IronPython is the codename for an alpha release of the Python programming language for the .NET platform. It supports an interactive interpreter with fully dynamic compilation. It is well integrated with the rest of the framework and makes all .NET libraries easily available to Python programmers.

Intentionally or not, Linspire may be trying to become the "Education Linux" distribution. The desktop Linux software maker, formerly known as Lindows, Thursday launched a new, low-cost licensing program for schools who wish to install a Linux desktop operating system as an alternative to the more expensive Microsoft Windows operating system.

New releases from the GNUstep project include an update to the GNUstep Startup package, which includes all four core GNUstep packages: make, base, gui and back. Updated Windows binaries for the base and gui packages just came out today. Also, recently the latest version of their workspace manager, GWorkspace, was released.

We will try to get a GPRS internet connection using Linux-based phones as modems and route the connection to Mac OS X via Bluetooth. This guide is for Mac OS X, the US Cingular GPRS service only (other providers might work out of the box with the phone, others might not at all -- you never know with GPRS) and any of the Linux-based Motorola smartphones like the A760, A780, E680/i etc (they are all identical regarding their 'modem' functionality).

"In accordance with its commitment to empowering users worldwide with the most innovative Linux operating system, Mandriva today released Mandriva 2006. The new version of the company's flagship product merges pioneer technologies from Conectiva and Lycoris, as well as spanning for the first time a one-year release cycle." Buy it from the Mandriva store, or wait until the download version is released. Update: Gael Duval, the founder of Mandriva, just notified me that Mandriva 2006 can be installed via ftp. Mirrors are here, choose "public ftp mirrors". CD images are not yet available.

"The Porting Team is proud to announce to the Ubuntu world the release of Breezy Badger for three shiny new architectures. The addition of IA64, HPPA (1.1 and later, here) and SPARC (UltraSPARC only, tftpboot/netinstall|cdboot/netinstall) will make Ubuntu available to communities sometimes neglected by other distributions." Please note that the links point to files directly.

"When Windows first shipped, 20 years ago this month, it was considered nothing more than a slow operating environment that had arrived late to the party, well behind the industry leaders, Apple and Xerox PARC. Now, it's the operating system used on nearly 95 percent of all the desktops and notebooks sold worldwide. Take a look at Window's past and present, and what lies ahead in the future, including an interview with Mr. Bill Gates himself."

Due to user donations, Haiku, Inc. has enough money to pay Axel through to at least the end of November, as a full, 40-hour-a-week employee. He has also started maintaining a blog of his work.

Throughout the software industry, there are a lot of great ideas on how to effectively develop software, and a lot of knowledge around technologies, such as J2EE, and .NET, various tool environments. This article introduces the need for an open source process framework and the benefits of such a process to different audiences. It elaborates on the proposal to create an Eclipse technology project.

"The KDE Project today announced the immediate availability of KDE 3.4.3, a maintenance release for the latest generation of the most advanced and powerful free desktop for GNU/Linux and other UNIXes. KDE 3.4.3 ships with a basic desktop and fifteen other packages (PIM, administration, network, edutainment, utilities, multimedia, games, artwork, web development and more)." Here's the changelog, download here.

It seems like all hell has broken loose in the internet services and instant messaging arena. Just yesterday, Microsoft and Yahoo announced that they will make their IM technology work together, and now Google and ComCast have shown interest in AOL. All this just shortly after Google and Sun teamed up.

Although OpenOffice.org had planned to release the final 2.0 version of its open-source office suite on Oct. 13 - the fifth anniversary of the founding of the organization - the company has decided to hold off due to a "show-stopping" problem with the software, community members said Wednesday.

The Ubuntu team is proud to announce Ubuntu 5.10. This is the official Ubuntu 5.10 release, and includes installation CDs, live CDs, and combination DVDs for three architectures. In addition, Kubuntu 5.10 has also been released. You can download Ubuntu here, and Kubuntu here.

The eComStation demo CD is available for download. Now everyone is invited to download it and experience this OS, which is a continuation of IBM's os/2. The focus of eCS is to provide an organization with a set of world class business applications and an application engine which can support multiple API sets. eCS is REXX enabled and comes with support for Java, Windows 3.x (limited 32 bit Windows), OS/2 and DOS applications.