"Realm Systems has developed a portable computer likely to appeal to real geeks: a server so small it can fit in your pocket. This review is going to take a look at Realm Systems BlackDog. It is the smallest Linux server, weighing in at 1.6 ounces. It’s smaller than the size of a PDA and can be plugged into the USB (Universal Serial Bus) port of any computer running Linux, Windows 2000 or Windows XP."

With a recent releases of the new kernels (latest being 022stab050) and tools we can now declare OpenVZ status as stable. There has been a lot of advances during last three months of development: better OS templates and tools, improved stability due to a lot of openvz and mainstream bug fixes, better CPU fair scheduler, support for x86_64 and IA64 architectures, and a lot of new hardware (see the hardware compatibility list)

The Apache Geronimo application server supports Web services along with other aspects of the latest Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition specification. This article describes how to use Web services facilities provided by the Apache Geronimo application server to build Web services-enabled J2EE applications. It demonstrates how the Geronimo application server relies on robust support for J2EE standards, providing a number of facilities for building both Web services and their clients.

"This article will show you how to easily setup a free DNS service that will give your Mac computer a static hostname. There are a lot of possibilities you can use this for, as most of the Internet connections offer dynamic IP addresses. Having a dedicated hostname can make it easier to remotely connect to your computer and run any kind of server."

Trolltech has updated its software suite for Linux-based mobile phones. Qtopia Phone Edition (QPE) version 2.2 adds VoIP capabilities targeting dual-mode and "converged" devices, among other enhancements. Updated screenshot here.

This is an interesting method of speeding up your debugging phase. This article gives a background on Linux signals with examples specifically tested on PPC Linux, then goes on to show how to design your handlers to output information that lets you quickly home in on failed portions of code.

Visopsys 0.6 introduces a host of new functionality including a cleaned up desktop with icons for browsing the computer, file systems, and administrative tasks, FAT defragmenting, ELF dynamic linking, a built in chain-boot loader and simple MBR formatting, file browsing widgets and dialogs, Windows .ico icon file support, a generic file viewing program, Italian keyboard support, new icons and a new splash screen.

GNOME 2.12.2 has been released, as the second maintenance release in the 2.12 series. Download the tarballs of the platform, desktop and bindings.

This latest installment in the Core series from Prentice Hall PTR is a welcome arrival to the PHP/MySQL space. It is jam packed with useful information. At a little over 850 pages, this volume contains information on nearly every topic of interest in both the PHP and MySQL subject areas. The author, Marc Wandschneider, brings considerable industry experience to the book and it shows in the detailed explanations that fill every page.

"With Windows Vista, the Media Center functions will be built into the "Home Premium" and "Ultimate" editions, which will probably quadruple its installed base in no time flat. We all know Windows Vista will cause a huge change in the way the desktop looks and feels, and MCE is getting a similar face-lift." More at ExtremeTech.

The second beta of Vista will not come until next year. Microsoft did not give a time frame for the release of Beta 2 of the operating system, and said only that it would have more to say next year. MS had not said when Beta 2 will come, but some had expected it might come in December or January. More here, and here is a review of build 5259 that was supposed to be the November CTP, but actually wasn't (get it?). In related news, Microsoft has entered the beta period for Windows OneCare Live.

"Firefox 1.5 is finally out the door, and Thunderbird 1.5 won't be far behind. The new releases sport some interesting new features, including faster page navigation, redesigned preferences dialogs, a new update system, and much more. Let's take a look at what the Mozilla Foundation has been up in the year since the first major release of Firefox."

"How can Microsoft kill Python? When I say 'kill', I mean 'seriously damage the relevance of Python'. I don't mean that Microsoft, as some have suggested, will work on IronPython for a while, get people using it, then hijack the language by seriously changing the syntax of it and thereby breaking compatibility with CPython. So, how does this damage the relevance of Python? If Microsoft, who is investing considerable time and money to create a .Net implementation of Python, only refers to IronPython as a 'dynamic language' and only pushes it as a 'scripting language', many people will begin to assume that that's all that it is good for."

There is an object relational mapper out there that is a hidden gem. Instead of creating a full domain model, its job is to map Java objects directly to SQL statements. This framework is called iBatis, and its goal is to implement 80% of the JDBC boilerplate code you would otherwise have to do yourself. In addition, it provides a simple mapping and API layer that lets developers quickly develop data access code. This article explains how iBatis can help you.