"Ok, that headline may be a bit overblown - but Microsoft Research has released part of a report on the Singularity kernel they've been working on as part of their planned shift to network computing. The report includes some performance comparisons that show Singularity beating everything else on a 1.8Ghz AMD Athlon-based machine. What's noteworthy about it is that Microsoft compared Singularity to FreeBSD and Linux as well as Windows/XP - and almost every result shows Windows losing to the two Unix variants."

As reported previously, the NetBSD Foundation made a call for donations a few months ago. This was widely publicized, and the open source community responded generously, donating almost $30000,- (E25500,-). As also previously noted, this money was earmarked for specific purchases, and the NetBSD Project would like to let its users know what in particular was bought from these donations. Please see Thor Lancelot Simons detailed summary for information regarding what was bought, the current status and a long list of people that made all this possible.

Some governments have embraced the potential of open source, while others seem culturally opposed to the whole concept. Deciding what lies at the heart of some countries' almost-zealous uptake of open source is not as simple as looking at the cold, hard costs - politics, national security, anti-Americanism and innovation all have a part to play.

"The purpose of this document is to detail proposed projects and direction based on an analysis of the existing desktops on Solaris and Linux, but with input from MS Windows and Mac OS/X also being taken into account. Post Solaris 10 a significant effort is being put into making Solaris simple for everyone (not just sys-admins), and this is being done from the ground up. The Keep it Simple Solaris (KiSS) project is at the heart of this."

The Cell Broadband Engine is a breakthrough microprocessor with unique capabilities for applications requiring video, 3D graphics, or high-performance computation for imaging, security, visualization, healthcare, surveillance and more. The following technologies are from the CBE Software Development Kit v1.0 that provides everything Cell software developers need to create, build, simulate, and test Cell applications.

Microsoft has suggested that companies who can't find programmers skilled in .Net should consider retraining their Java experts. Mark Quirk, Microsoft UK's head of technology for development and platforms, admitted on Monday that there aren't enough developers in the market who can help companies migrate to .Net.

Before Apple acquired NeXT for its NeXTStep operating system, it was working on a modern operating system of its own. Named after the popular American composer, Aaron Copland, the OS was a complete rewrite of the existing Mac OS that supported multitasking, protected memory and a brand new look that would eventually be rolled into Mac OS 8 as Platinum. The project stagnated under the leadership of Gil Amelio, and was canceled after it became clear it could not be completed. Read the story at Low End Mac.

LinuxFanBoy writes: "A very funny article by a European Linux guy who approaches the subject with humor. He's someone who has never used Windows and has only Gentoo Linux."

Bob Young is, arguably, one of the most influential figures in the development of Linux and open source. By co-founding Red Hat with Mark Ewing in 1993, Young helped turn Linux into a household name (although himself uses Mac OS X). After being involved with Red Hat for more than 12 years, Young recently stepped down from Red Hat's board of directors. NewsForge caught up with him to see what his plans are, and what his thoughts are on Red Hat and the future of open source.

LG and SavaJe Technologies have annoucned a handset using SavaJe OS, a Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) Connected Device Configuration (CDC) based open OS. Elsewhere, Palm is not going to abandon PalmOS until 2010 (well, except if RIM buys them, we guess), two new Motorola Razr phones carry the iTunes software, and finally, Siemens/BenQ dumps Symbian for Windows Mobile.

The KDE Marketing Working Group has formed, after being proposed by the KDE community at aKademy 2005, with the aim of improving KDE's marketing and promotion efforts. Martijn Klingens, Sebastian Kügler and Wade Olson will be taking the lead in coordinating and implementing new practices, such as promoting releases more widely and running more exciting events booths.

November's update is much different than last month's update since Microsoft released only one patch today. This month's security bulletin affects Microsoft Windows and the highest maximum severity rating for this is critical.

It's that time again, folks. "I realize the title might mislead you to believe that I've been trapped in a dank, dark underground dungeon for a year. In reality, though, I have been without Microsoft Windows for over a year. On November 1 of last year I blew away my old Windows 98/SUSE Linux 8.0 Professional dual-boot installation, and loaded SUSE Linux 9.2 Professional, by itself, on my box. While I know others have been Windows-free for much longer than a year, others simply cannot imagine doing without it. Here's my experience." Be gentle.

Monday was the first day since 1986 that the stock of Silicon Graphics Inc., better known as SGI, has not been traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its recent delisting is just the latest chapter of a long, painful story that analysts say is loaded with lessons for other companies. However, company executives say SGI's customer base remains loyal and its technology base is strong enough to sustain it, albeit in narrow vertical markets.