Finding an entry-level home PC that doesn't have a Windows XP sticker on it requires consumers to search through a maze of Web sites. Or if they try calling a major PC maker, the agent is likely to have a hard time steering them toward a Linux-based or bare-bones system.

Sun Tuesday launched the latest assault on the proprietary Microsoft Word document format by offering a new Sun Grid utility service that will convert Word files into ODF. Another Sun Grid utility will convert text files into audio files for podcasts or for playback on Web sites, said Tom Goguen, vice president with Sun's software group.

"Aside from the general unwillingness of VCs to invest in startups, Linux is a no go. Many factors come into play with the primary lack of an exit strategy topping the list. When will Linux companies see the light at the end of the tunnel? Or will they?"

Firefox 1.5 RC1 has been released. New and improved features include automated updates, better navigating performance, drag and drop re-ordering for browser tabs, better support for Mac OS X, and much more.

"This article describes the features and capabilities of MiniGUI, a lightweight graphics framework for embedded systems based on uClinux, Linux, eCos, or proprietary real-time OSes. The article is written by Wei Yongming, who wrote MiniGUI for a CNC (computer numerical control) system, then released it to open source seven years ago."

Eclipse is an open source community focused on developing a universal platform of frameworks and tools that make it easy and cost-effective to build and deploy software. This article gives you information about the latest version of Eclipse, and a guide to some of the most interesting Eclipse projects. Learn what Eclipse is good for, why it is important, how you can get started, and where to learn more about it.

Nokia rebranded its 'Series 60' platform as simply S60. They also released an overview of the 3rd edition Feature Pack 1 of the Nokia UI for the Symbian-based S60, with a new security framework and built-in content protection improve developer investment protection, while still enabling freeware applications. FOTA enables software upgrades to be performed over the air, initiated by either the user or operator. POC brings "walkie-talkie" functionality to mobile devices without the limitation of distance. There are also enhancements to the XHTML browser, a flexible XML based framework for UI customization, stronger multimedia features and improvements in performance. Elsewhere, Palm's CEO says that Palm won't use Symbian because "Nokia owns Symbian", while he claimed that the Palmsource spin off from Palm was a mistake.

Microsoft on Tuesday took the lid off its highly anticipated line of online services, called Windows Live and Office Live. The company has been quick to say that the new products are not meant to replace traditional desktop software, but instead are intended to enhance the Windows experience.

The Open Source Business Conference here will open on Tuesday to the news from the Free Standards Group that the Linux Standards Base has been approved as an ISO standard.

It could be a pivotal week for Microsoft Office - or not. A new move by Google and a pending announcement from Microsoft are generating widespread speculation about the future of the Redmond company's flagship productivity software and its competition.

Open standards and open source software got political on Monday when Linda Hamel, the general counsel for the Massachusetts Information Technology Department, suggested that groups that oppose the OpenDocument file format standard might be influenced by Microsoft. Hamel was testifying before the Senate's committee on Post Audit and Oversight at a hearing regarding the state's switch to the OpenDocument file format.

"On 10-31-2001, we got the user-level prototype working. On 10-31-2002, we got the first in-kernel mount. And today, 10-31-2005, we integrated into Solaris. ZFS will hit the street in a couple of weeks via Solaris Express."

It appears that Sony has been putting nasty payloads onto its copy-protected CDs in the form of a rootkit. "Not only had Sony put software on my system that uses techniques commonly used by malware to mask its presence, the software is poorly written and provides no means for uninstall. Worse, most users that stumble across the cloaked files with a RKR scan will cripple their computer if they attempt the obvious step of deleting the cloaked files. This is a clear case of Sony taking DRM too far."

Slackware users can now run their favourite distribution on Reiser4 partitions without having to re-format other partitions first. With the new Slackware 10.2 Reiser4 Installer one can install this distribution on Reiser4 almost as easy as with the more traditional filesystems (see the screenshot). The installer is distributed as a 20MB .iso image and should to be used with the original Slackware CD set (manual included).