The open source Derby database engine provides developers with a powerful new tool for lightweight database development. Derby databases are file system based and portable across different types of systems. Because of this, a common strategy is to create databases at development time and ship them with the binary distribution as opposed to having it created on the fly.

Last week a new worm started spreading on the Internet. It's named Santy, and it attempts to deface websites using specific versions of the popular phpBB bulletin board software. Is this just a run-of-the-mill worm causing minor damage to a few thousand websites? Yes. But it's also got something we've never seen before.

"Xandros Linux is among a handful of Linux distributions truly worthy of naming a desktop Linux distribution. Today, there are many distributions out there calling themselves desktop operating systems, and even though most of them are very good attempts, many fall short... but not Xandros." Read the rest of the review here.

The transparent real-time file-level protector - VitalFile for Real-Time Workstation Protection has a new version available for free download. Version 1.1.0.6 now has full system protection including replication of all changed files on a configurable schedule and version-tracking on remote file server. Vaulting allows lock-down of files or directories in an intelligent WORM fashion.

Clicking on a hypertext link while viewing a PDF file shouldn't be a security problem as long as you trust the viewer it invokes. But users of xpdf version 0.90 discovered that this assumption was an extremely bad one. When an xpdf user clicked on a hypertext link, xpdf started up a viewer (Netscape by default) and sent the URL to the viewer. So far, so good. But the xpdf developers decided to start up the viewer by using the system() call. That was the bad idea..

Firebird V1.5.x is the first release of the Firebird 2 codebase and represents a significant milestone for the developers and the whole Firebird project, but it is not an end in itself. With these release, major development continues toward the next point release on the journey to Firebird V2.0.

The microprocessor changed the world: how did we get from the first 4-bit models in the 1970s to today's 64-bit multicore monsters? This article covers the history of the micro from the vacuum tube to today's dual-core multithreaded madnes.

In early December, Paul Thurrot sat down with Todd, Ryan Burkhardt, and Jon Murchinson to discuss XP SP2 and the virtual team that made it happen. Here is their story.

Mobile News Qtopa 2.1 PDA Edition, the latest version of Trolltech's development platform and user interface for Linux-based personal digital assistants (PDAs), is now available for download under the open source GNU general public (GPL) license. If someone installs it, please send us a screenshot of how its browser renders OSNews.

This article is a sequel to the author's previous work "Keeping FreeBSD Up-To-Date".

Bryan Varner has created a video which shows Java2D working on BeOS. A mini-interview is also featured which details what has happened during the past few months, and where Java on BeOS is headed.

The Linux kernel 2.6.10 was released, full details here.

GNOME 2.9.3 Development Release is now available, more info here.

According to an article at DesktopLinux.com, the first public beta of Opera 8 is available for free download. It adds voice input/output and a host of other niceties. Key new features include improved RSS handling, fit to window or paper width, a start-bar for easy access to the most commonly used functions, and automatic update checks. The beta release supports Windows only, but a general release is scheduled for early 2005.