On time and in-sync, gtkmm 2.4 is now here. gtkmm provides a C++ interface to GTK+, with comprehensive documentation. gtkmm 2.4 wraps additional API in GTK+ 2.4. gtkmm 2.4 installs in parallel with gtkmm 2.2, so you can have both installed at the same time. glibmm is now a separate module, for use in non-GUI software.

While Microsoft is pleased with robust sales of new PCs that come loaded with Windows XP, the company has been less than satisfied with the rate at which large companies are installing its latest operating system.

A month ago, a trial version of a little-known Linux application called "CoLinux" was released that is the first working free and open source method for optimally running Linux on Microsoft Windows natively. It's the work of a 21 year-old Israeli computer science student and some Japanese open source programmers; in Israel, analysts are already saying it could help transform the software world.

In this installment, David looks at Python's two standard modules for unit testing: unittest and doctest. These modules expand on the capability of the built-in assert statement, which is used for validation of pre-conditions and post-conditions within functions. He discusses the best ways to incorporate testing into Python development, weighing the advantages of different styles for different types of projects.

Javalobby founder Rick Ross wrote the commentary "Where is Java in the settlement?" while Richard M. Stallman replies on his own commentary asking developers to develop the GNU Classpath instead of hoping on a Free Java.

If it's a good idea to learn proper memory management skills, as Cameron Laird has suggested in his series, then you'll need to gain skill at using the tools that help you do so. In this article, you'll learn how to use a free memory debugging utility and find out how easily it can help you solve memory problems.

This technical overview by veteran real-time instructor David Kalinsky examines a number of design patterns used to architect high-availability embedded systems that utilize a real-time operating system. The design of high availability systems is based on a combination of redundant hardware components and software to manage fault detection and correction, to achieve "five-nines" (99.999%) or greater availability, equivalent to less than 1 second of downtime per day.

"You ever tried Linux?" my wife's Uncle Toby asked me as I sat in his home office that cold winter day. We had been discussing the rise and fall of the BeOS and he mentioned that he had tried a few different *nixes on his home server/firewall. "Here let me show you," he said as he flicked the switch on the monitor next to his Windows XP box.

Would you invest your hard-earned dollars in a company like this? Its revenues soared an average of 36% through the 1990s, but now it's heading into miserly single-digit growth. It has long been a powerful engine fueled by major updates of its products, yet the next major one, an unprecedented five years in the making, isn't expected until 2006. The company hasn't made much headway in newer, promising markets. And its share price is stuck exactly where it was in mid-1998. Not buying, huh? Well, tough luck: You probably already own a piece of this rock, says Yahoo! Finanace.

To help the advancement of Linux in the telecom space, the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) started a working group called the Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) working group. Its mission is to specify and help implement an open source platform that is highly available, secure, scalable, and easily maintained—suitable for carrier-grade systems. Read more at LinuxDevCenter.

Cringely editorializes: "When I wrote last week about my conclusion that the legal system -- any legal system -- is unequipped to change Microsoft's monopolistic behavior, I had no idea that within 24 hours, Sun would be throwing in the towel, trading its so-called principles for $1.95 billion in cash. So I guess I was right. Only now, a few thousand readers out there expect me to blithely produce an answer to the problem of what to do to bring Microsoft into the civilized world. Well, I say it can't be done".

Recently I got the opportunity to setup a new lab for a small school. The server runs Linux and the workstations run WindowsXP. There are 3 levels of access on the workstations (admin, teacher, and student) and security on the workstations is based on Windows policies applied at logon.

From ActiveWin: Adam Kinney, a known blogger in the Avalon community, tells us of his experiences getting started with Longhorn, and what's working and what's not. Elsewhere, Joe Beda, development lead on the Avalon/Longhorn team, talks about the 3D capabilities that will be delivered in Longhorn.

Sun has released the latest version of its Java application server software, and as in the past, has made it available for free download to developers, TechWeb reports.