"I have very mixed feelings about this release of Slackware. I do not think that the underlying philosophy of Slackware is obsolete. The concept of a system that can be configured and molded to the n'th degree is still in my opinion very much a good idea. However, this release of Slackware is not without its problems in execution." Read the review here.

The next two years will be crucial for software giant Microsoft. Under attack on numerous fronts, it could falter - or fight back to become even more dominant. In the first of two reports, BBC examines the challenges facing Microsoft.

Two very critical security vulnerabilities in FireFox, were discovered by security researchers. The security breaches affect all versions, including the latest release, and allow an attacker to take control of the system. read more

We got in a new loaner from LinuxCertified.com, the brand new LC2210D model: a Centrino 1.80 GHz CPU, 512 MBs of RAM, Intel Extreme gfx card, 40 GB drive and a 14" XGA TFT screen. The laptop comes with the latest Ubuntu installed and sells for $1249. Read more for our review.

A quick glance at the PPC version of Kubuntu's LiveCD. Some screenshots too of this Ubuntu derived distribution.

This chapter details the installation and configuration of various Novell Open Enterprise Server clients, and can serve as a cheat sheet for Novell OES administrators.

Want to keep your build file lean, mean, and totally maintainable? Marcus Zarra tells you why Jakarta's Ant is a relatively easy-to-use way to build your projects (and how to avoid its common pitfalls).

Now that you're up close and personal with the Mobile 3D API and had a look at how 3D graphics were added in to mobile Java applications, Mikko Kontio continues his series with a look at how 3D modeling software can be used to make things simpler to code and to design.

Over at Cocoa Dev Central, Scott Stevenson has written an easy to follow tutorial on building a Core Data application from scratch. Lots of good screenshots along the way and very easy to follow, even if you have minimal programming experience.

Opera Software has released Opera 8.01 Technical Preview 1 for Windows. Important changes include several crash fixes and a plugged memory leak related to XMLHttpRequest.

"Build a Dashboard Widget", "Building Cocoa-Java Apps with Eclipse", "Generic Java Types, Part 2" and "Creating a Windows DLL with Visual Basic". Enjoy the weekend reading.

Two DB skills are better than one and can expand your potential compensation scale. If you've had experience with Oracle and now are starting or want to learn DB2 Universal Database, this article will help you leverage your previous experience and put you on the fast track for learning how to move data from one machine to another, or from one platform to another.

A request we have gotten a few times in our inbox concerns how to develop software for the Mac. Usually the person writing is a switcher from the Windows world who has dabbled in Basic, C# or maybe some C++. Once they get their first Macintosh, they realize that they can’t use Visual Studio on the Mac, and pretty much have to start over.

Stuart Cohen, CEO of the Open Source Development Labs, does a short piece on the myth of renegade hackers coding in their parent's basements to create the Linux OS. He suggests this hasn't been the case for many years and goes on to claim that of the top 25 core developers, more than 90% of them are fully employed with some of the largest technology companies in the world.