OmniWeb 4.5 public beta 1 is the first version of the Omni Group's Web browser to incorporate WebCore and JavaScriptCore frameworks from Apple -- the same frameworks Apple uses for its own Web browser, Safari. More specifically, improvements been made to bookmarks, AutoFill, plug-ins, history indexing and more. OmniWeb 4.5 beta 1 requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later. In other OSX releases, CodeTek VirtualDesktop 2.3.3 was released.

One year ago I wrote a review of Gnome 2. Some people thought I was harsh, others thought I was fair, point is, I always write what I think and surely Gnome 2.0 didn't have the polish or stability of a .0 release. But one year has passed. Gnome 2.2.1 is out, and I must say one thing: I am starting to get impressed by the effort and the clean interface Gnome 2 is now offering. Update: Screenshots inside.

At last year's meeting of Apple shareholders, Steve Jobs was asked about videoconferencing and what it meant to Apple. "Stay tuned," he said. Sources now say that Apple is on the verge of offering videoconferencing functionality to users with an upgrade to its iChat software. Sources confirmed to Think Secret that the next version of iChat, code-named "Viceroy," will feature videoconferencing built-in. Additionally, the new iChat will reportedly boast support for a number of other IM protocols. Our Take: I hope that Apple will also feature support for my Creative WebCam PRO, a $40 camera, which is an extremely popular buy (well supported on Linux as well) but has no drivers for OSX so far.

SciTech Software, Inc. announced it has released SciTech MGL 5.0 R10 for multiple operating systems including Linux, under a dual-license structure. Developers can now use SciTech MGL under the LGPL, or through SciTech’s commercial software license for those seeking to offer closed source solutions. Both versions come complete with source code and more than 1600 pages of online documentation. SciTech MGL comes with direct support for VGA, VESA VBE and DirectX compatible graphics cards out of the box via the SciTech SNAP Graphics device driver architecture.

A 1995 contract sheds light on the conflicting Unix ownership claims by Novell and SCO Group, with SCO receiving broad rights to the OS but Novell retaining copyrights and patents. Updated

OSNews learned that the Gentoo project is porting their software distribution system, Portage, to Mac OS X. This makes Gentoo the third project developing such a system for the Unix-based OSX, after Fink and Darwin Ports. The Gentoo project also plans to create a GUI for OSX at some point, there is no ETA for it so far. Update: There might be some collaboration with Fink to also support their .debs. Update 2: The news are now on Gentoo's front page.

Another Debian installation guide with some screenshots. OSNews' is here.

FreeBSD Release Engineering Team's Scott Long has uploaded FreeBSD RC1 for i386, he says that alpha RC1 is in the works. Kris Kennaway has uploaded i386 packages. Marcel Moolenaar is working on RC1 ia64, ISOs for which will be available sometime tomorrow. You can find RC1 at one of your preferred mirror sites.

TheRegister reports that Motorola boosting its PPC processors by 20 percent. According to the article, "With Apple expected to announce a shift to IBM's 64-bit PowerPC 970 processor in just a few weeks' time, the timing of Motorola's announcement takes on a new relevance." Additionally, iSync 1.1 adds broader phone support, Safari bookmarks while QuickTime 6.3 adds 3GPP, improves iApp support.

The latest OpenBSD 3.3 release arrives with even stronger attack defenses coupled with an amazing record of just a single remotely exploitable vulnerability in more than seven years, the best security track record for any general-purpose operating system around. Read the review at eWeek.

Today we feature a 4-page interview with Nat Friedman, Co-Founder and Vice-President of Product Development at Ximian. We discuss a lot of interesting topics, ranging from Ximian's products, to Apple, to Linux on the desktop and much more. Four screenshots of the upcoming Ximian Desktop 2 are also included, so come in and have a pick! UPDATE: Eight more screenshots added! Update2: Yaay... one more screenshot for your viewing pleasure!

AppleLinks offers an overview of the Pegason PPC platform. OSNews' is here.

Thomas Weibel wrote a Syllable 0.4.4 review with lots of screenshots and info.

Subscribers to Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, ES and WS receive regular quarterly updates via Red Hat Enterprise Network.