A sizeable group of developers from the two leading free software projects developing desktops based on the X Window System, KDE and GNOME, have been discussing the current situation among themselves and decided to draft and release the linked document. Read the 5 points raised by both Gnome and KDE members. Update: X.org comes into the picture, but not everyone is as optimistic.

"Of all the topics I've disemboweled in this space in the last year, the question of moving to Linux is the hottest. It seems almost all of you have a leaning toward Linux. But Staight's point is important. The existence of a constellation of issues, rather than one or two dominant ones, was cited by perhaps 80% of those who wrote to me saying they aren't migrating." Read the article at IDG.

Microsoft aims to entice solution providers to develop applications for Pocket PCs and Smartphones using its .Net Compact Framework, said Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates last week. "The sky is the limit," Gates said in his keynote address at the first U.S. Microsoft Mobility Developer conference, held here in tandem with the CTIA expo.

Dr. Dobb's Journal issue of March 2003 features an article comparing C++'s libsigc++ class library to C#'s delegate feature.

LinuxJournal encourages users to start downloading and testing the unstable Linux kernel 2.5.x as release is near (around July), so more intensive beta testing is required by end users. Here is a quick guide on how to compile a generic Linux kernel.

'At last month's Most Valuable Partners meeting in which Gates opened up about open source, he reflected back on his battle against IBM for supremacy of the desktop. "OS/2 wasn't a joke; it was all of IBM that was ten times the size of Microsoft putting all their energy, their leverage on ISVs, bundling it with their systems, everything they could do to beat Windows," Gates said.' Read the editorial at ENT by Joe McKendrick.

Lots of talk and comments about our recent feature article "The Definitive Desktop Environment Comparison" recently (new OSNews comment # record). But what do the readers of this site think? Which is your favorite DE? Update: The poll is down.

ThinkSecret reports that a new beta release of Apple's Safari web browser, version 67, with improvements to tabbed browsing and AutoFill for completing web forms was released to beta testers. Also, a new beta build of the MacOSX v10.2.5 update, 6L14, was seeded to developers last week.

WinBeta.org features a preview article of the new server operating system by Microsoft, Windows 2003 Server, accompanied by a number of screenshots.

Yar Tikhiy has ported Apple's HFS and HFS Plus filesystem module and tools from Darwin to FreeBSD 5. He says that the port is experimental - he is looking for your help with testing and feedback. Read the announcement at BSDForums.

NewMobileComputing reports: "Danger made available their HipTop/Sidekick SDK free of charge. Also, latest reports say that the new version of HipTop will feature a color screen." Please note that the OSNews web site supports the "Danger Device" (a nickname ex-Be/Danger engineers gave early on to HipTop/SideKick), so no ads or vertical bars will be displayed, making the browsing experience pretty good with its native web browser.

LinuxInstall.org 3.0rc2 is now available. Changes: "Kernel 2.4.18-27.8.0 with NTFS support; security updates (Total 31); Mozilla 1.3.0; Evolution 1.2.3; complete set of Red Hat 8.0 manual documents in HTML; Acrobat Reader 5.06 with Mozilla plugin; Real Player 8.0 with Mozilla plugin; Flash Player 6.0.79 with Mozilla plugin; Microsoft TrueType Core Fonts for web; Xmms 1.2.7 (music player) with MP3 support; Xine 0.9.19 (DVD/VCD/CD player) with libdvdcss; dual-boot configuration with NTFS/FAT32 support..." Changelog, screenshots.

Now, that was an interesting reading in the XFree86 forum mailing list. We get individuals, companies like Sun, SciTechSoft, Red Hat etc. 'fighting' for issues varying from what XFree86 really needs, down to replacing fontconfig with Sun's stsf, XFree86 co-founder David Wexelblat saying that XFree is today obsolete and that needs to be replaced with a direct-rendered model (by retaining backwards compatibility), Keith Packard replying as to why a new organization to handle X is needed, and more.

Apple today announced that it has rescheduled its 2003 Worldwide Developers Conference in order to provide developers with a more complete preview release of the next version of Mac OS X, code named "Panther." Originally scheduled for May 19-23 in San Jose, the conference will now be held June 23-27 at San Francisco's Moscone Center. "Moving to June ensures that every developer will leave the event with a copy of Panther in their hands" said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. As for the July Macworld Expo in New York City it is rumored to be no Jobs keynote, expo name change and fewer exhibitors.