The OpenBSD team earlier this month released version 3.6 of the free operating system, with support for more hardware, updated application software, and bug fixes included. This time around OpenBSD has added support for multi-CPU systems, a number of drivers for new peripheral hardware, and about 200 more apps to the Ports tree. NewsForge took the new version for a spin, and liked what they found.

Linux kernel 2.4.28 was released this morning. Click here to download the new kernel (patch), or here to see the changelog.

An extended version of the CRUX PPC 2.0 GNU/Linux distribution for the Apple and Pegasos II systems...more.

In the latest episode of LugRadio, they discuss whether the involvement of large corporations, such as Novell, is a good thing for open source software. It gets quite heated, as two sides emerge - one that hates corporatism, and the other that can't see a future without a more professional approach.

Based on this article it looks like the upcoming Mac OS X 10.3.7 update right now focuses on FireWire Audio, Graphics and Postscript.

Few impressions and tips after a Gentoo 2004.3 installation. A couple of screenshots included.

Have you had your Java Heap looked at lately, well maybe you should. It could be oozing something nasty. Why walk around wondering if your Heap has a leak? Use the free HeapAnalyzer graphical tool and check yourself before your wreck yourself.

Linux laptop support has been in my experience abysmal at best. Things that just work when running Windows XP are either horribly broken, or simply not implemented at all under Linux. Many Linux distributions have little or no real ACPI support. Imagine using your laptop without a battery meter, or any noticeable fan control whatsoever. Due to the lack of mature ACPI support in most modern distributions, I have had to deal with a very large amount of suffering.

Novell has released their Novell Linux Desktop 9 this past week. An evaluation copy is available for download for the price of signing up for a Novell login. It's a small price to pay to get your hands on what is certainly a true Linux business desktop, well suited for the business class end-user and well-supported by Novell's Ximian Red Carpet Service, says OrangeCrate.

Passwords will soon be a thing of the past, replaced by biometric and smart-card technology, Bill Gates reiterated on Tuesday. He also detailed his company's plan for computer management software and announced a long-awaited Windows update tool.

In response to Red Hat's Owen Taylor's call to find ways to reduce boot time, progress is being made. Graphs here and here show the status. If this work continues we are likely to see a more efficient boot sequence. Hopefully this kind of work will continue on other major subsystems of the Linux desktop.

After 2 years of development, there is now a BSD-licensed web services technology that competes with the allegedly overcomplex Microsoft SOAP technology: XINS. XINS is heavily based on Java and XML. Main design goals include simplicity, scalability and testability. Features include transaction logging, log documentation, and automatic generation of HTML docs, test forms, client-side and server-side code. A comprehensive user guide is available.

Tired of VMWare's emulation slowing you down? Topologilinux has the solution. Topologilinux allows you to install its image into a single file in your Windows file system (Anyone remember BeOS PE?) This allows you to run the Slackware-based distro without spending the system resources on a VM. While the idea seems plausible, LinuxForumsDOTorg's Jeremy wasn't very impressed.

Anyone who registers with Sun will be able to use Solaris for free on servers with x86 processors, said John Loiacono, executive vice president of Sun's software business. It's not a totally free lunch, though: Sun will provide security updates in the free version but will charge an annual subscription fee for bug fixes and support.