"Linux works. This is a very matter-of-fact statement, but it is one many people (myself included) make every day when they boot up their computers. It is not a perfect product, it would not be sensible to expect something as complex as an operating system to be flawless, but fact remains that Linux does work. On the software side of things the open source community has done a very good job of making this clear, but the other half of computing, hardware, this movement has not been as successful. Every day Linux users encounter driver and compatibility issues which Windows users have not had to deal with for years."

"SUSE Linux 10.1 Alpha4 is ready for testing. New significant changes in 10.1 Alpha4 since 10.1 Alpha3: further integration of NetworkManager (note: NetworkManager is on by default on NLD/SUSE Linux and off on SLES); Updates to all parts of the system, especially new bash version (3.1), new Linux kernel (2.6.15 rc5), KDE 3.5 final, GNOME 2.12.2, and X.Org 6.9 rc3." Mirrors are here for the three supported architectures (x86, x86-64, and PPC).

"Microsoft will move the graphics for its next version of Windows outside of the operating system's kernel to improve reliability, the software giant has told Techworld. Vista's graphics subsystem, codenamed Avalon and formally known as the Windows Presentation Foundation, will be pulled out the kernel because many lock-ups are the result of the GUI freezing, Microsoft infrastructure architect Giovanni Marchetti told us exclusively yesterday."

"The year 2005 has been chock full of Power Architecture news - from Apple's departure from the Power Architecture family to the up and coming Cell Broadband Engine processor; from Blade.org to Power.org; and from being named fastest growing semiconductor supplier of 2005 to being named 2005 Top Fab, find out why Power Architecture technology is having the best year ever."

"ActiveState has announced the end of engineering support for Visual Perl, Visual Python, and Visual XSLT, effective immediately. The plug-ins will not be updated for Visual Studio 2005, and there will be no further maintenance on the Visual Studio 2003- and 2002-compatible versions. Due to the necessary inclusion of Visual Studio integration code in Visual Perl, Visual Python, and Visual XSLT, the plug-ins will not be open-sourced."

The Sony PSP is a very popular gadget this year. Coupling not only 3D gaming but also web, podcast support, mp3, photo and video viewer makes it not only a formidable multimedia device but also a great Christmas present. Geeks.com sent us in a PSP for multimedia testing and we also got the newly-released Neuros Recorder II to test the full capabilities of the device as a multimedia one.

DarwinPorts 1.2 has been released. "The DarwinPorts Project's main goal is to provide an easy way to install various open-source software products on the Darwin OS family (OpenDarwin, Mac OS X and Darwin). There are currently about 3038 completed and usable ports, with more being added on a regular basis."

The Open Source Development Labs has voiced cautious optimism that its latest initiative could finally herald a mass-market for Linux on the desktop. OSDL is pushing ahead with Project Portland, to develop a common set of core technical requirements for Linux and open source software on the desktop, following a meeting of 47 companies and organizations it hosted earlier this month. Portland has identified a core set of areas, spanning the interface, plug-and-play, drivers and the kernel, that OSDL members will flesh out.

"Unlike a lot of people, I get very excited when a new beta of Ubuntu/Kubuntu is released. It's amazing how Ubuntu has taken the Linux community by storm over the past couple of years. Finally, Linux is stepping up to be a real contender on the desktop." Here is a first look at Ubuntu, and here at Kubuntu.

Microsoft has decided which icon it will use for RSS feeds in Internet Explorer 7. Now, I hear you say, so what? Well, the funny thing is, Microsoft teamed up with the Mozilla team on this one. They decided that it's in the user's best interest that both browsers use the same icon for RSS. And so it happened that Microsoft chose Firefox's icon.

It's been a long, strange trip for the personal computer over 30 years. Ars takes a look back at the comings and goings of players in the PC market, from Altair to Zeta OS, to see how we got where we are today. "When you step back and look at the big picture, the overall dominance of the PC becomes clear. However, this was not always the case, and in fact it wasn't until 1986 that the PC platform first surpassed 50% market share. This was more than a decade after the first personal computer was sold."

Microsoft on Wednesday clinched Common Criteria security certification from the US government's National Information Assurance Partnership for six versions of its flagship Windows OS. At the Security Summit East here, Microsoft announced that all the products earned the EAL 4 + (Evaluation Assurance Level), which is the highest level granted to a commercial product.

Bob Sutor from IBM, Alan Yates from Microsoft, Bill Sproull from Sun, Peter Quinn, MA CIO, and others sat elbow to elbow in the Massachusetts Senate Reading Room today and answered questions to a crowd of legislators, press and industry representatives about ODF and Microsoft's XML Reference Schema. Here's an unelaborated report of who said what, transcribed in real time as they said it, and a link to the full audio tape as well.

The second milestone of the development of Ubuntu Linux 6.04 "Dapper Drake" has been reached: There is now a new graphical x86 CD bootloader screen, using gfxboot; default vga16fb resolution changed to 640x400; new udev-based PCMCIA infrastructure supporting the new kernel etc.