The experts at the Applied XML DevCon last week didn't just show off shiny new features (though they did get a preview of the XML capabilities built into Whidbey). They honestly discussed the flaws in XML technologies and what has to be done to address them.

Can SLES9 be a viable server solution as an answer to using a Windows 2003 Server? Read the full article at Flexbeta.

Some FreeBSD and Linux coverage in Aug and Oct issues of Network Computing Asia: FreeBSD still Packs a Wallop, Inside Linux, Where Does Linux Work?.

Sources uncover new eye candy, smart font collections, a security certificate assistant, and more in some of the latest development builds of Apple next-generation operating system.

The new tools and enhancements make it easier for development organizations to build, extend, integrate, modernize, and deploy software and software-based systems. The new set of products include a UML-based visual modeling tool, a design and construction tool, and a comprehensive IDE that enables developers to quickly design, develop, analyze, test, profile, and deploy Web, Web services, Java, J2EE, and portal applications.

Former Microsoft employee and software-development pundit Joel Spolsky shares his two cents on what's going on with Microsoft.

A new type of material, called graphene, is a gigantic wafer-shaped single molocule the thickness of an atom. Graphene is a member of the fullerene molecule family, like buckyballs and nanotubes. It could make a great semiconductor material, allowing for ultra-fast, stable transistors. More at BBCNews.

The Game Cube Linux project recently released a short tutorial to show how to patch and recompile a vanilla kernel to let it run on your Game Cube. This story at PPC Nerds mentions that fact and a few other tidbits about Linux on gaming consoles. With the gamecube and the future xBox running on PowerPC hardware, all that time spent tinkering with Linux on old Macs may do you some good.

Microsoft's chief executive believes it's naive to suggest the software giant can eliminate all security vulnerabilities in its various products even though engineers are trying hard to do so. Hackers get smarter, too, Steve Ballmer told several thousand information-technology workers at the Gartner Symposium ITXPO.

Perl is an incredibly flexible language, but its ease of use can lead to some sloppy and lazy programming habits. We're all guilty of them, but there are some quick steps you can take to improve the performance of your Perl applications. This article looks at the key areas of optimization, which solutions work and which don't, and how to continue to build and extend your applications with optimization and speed in mind.

Take on our poll below and vote for your favorite OS installer (Javascript required).

Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit launched Virtual PC for Mac Version 7. Then, a Hawaiian company specializing in streaming video introduced CherryOS, a virtual PC that mimics the hardware of a G4 Mac. CherryOS inventor Arben Kryeziu, a software developer who got tired of carrying both a Mac and a PC all over Hawai, is confident the computing world will find value in his innovation. However, questions remain if his CherryOS is simply a modified PearPC. Update: An interesting conspiracy theory has been posted here.

"Open source software vendors Red Hat Inc and MySQL AB have lent their support to a new campaign against software patents in the European Union under the name NoSoftwarePatents.com." Read more at cbronline.

Chris, over at osdir.com, has put together a few new slideshows, this time of Mandrake Move, Mandrake's Live CD, and Kurumin Linux 3.3, a new Brazilian distribution.