Being a BeOS user (a purely desktop system) and because I code under Linux, I see XFree86 (v4.1 on my machine) as a user and as a developper. And this is where the problem lies. My Gnome or KDE desktops are slow in comparison with other operating systems, but XFree86, the 'engine' behind these desktops, proves me that it's not. Let's look at what I have in front of me: a dual Pentium III at 933Mhz with 512MB of memory, a Radeon 32 AIW, a modified Mandrake 8.0 powered by kernel 2.4.18.

The second beta version of Qt 3.1 is now released. It can be downloaded from here. There is also a changelog. Additionally, Qt# 0.5 was released a few days ago, same time as Mono 0.16.

The KDE project just released KDE 3.0.4 for Mandrake (8.2, 9.0 and Cooker), Debian, SuSE (7.3, 8.0 and 8.1), Slackware (under the contribution dir) and TurboLinux. Read the ChangeLog here, however it is important to note that this is bugfix release. Update: Read regarding the recent KDE League issue.

"Libranet is Canada's foremost Linux distribution. They have succeeded where others have failed. As far as I know, they are the only commercial distribution based on Debian left standing. Perhaps their success is due to the added value they provide to what is essentially an easier to use Debian 3.0 release, or perhaps it's their attention to detail; making the small things easy for new users. They have actively fostered a growing and enthusiastic user community that willingly participates in their beta releases and in educating users new to both Libranet and Debian. People from Libranet also interact very openly with the user community paying attention to their praises and concerns. Whatever it is that they do right it seems to be paying off." Read the review at WindowWatch.

Arguably, the new unified UI on Red Hat 8 was the talk of the town for the whole summer since the Limbo betas. Today we talk with two of the leading people behind Red Hat's enhanced usability and UI found on 8.0-Psyche, Havoc Pennington (also known for his work on the Metacity window manager) and Owen Taylor (lots of cool stuff on XFree's side). We discuss about XFree and its capabilities, about Linux's ability to fullfil a modern desktop for every user, about the unification of Qt and GTK+ and more.

We ran a story the other day regarding the future patches for IRIX that would only be available via special contracts. SGI sent OSNews the following statement regarding the patches/maintance releases and feature streams (==updates that include new features) for IRIX 6.5.

Dell Computer is planning to unveil two handhelds--one priced at $199--based on Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 OS this fall, according to sources. This possibly will be the cheapest PocketPC to date, which can create lots of market and sell problems to Palm's new products. In the meantime, Sharp is preparing the new Zaurus. A great place to stay in touch with mobile computing, would be InfoSync.

Last Saturday I attended a MorphOS demonstration in Rotterdam. MorphOS is a PPC AmigaOS clone capable of executing many 68k and PPC classic AmigaOS software titles through seamlessly integrated emulation. This article takes a close look at MorphOS' current state of development and includes some recent screenshots of the PPC native Ambient GUI environment.

Datacenter update promises performance boost and new roads for software developer. Microsoft's first operating system designed for the corporate data center has garnered sparse acceptance since its release last year, but the software is on the verge of a performance upgrade that experts say could put it on the road to corporate recognition. Read it at PCWorld.

FreeBSD Release Engineering team's Murray Stokely announces that FreeBSD 4.7-RC3 (i386) is now available for FTP network installs. This includes the recent LDT patch and the final package set that will be used on the CDROMs/DVDs. Read the announcement at BSDForums.

Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on the second release candidate, or near-final testing version, of Windows .Net Server 2003, sources said. The clock is ticking for Windows .Net Server 2003, an operating system that is used to run high-end computers that manage everything from checking passwords to keeping track of a corporate payroll. The new system is also the foundation of Microsoft's .Net Web services initiative, geared to power advanced Internet operations. Also, Microsoft is considering charging for additional security options, and admits it didn't move on security until customers were ready to pay for it.

"In recent years, Linux has proven itself a credible alternative server operating system, and application support has also improved greatly. These days, the question is not whether you can use Linux, but where you can best use it. Is there more to Linux than Apache and file and print serving? If you've spent any time hanging around Linux-friendly discussion sites such as Slashdot in the past few years, you could be forgiven for thinking that Linux is still poised to take over the world. Reality is not quite as kind." Read the article at TechUpdate.

A snapshot release of GNOME 2.1, the development release series leading up to GNOME 2.2 is out. Lots of nice little features like improved font control (control AA on the fly via the new, great, FontConfig as found on Red Hat 8.0), window manager selector in the control panel, panel multiscreen support, return of gdialog and lots of other goodies.

"Novell is breaking from tradition and quietly working to add Linux throughout its product and service lines. The move is part of a new multiplatform strategy that de-emphasizes its NetWare-centric vision." Read the report at eWeek. Update: Novell Inc. is currently evaluating its product suite to determine which of those it wants to open source and will be making a decision on this in the near future.