"Version 0.8.2 is now available, with some important bugfixes and changes. This update adds SMP support to the system, for our multi-processor friends, as well as fixing an issue with "mountroot", after performing an installation. Please see the changelog for a full description of the changes. People running 0.8.1 need not download the full ISO again, since the update to 0.8.2 is available as on Online Update, through the PC-BSD update manager." Read the release notes, and download here.

"Earlier in the week, I conducted a lengthy phone interview with Aaron Seigo about the Open Source Desktop Workshop being held in San Diego on October 13th and 14th. Fast approaching, we discuss the workshop's inception, target audience and expectations."

According to the Cola Coder, an upcoming update to ZETA 1.0 will enable booting from USB devices. This will not only allow installation of ZETA on laptops that do not have an optical drive, but it will also make it possible to install to and run ZETA from a USB memory stick.

"This is a detailed description about the steps to be taken to setup a Ubuntu based server (Ubuntu 5.0.4 - The Hoary Hedgehog) that offers all services needed by ISPs and hosters (web server (SSL-capable), mail server (with SMTP-AUTH and TLS), DNS server, FTP server, MySQL server, POP3/POP3s/IMAP/IMAPs, Quota, Firewall, etc.)."

The Java programming language is powerful, but it has significant limitations for lightweight development. For certain problems, other programming languages such as Ruby may lead to better productivity. This article shows you what's important for productivity in an application's language.

"With release, Apple was tested - and they failed miserably. Not only did I warn Apple to take 95 more seriously, I also accurately forecast the massive decline that would happen to them if they didn't do just that. The MS platform has changed dramatically and it is much greater than just the operating system these days. Apple, on the other hand, hasn't advanced nearly as much but they are predominantly consumer-based today and less vulnerable to this comparative weakness as a result. Just like the last time, they will largely leverage hardware this time, and, as before, they will be up against companies with resources that eclipse their own."

Exigo is a new desktop environment project, being developed in Python and C++ using GTK+ as the GUI toolkit. The main aims of Exigo are usability, simplicity, and flexibility. Exigo also aims to introduce new concepts to the desktop, such as the use of tabs instead of standard windows. It mainly revolves around a desktop search engine, which indexes all your applications and files, and displays a list of matching files and apps when the user searches for something. See a mockup here, and read docs here. Please note that there is no release yet.

"Writing a tips article is tricky. Especially for such a hallowed and 'hardcore' distribution as Slackware. Veteran users want incredibly good tips. New users considering giving Slack a whirl, and who may be afraid of the BSD-style and command line mystique, want tips that bring accessibility and understanding to Slackware. Find that balance here. From simple bash techniques, to assuring your anonynimity on public Wi-Fi, this article will walk you through the Slackware tips most valuable to you."

In a recent interview, ESR shocked a lot of people when he said, "We don't need the GPL anymore." Federico Biancuzzi recently contacted RMS, founder of the Free Software Movement and initial developer of the GNU system (the G in "GLAMP"), to talk about the past, the present, and the future of the GNU GPL. Among other things, they discussed the new clauses of the upcoming GPL version 3.

Graphics drivers developed for Vista, Microsoft's next generation operating system, will be far more stable than their Windows XP-based counterparts, and not crash the operating system anymore, an executive of graphics chip developer ATI said.

Powerscale4ppc (Power and Frequency Scaling for the IBM PowerPC 970) is an IBM free-trial emerging technology power management solution that demonstrates a power management implementation for the PPC970FX and CPC925 bridge chips on the Maple-D PC970FX evaluation platform running on Linux. This technology demonstrates how to dynamically scale the system’s operating frequency from F to F/2, in order to create a cooler, more power-efficient system.

ExtremeTech concludes its Hacking Firefox series with a how-to on tweaking navigation and tab browing settings in Firefox. Some hacks are pretty basic; other hacks involve a little programming.

The wraps have been taken off of new Palm PDAs. The most notable one is the new Treo 700w: a 1.0 megapixel camera, EV-DO, Bluetooth, 64MB of memory, and, most notably, Windows Mobile 5.0. A new Zire (Z22) and Tungsten (TX) have also been revealed.

"Usually, a distro's most recognizable feature is the desktop environment. With SymphonyOS, the screenshots are the first hint that this is not your ordinary remix. SymponyOS is a bold step into a new desktop paradigm. It features such innovations as the Mezzo desktop environment, the Orchestra application environment, and the apt-plus software installation tool. Ryan Quinn, the lead developer of SymphonyOS, took some time out to talk with me about the distro and a few other subjects."