eXpert Zone was the first to announce the release of Ubuntu and Kubuntu Hoary 5.04. "Very fresh from the ubuntu-announce mailinglist: Ubuntu Hoary 5.04 has been released! Ubuntu Hoary 5.04 features Gnome 2.10, X.org 6.8.2, faster boot process, better power management, and much, much more. Read the release notes for the complete list, and download either the live CD or the install cd here, available for various architectures. In conjunction with this release, the Kubuntu team is proud to announce the first official release of Kubuntu Hoary 5.04, featuring KDE 3.4. Download Kubuntu here."

Microsoft Research scientists, in cooperation with University of Maryland researchers, have designed two interfaces to support easier use of PDAs and cellphones. Although existing stylus-based gesture systems do not preclude the use of the thumb, no systems have been specifically designed to be operated using the thumb, according to the researchers.

Linspire has always intrigued me, it's a professional class operating system aimed at the mainstream market, and one of the few Linux distributions available in boxed sets. I've never really been a big fan of Linspire though, because I am a power user. Still, I was intrigued enough to inquire about reviewing Linspire, and they were nice enough to provide me with a digital download copy with a trial Click N Run (CNR) subscription. I wasn't too keen about blowing away my Fedora installation (I only have one computer with enough resources to run anything above DOS) but eventually curiousity took over, and I went for it.

NetBSD and Yellow Dog Linux have both begun to support the Mac Mini. Seebach looks at open source operating system options on this new contender in the embedded PowerPC platform space.

Another wrinkle in the ongoing CherryOS saga: having just announced that they were putting the CherryOS Mac emulator project "on hold" indefinitely (amid accusations that their software was inappropriately using PearPC intellectual property), now the CherryOS web site states: "Due to Overwhelming Demand Cherry Open Source Project Launches 5.1.2005."

Software engineers who attend Microsoft's annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference later this month could get their first taste of a new Windows user permissions model that could change the way thousands of programs are developed and run. But as the company prepares for the final Longhorn development push, questions remain about its plans for a new user privileges model called Least-Privilege User Account, or LUA.

This document describes how System.Transactions can be used for transactional applications in the .NET Framework version 2.0.

I have written a detailed description about the steps to be taken to setup a SUSE 9.2 based server 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/IMAP, Quota, Firewall, etc.). In addition to that I will show how to use Debian's package manager apt on an rpm-based system because it takes care of package dependencies automagically which can save a lot of trouble.

This month's Wired magazine has a terriffic story about a team of students from a high school in an economically depressed part of Phoenix, who took part in an underwater-robot building competition against students from the top universities in the country -- and won. All of the students are undocumented Mexican immigrants who don't qualify for most financial aid or even in-state tuition, and therefore can't afford to attend college, in the US, Mexico, or anywhere. When I read the article I determined to try to do something to help give these kids their chance, and I was delighted to discover that their faculty advisor has set up a scholarship fund for them, and I'm about to donate some money to help. I'd like to encourage OSNews readers to read the story, and if they feel the same way, to donate.

Starting next Tuesday, April 12, computers running Microsoft Windows XP without Service Packet 2 installed will not be able to block the upgrade.

In the past two years, Wind River Systems got over its scorn for Linux. Now it's up to Ken Klein, chief executive for 15 months, to do more than embrace the open-source operating system: He's got to find a way to profit from it.

The people at SuntekStore were very kind to send us in a review unit of their latest special product, the Universal Bluetooth Keyboard (BK600) for PDAs & phones. It is dubbed the "Smart Keyboard" and it sells for $109. It is compatible with the most recent PalmOS/PocketPCs PDAs and a large number of Bluetooth phones. We tested it against the Dell Axim x50v. UPDATE: Pictures added.

"SUSE 9.3 has the potential to be a serious contender on the desktop, but sadly I cannot recommend this release to anyone looking for a well-balanced desktop Linux system. While they score points for making use of the latest and greatest desktop environments, new peripheral technology, and usability enhancements, the way they've crippled the multimedia functionality of this one-time world class distro is hard to ignore." Read the review at MadPenguin. UPDATE: Another, quick look at SUSE PRO 9.3.

Functions are the wonderful and powerful building blocks of computer programs. Functions allow you to break code down into simpler, more manageable steps. They also allow you to break programs into reusable parts -- parts that are both reusable within the program and in other programs as well. In this article, learn how to create new functions at runtime based on templates, how to create functions that are configurable at runtime using function parameters, and how the Scheme language can be a valuable tool with functions.