Distrowatch was the first to notice that the second beta of Mandrake Linux 9.1 is hitting the mirrors. Unlike the first beta, this one comes on two CDs: an 645MB ISO and a 650MB ISO image. There is plenty of pre-release and beta software, including Kernel 2.4.21pre3, XFree86 4.2.99.4, KDE 3.1rc6 and Mozilla 1.3alpha, but it also comes with the brand new OpenOffice 1.0.2.

"Shortly after I lost the ALT-F-S feature in Microsoft Word last fall, I made a New Year's resolution to try out the Linux operating system. You read right: The keyboard "save" function in Word just went away one day. I tried reinstalling Word with Office, but nothing changed. Just chalk it up to another of those famously mysterious Windows "glitches."' Read the article at SeattleTimes.

The first step in improving Linux performance is quantifying it, but how exactly do you quantify performance for Linux or for comparable systems? In this article, members of the IBM Linux Technology Center share their expertise as they describe how they ran several benchmark tests on the Linux 2.4 and 2.5 kernels late last year. The benchmarks provide coverage for a diverse set of workloads, including Web serving, database, and file serving. In addition, we show the various components of the kernel (disk I/O subsystem, for example) that are stressed by each benchmark.

Although open source databases are picking up steam in the commercial market, breaking into the enterprise market and competing with the likes of Oracle and IBM's DB2 will be tough. "This is rocket science," Aberdeen's Bill Claybrook said. In the meantime, the SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) addresses specific issues discovered in SQL Server 2000 since its ship date.

Hewlett-Packard and others pull out of a Linux conference after sponsor Lindows bumps open-source advocate Bruce Perens out of the keynote speech slot in favor of its chief executive. We reported on this, but now News.com reports on this with more news about the companies that are starting to pulling out of the event.

"OpenBSD 3.2 is with us, and it's time to upgrade our systems to the latest release. As usual, it is strongly suggested that you install the latest release on a spare machine, apply patches, and test it until you are happy with what the OpenBSD gang gave us. Only then you should upgrade and patch the production machine. But how do you patch OpenBSD?" Read the article at OnLamp.

Brian Richardson, AMI's engineer, replies to a long interview on Slashdot about TCPA, Palladium, and other BIOS issues. Interesting read.

theKompany.com was initially into desktop applications but has turned its attention to the embedded market since 2001 and has just released a VoIP product, tkcPhone. Shawn Gordon was interviewed about the company, his work and general Linux issues, including KDE/Gnome and Red Hat 8 issues.

Jonathan writes "I'm proud to present SkyKruzer, the first WebBrowser for SkyOS. Finally, I reached the first milestone I set for myself more then 2 years ago. It should be possible to develop new applications with an IDE, browse through the internet and listen to some MP3's or play games. I reached this point with the brand new implementation of SkyKruzer (the default WebBrowser for SkyOS)." More can be read at skyos.org.

"Even today, you can still get to a C: prompt under Windows XP, which means a disk operating system is hiding there no matter what Microsoft wants us to believe . Windows XP is not an operating system. It is a windowing system that sits atop an operating system much as KDE or Gnome sit atop Linux. . " Read the (funny?) editorial at I, Cringely.

Rick Caudill uploaded two screenshots (one, two) and he is seeking feedback on the new Syllable UI that is presented in them. Here is a glimpse of the older UI.

"When old programmers like me (I'm 41) get together we talk about the applications from the old days. What happens to these beauties?" Read the editorial at ZDNews.

Mojavelinux writes: 'Like most linux advocates, I too have that "interested" friend who wants to finally ditch windows (windows xp) and take the Linux "plunge" (as seen by that individual). After debating with myself over which installation to start him out with, I decided to go with RedHat 8.0 simply because it has been classified as one of the most "newbie" oriented distros thanks to the "integrated" look and the superb documentation, and because it has a free download. Was my choice the right one and how did he react to it? Read on to learn exactly how a person who has never seen linux reacts when a long time user attempts to show that person "the ropes."'

This is a Quicktime movie named "The Power of X" and a presentation on the state of Mac OS X. See Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, Philip Schiller present Mac OS X v10.2 “Jaguar”. Especially watch the impressive QuartzExtreme demo among the interesting topics discussed. An interesting watch for people who are curious about OSX and want to learn more.