Apple on Wednesday seeded developers with a pre-release version of Xcode 1.1, an update to the developer tools that shipped with Panther. The update includes several features enhancements and bug fixes. Apple has also posted a new Panther-specific Java 1.4.1 update after pulling the previous version due to compatibility issues with other software.

LinuxElectrons has a mini review of Mandrake Linux 9.2 with many screenshots.

I am waiting for Longhorn. Thus, I was very interested in the new 4051 build. Here are my findings.

"For Linux to reach the ordinary user, it has to offer more than good office suites and The Gimp and other free software implementations of common applications. Most people won't make the move just so they can keep doing what they did before. Security and freedom mean a lot to a few of us, but they are not enough incentive for the vast range of Average Schmos. And we need those Average Schmos; the median is the message." Read the editorial at OReillyNet.

MenuetOS, the popular hobby OS written in 100% assembly x86 that fits in a floppy disk, had a new version, 0.75. Changes include a Gateway and PPP support; Dns, Chess etc. clients; Rtl8139 driver. New screenshots added to the site.

Xfce is an easy-to-use and easy-to-configure environment for X11 based on GTK2. A priority is adherence to standards, specifically those defined at freedesktop.org. This version has various small bugfixes including panel and window manager fixes. New translations are available. French documentation has been added.

As Novell CTO Alan Nugent told ZDNews yesterday, notwithstanding a $50 million injection from IBM, his company's decision to acquire Linux distributor SuSE was backed by a significant amount of market and technical rationale. But legally speaking the move may go down in history as pure chess brilliance on behalf of IBM and Novell in one of this industry's most notorious power struggles.

David Finkelstein, VP of Sales & Marketing of Xandros, was very kind answering some of our questions about their upcoming product, Xandros Desktop 2.0. Dive in to read our quick chat and get more info directly from Xandros.

Subpoenas are flying in the high-profile lawsuit between the SCO Group and IBM, as both companies try to buttress their legal claims by turning to third parties for information. SCO said Wednesday that it has filed subpoenas targeting six different individuals or organizations. Those include Novell; Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel; Richard Stallman of the Free Software Foundation; Stuart Cohen, chief executive of the OSDL; and John Horsley, general counsel of Transmeta.

Fedora Core 1 has been out now for a few days now and many faithful Linux fans have already installed it. Red Hat's Linux is still one of my favorite distributions because of one main reason: compatibility with Linux software. Red Hat is a market leader and following the market leader assures the least trouble for most users. But is this the case with Fedora Core?

ZetaNews is reviewing several aspects of YellowTAB's Zeta R1-RC1 OS. Screenshots included. BeOSJournal.org also features some mp4 videos of a previous Japanese introduction of the OS.

Sure, it'll be faster and more powerful. It'll also be far more oriented to specific tasks and take wireless broadband networks for granted. Read the article at BusinessWeek.

Xandros today announced the release of the of Xandros Desktop 2.0. With a strong user focus, Xandros Desktop 2.0 offers a graphical environment that's easy to use, and installs with 4 clicks of a mouse. Based on Debian Linux 4.0 and a Xandros-enhanced KDE 3.1.4, Xandros Desktop 2.0 provides seamless compatibility with Microsoft Windows programs, including MS office and MS networks. Read more for pricing and for the free download trial edition.

We've all heard the age old argument second only to the vi vs. emacs religious wars: FreeBSD Vs Linux. As a long time linux user, I decided that is was time I spent some time on the other side of the fence to see if it was any greener. Oh, and by the way, vi rules.