With Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft is introducing a set of security technologies that will improve Windows XP-based computers' ability to withstand malicious attacks from viruses and worms. The technologies include: Network protection, Memory protection, Safer email, Safer browsing. This paper discusses the first two elements on this list.

Users who are technically self-supporting and don't want to pay Red Hat for service and support could deploy Debian, says Open Source Development Lab analyst Stacey Quandt, "and it would lead to greater return on investment."

SuSE Linux, until now known mainly as 'that European flavor of Linux' with many Americans, is getting ready for a big push with businesses and government organizations, with the introduction of SuSE Linux 9 with 64-bit processing and 2.6 kernel enhancements to the Americas Thursday.

Some time ago we featured an interview with an... official Mac OS X switcher. A year later, we found another Apple switcher, James Dorn ("noviteo" for his friends) and we ask him a few details upon the switch. Especially with the recent price cuts on Apple hardware and the Mac OS X Panther release last week, being a switcher becomes "cool" all over again.

Free UNIX-derived operating systems have traditionally have a simplistic approach to process synchronization which is unsuited to multiprocessor application. Initial FreeBSD SMP support kept this approach by allowing only one process to run in kernel mode at any time, and also blocked interrupts across multiple processors, causing seriously suboptimal performance of I/O bound systems. This paper describes the work done to remove this bottleneck, paying particular attention to the project management aspects and the particular challenges of a large open source development project.

Microsoft's pre-beta version of its Visual Studio .NET platform, "Whidbey", is offering a trove of new simplified tools and features that should make developers jobs easier, while giving Microsoft critics new fodder, attendees at the Professional Developers Conference here said. In the meantime, Microsoft Developer Tools Roadmap 2004-2005 were posted, and also the new CLR Profiler which allows developers to see the allocation profile of their manage applications.

"Apple's BSD-based MacOS X 10.3 Panther offers 64-bit processor support and new features wrapped in the latest version of a GUI that has its roots in the NeXT desktop. While Panther sets a new standard for ease of use and interface look and feel, it still lacks features that Linux users have long enjoyed." Read the article at NewsForge by C. Gulker. Update: SunSpot has a review too: "One more cool cat".

From its Wallop interactive project to its SkyServer "worldwide telescope," wristwatches and Magic Paper, Microsoft Research has a lot on its plate, senior exec Rick Rashid told a PDC audience.

Two weeks ago we featured an early pick on iTunes for Windows, but today iTunes' main competitor Napster 2.0 was released for a free download. We had a play with it and here is what we think about it and how it compares to iTunes.

Seth Nickel writes in his blog about the lack of concrete goals and vision in Gnome. Then Christian Schaller makes an interesting point about Mono, and how successfull it is with its rapid development and developer attraction. Later, Havoc Pennington joined the discussion in his blog: "Cool things happen via a thousand small, practical steps" he said, as more practical problems still exist and need fixing before everyone hurries to "do cool things". Get more opinions at PlanetGnome.

"Today I'll talk about two of those technologies into more detail. Now, my understanding about the advantages of some of this is sketchy and incomplete since we are, after all, talking about an OS that won't ship for 3 years. Anyway, those two technologies are: WinFS and managed code in the form of the API called WinFX." Read the article by Stardock's Brad Wardell. Update: A reply.

Sun posted some updated 'Java Desktop System' screenshots, their Linux-based x86 OS.

Xandros, inheritor of the software from Corel's ill-fated foray into the desktop Linux market, has named a new chief executive and plans to release a new version of its product in late November. Xandros founder and former CEO Mike Bego remains a full-time employee, but Xandros wanted a leader with more business experience. Meanwhile, Xandros 2.0 is expected in the coming months.

Here are some pictures of the pre-production Mini-ITX AmigaOne in action running Debian and of Jürgen Schober's AmigaOS4 presentation at last weekend's OASE show. Eyetech's AmigaOne updates as published by Total Amiga Magazine will now also be made available quarterly at the AmigaWorld.net portal. Q&A session 22 with Amiga's CTO is now also available.