a company like Novell.

" Let's start with Vista. Fine, so it got delayed by a few months. No big deal. If people can wait for a year, they can definitely wait for a few more months. But with Vista, Microsoft is definitely taking a big leap forward. Right about now, all you Mac fans are clamoring to be heard claiming that Mac OS had all these features for years. True. But with 2-3 percent marketshare in the desktop area, I really don’t think Microsoft is all that worried about the Macintosh platform. And with Vista, most Mac enthusiasts wouldn’t be able to point fingers at Windows users about how sleek (appearance and functionality) their OS looks, because Vista definitely looks comparable. I agree it feels quite raw, but it’s still in Beta, so I’m willing to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt here."