The following is the experience of a user of Linux for the desktop who got a Mac Mini. Is he making the switch?

Service Pack 1 is now available for download in MyQNX section of QNX.com. SP1 addresses critical issues in virtual memory management and embedded (NOR) flash file systems. It also incorporates maintenance fixes to both the Momentics tools and the Neutrino operating system - addressing issues in the IDE, command line tools, OS, Filesystem, and Networking components.

Sun today announced the largest single release of patent innovations into the open source community by any organization to date, marking a significant shift in the way Sun positions its intellectual property portfolio. By giving open source developers free access to Sun OpenSolaris related patents under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL), the company is fostering open innovation and establishing a leadership role in the framework of a patent commons.

The CentOS Development Team has released CentOS 4.0 (Beta) for three architectures (i386, x86_64, and ia64).

The government is taking a long look at the upcoming operating system, and wants to make sure that it complies with the antitrust ruling. The desktop version of Longhorn is due in 2006, while the server edition arrives in 2007.

Jef Raskin, co-creator of the Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface, has received a $2 million dollar boost to his Humane Environment project (now know as RCHI). You can download an early version from the projects website, and Raskin hopes to finish the project within 18 months. Will this be a paradigm shift in user interfaces?

Aiming to crack down on counterfeit software, Microsoft plans later this year to require customers to verify that their copy of Windows is genuine before downloading security patches and other add-ons to the operating system.

The source code to DTrace is now available for public download here, more info on a blog entry introducing the code here.

Apple has quietly cut prices on build-to-order (BTO) components for its new Mac mini. The company is now offering the Bluetooth and AirPort Extreme wireless option for US$99 (was $129), the 1GB DDR333 SDRAM upgrade for $325 (was $475), and the 80GB ultra ATA hard drive upgrade for $50 (was $80). Apple is also now listing an 8x SuperDrive option instead of the previous 4x model for the same $100 cost. Elsewhere, a Mac user reviews the iPod Shuffle ($149) vs the Sandisk MP3 player ($138, $118 with rebate), both with 1 GB of Flash memory and similar pricing but with different feature-set.

This is expected to be the last of the 4.X releases, and will be an Errata Branch. Well-tested fixes to basic functionality will be committed to the branch in addition to the normal security fixes. Most developers are now focused on 5.X or the cutting-edge development in HEAD.

For those who haven't been following the EROS project, it has now migrated to the Coyotos project. EROS, the Extremely Reliable Operating System, was a project to create an operating system whose security relied on capabilities rather than the traditional Unix model of root or non-root.

Red Hat plans new division, software release aimed at luring government users.

A push mechanism is the delivery of unsolicited information to a mobile device. Learn how to set up a PPG on your own, configure the settings to your own taste, develop push content, and test it with a mobile handset simulator over a TCP/IP network on a LAN.

A while back, OSNews had an article about the Open Graphics Project. The project has progressed significantly, and now there is an interview on KernelTrap.org about the progress, status, and future of this 3D graphics project. If you're interested in how the chip works, there's even a C++ software model of the OpenGL renderer you can look at.