Often the solution given to newbies in response to their computer programs is to format c:. However funny the theoretical outcome of this action may be, this suggestion is often made without the suggester really knowing what will happen. This afternoon I decided to look at format c: and it's cousin rm -Rf / and found some pretty interesting results.

MozillaZine reports that Firefox 1.0-RC1 has been released to the world.

Harman (maker of Harman Kardon and JBL audio gears) has bought QNX.

Ryan McBride requests the help of the OpenBSD community in convincing Texas Instruments to change the license of their firmware for the ZCX100 802.11b chipset. Theo de Raadt makes a similar request directed at Intel. A success story from Theo de Raadt in using this tactic on Adaptec. This is also important for Linux and the rest of the BSDs. I had to "pirate" my Prism's firmware files in order to make the pcmcia card work with my Linuces. I don't see the point of keeping these firmware files bound.

Builder AU have an article testing four Web development tools based on ease of use, features and functionality, User interface development, code development, platform and language support, and documentation. Products tested include Zend, ASP.NET WebMatrix, Dreamweaver MX, and NitroX.

In the thousands of meetings that Microsoft employees have with customers around the world every day, many of the same questions consistently surface: Does an open source platform really provide a long-term cost advantage compared with Windows?

Many users submitted the news of the release of Mandrake 10.1 Official. Mandrakelinux 10.1 includes Linux kernel 2.6.8.1, Gnome 2.6, KDE 3.2.3, and GCC 3.4.1. Mandrake touts the benefits of better Centrino support, expanded Bluetooth support, and improved laptop support, which includes ACPI and wireless chip support. Mandrake 10.1 Official can be purchased now.

Even as Silicon Graphics trumpeted on Tuesday a new speed record with the Columbia supercomputer it built for NASA, CNET News.com has learned, it quietly submitted another, faster result: 51.9 trillion calculations per second. SGI also plans to announce a new Linux computer Nov. 1, a machine that uses Intel's newest Itanium 2 processor and packs the chips twice as compactly as current machines do.

Miguel de Icaza has just posted his minute of second mono summit. This provides a lot of interesting information about mono improvements. Among others mentions "stetic" the new Gtk# GUI designer, Gtk# databindings, and a better way to package mono.

Another front in the on-going battle between Microsoft and Google is about to be opened. By the end of 2004 Microsoft aims to launch search software to find any kind of file on a PC hard drive. The move is in answer to Google's release of its own search tool that catalogues data on desktop PCs. The desktop search market is as Google, AOL, Yahoo and many smaller firms tout programs that help people find files.

The software industry is undergoing a gradual transformation, and consumer fatigue is at its root. The licensing model that has formed the basis for the modern software industry is facing challenges on many fronts, and the industry is scrambling to keep its footing. Where this period of change may lead software producers and consumers isn't quite clear, but some trends are emerging. Since the proliferation of the internet, unauthorized redistribution of digital goods has become rampant. But although software sharing probably won't kill the software industry, the reasoning behind it shares some pedigree with the customer revolt that promises to transform the way software is sold.

Create life, or something like it. Based on the Darwinian principle of survival of the fittest, genetic programming uses mutation and replication to produce algorithms for creating ever-improving computer programs. This article covers instructions on how to simulate a multi-celled organism.

Companies that are running customized applications may find a migration to Linux too costly or complex notes Pete Morgan, a VisualBasic/Access developer. Morgan offers a few solutions to help overcome the challenge. Without compatibility, Morgan says, a significant number of businesses may not see the benefits in moving to Linux desktops.

Novell tries to push SuSE server to Red Hat customers with the release of their latest PDF write up.