PCBSD 0.7 was released. This release is built from the FreeBSD 5.4 core, and fixes many bugs from earlier versions, as well as updating the package manager/creator.

Java Swing comes with "pluggable look-and-feel technology", which essentially boils down to the fact that interfaces can be "skinned" (although this is simplifying a tad) and is therefore, extremely flexible. By default, Java ships with a cross-platform look-and-feel (LAF), which means your apps can look consistent across all platforms, or LAFs that mimic the look of a specific platform, say Windows, for example. However, one of the chief complaints of Java desktop applications is its "look". It basically stems from two issues:

HaikuNews has a screenshot of a test app running on the Haiku app_server (under R5, but does run under Haiku itself the same) using alpha blending and a number of interface kit widgets - buttons, radio buttons, text boxes, and textfields.

A new Sun BluePrints article discusses the differences between Containers and Zones, and how to get the most out of them. The pdf file is located here.

"What BitMover Got Wrong" over at The Better-SCM site analyzes the wrong state of mind that guided BitMover, BitKeeper's parent company in the long, eventful and sad history of its gratis product.

TrustedReviews published a review of OSX 10.4 Tiger, with screenshots.

Microsoft is getting ready to provide an early peek at new Windows software that aims to help consumers deal with the plethora of Internet logins. Also, more on Windows XP "Eiger", the lean Windows client.

"Opera Software recently released version 8.00 of its eponymous Web browser. I decided to see how the new version of the popular commercial browser compares to the open source Mozilla Firefox 1.0. I found both Firefox and Opera are capable browsers, and though they are very different, they each has much to offer any user." Read more at NewsForge.

The first development release of Ubuntu Linux 5.10, code name "Breezy Badger", is now available for testing. Colony CD 1 is the first in a series of milestone CD images that will be released throughout the Breezy development cycle, as images that are known to be reasonably free of showstopper CD-build or installer bugs, while representing very current snapshots of Breezy. Screenshots are available. If you're interested in following changes as we further develop Breezy, have a look at the breezy-changes list. Bug reports should go here.

Microsoft's next game console - the Xbox 360 - will integrate with the companies Windows XP Media Center 2005 operating system. This feature will allow consumers to view HD video and utilize the new Xbox's power for local processing. Microsoft has stated that this integration will have much higher performance than the original Media Center Extender that was offered last year for the first-gen Xbox. You can read the story here.

Long after no NeXT hardware will function anymore, future generations will be able to have a 'live' peek at the NeXTSTEP OS (as opposed to still screenshots) via Madonna's Rain video clip from 1993. I noticed it by watching the video on my Pocket PC and had to share it with you. Check in for screengrabs.

In an effort to stem the tide of misinformation that has swirled around this topic since the initial blog post was picked up several weeks ago, Kurt Pfeifle has authored an 18 point article , which clarifies the KHTML/Webcore relationship in hopes that the confusion will stop. Comments on this story on dot.kde.org indicate that a lot of work is going on behind the scenes; it is not being mentioned in public (such as through blogs) due to the amount of flaming the topic has caused thus far.

Nintendo, once the unrivaled king of the home video game business, released details of its planned new game console and unveiled a new mini-portable device called the Game Boy Micro. The new console is said to be "only" 3-5 times faster than the GameCube.

Lluis, explains how Mono is not mono-language with two excellent screencasts that demo debugging across Java, Boo, and C# and the more practical application of interop between the Boo and Java languages all running under one runtime, Mono.