A German-based organization, called YellowTAB, sent out a press release stating they will be releasing an updated version of BeOS 5 Pro, under the name "BeOS NG". The group was closely working with KochMedia (the German/UK publisher of BeOS) and Be, but when Be started talking to Palm about their take over, they stopped being so cooperative. The new BeOS version will include lots of software (software that can also be found at BeBits) and it will be based on a plain BeOS 5 Pro, plus some patches and a brand new Installer. Unfortunately, their version will not be based on BeOS 6, a version that OSNews learnt and confirmed, is extremely updated (more drivers, new Interface Kit/App_Server, double buffering etc). Frank Paul Silye, part of the YellowTab group, answers some of the questions we had regarding the product.

From ArsTechnica: "...I figured I'd show you guys what next-generation, avante garde computer design would probably look like were Jobs and Co. to be swallowed up in an earthquake or choke on their granola or something. Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on these monstrosities: Intel's Concept PC Gallery , part of their Ease of Use Initiative. The fellow Mac user who sent me these aptly quipped, "Looks like they were designed people who were laughed straight out of Infinite Loop during their job interviews." A few of them actually look like they were designed by Georgia O'Keefe. (Ok, I'll concede that there are one or two interesting designs in there.)"

Four screenshots that supposed to come from an unreleased internal version of BeOS have emerged on the net. The BeOS info panel in one of the screenshots says that the kernel was built on November 15th 2001, and it has the codename 5.1d0. The BeOS community is arguing that the shots are either fake or original. It is already known (through the BeOS source code leak that happened a few months ago) that Be had a version of an updated Interface Kit and App_Server that would support themes, full double buffering etc, but no more details became known, as Be's legal department took immediate action back then. Our Take: Speaking as a web designer, if these screenshots are actually fake, the artist has done a pretty good job. Update: At least the WindowBlinds skiners are working hard. Just today, one day after OSNews helped spread the news about the existance of the screenshots in question, JT Folden has created a 'BeOS 6' skin for the WindowBlinds theme engine that runs under Microsoft Windows. UPDATE 2: A former Be engineer, who wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed to OSNews that the specific screenshots are likely real. The version of BeOS shown in the pictures is the BeOS desktop-version that was in use internally at Be for development of BeIA (otherwise known as the "BeIA Development Platform").

"Who will rule the multimedia universe? Will it be Microsoft's Bill Gates, with his .NET strategy to turn the PC into the nerve center of every home, with tendrils reaching out to encompass everything from music to Web connections to digital video? Or will it be Apple's Steve Jobs, who intends for the Mac to serve as the digital hub for a variety of new and complicated consumer digital devices like cameras, scanners and MP3 players, to name but a few." Read the rest of the intersting analysis at Yahoo!

"A new user interface will transform and extend your ability to enjoy Windows XP PC digital media experiences. With large fonts and simplified menus, the interface environment will bring your favorite media experiences into one easy, convenient place. You'll be able to use the full-screen view to comfortably enjoy media from anywhere in the room. When at your desk, you'll also be able to shrink the view and watch a movie or TV while doing other PC tasks." Check the screenshots of the FreeStyle platform. Our Take: There is no doubt in my mind that Apple would have made that user interface way more slicker and attractive.

wxWindows is a cross-platform applications framework available under a free license. Early this year marks wxWindows 10th birthday, and to mark this event codingstyle.com has an exclusive interview with several key developers of the project.

The well known reviewer Walter S. Mossberg (WSJ) reviews the gobeProductive 3 Office Suite (the world exclusive Preview was hosted at OSNews two months ago). WSJ's review seems to be a fair one overall, even if he missed a couple of good points like the PDF exporting and the all-in-one document format that is featured in GP3. In related news, there is a new GP3 demo coming out in 1-2 days from now (version 3.0.2) and you will be able to test run the suite yourselves. If you already have decided to buy the application and support Gobe, the price is now lowered at $75 USD, which is a steal, considering the fact that its Family License allows you to install it in all your home computers, plus one at your workplace.

"Neat tricks and smart thinking move your multimedia data rapidly. FireWire is the de facto standard for connecting consumer electronics devices to computers. We've gone deep inside to show you how it works and why it's so good at what it does." Great article at ExtremeTech regarding the FireWire technology.

In December, Java was more popular than .Net for building Web services, according to a ZDNet UK poll, but weeks later the position had dramatically reversed; investigation revealed just what (dubious) lengths Microsoft will go to to promote its products and manipulate the public opinion.

I'm a happy BeOS refugee this morning after having just tried Simply GNUstep. Simply GNUstep is a new Operating System that runs on the latest Linux kernel compiled with the latest GNU compiler. This new OS is way more (perhaps by being less) than just-another-Linux-distribution. It aims to be similar, extremely similar, to Apple's OS X. However, Simply GNUstep, unlike OS X, will run on your PC. In fact, you can be running it in under 15 minutes from this very moment.

From Andrenaline Vault: nVidia introduced today the nForce 415-D processor set. The nForce 415-D combines the nForce’s Media and Communications Processor with a new System Platform Processor. The nForce SPP features TwinBank, a 128-bit memory controller architecture providing up to 4.2GB per second of system memory bandwidth; a dynamic adaptive speculative pre-processor for boosting CPU performance; a singlestep memory arbiter for memory efficiency; and a 4X accelerated graphics port for external GPU expansion. The nForce MCP also integrates an audio processing unit with a Dolby Digital 5.1 real-time encoder; StreamThru, enhanced data streaming technology, and a communications suite including support for HomePNA 2.0, 10/100 Ethernet and USB.

OSNews reader Ken Crandall writes: "According to CNet, Sun has decided to indefinitely postpone the release of Solaris 9 for Intel processors citing the economy (read: lower demand for new hardware) and the "bottom line" (read: due to Linux and BSD, even lower demand for Solaris on x86) as reasons. They did mention, however, that they 'retain the option to do (Solaris on Intel) in the future'."

At Macworld Conference & Expo, Microsoft Corp. announced the immediate availability of Microsoft Windows Media Player for MacOSX (6.1 MB). The new player has been Carbonized to run natively on MacOSX and displays the operating system's new Aqua interface. Windows Media Player for Mac OS X allows Mac users to easily enjoy playback of high-quality Windows Media Audio and Video content. The new release supports the latest Windows Media Audio 8 and Windows Media Video 8, as well as Windows Media Digital Rights Management, and is available in six languages worldwide. The new player features the new Aqua interface, which provides a look consistent with many other new Mac applications. Also, The OfficeX Test Drive (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Entourage the e-mail application and personal information manager) has been released for MacOSX as a free download (122 MB). Inside the OfficeX Test Drive you’ll see how it combines several new and improved features with core MacOSX technologies.

The Emulation Edition is a free, downloadable version of Microsoft WindowsCE .NET. It includes emulation technology to enable developers to create platforms and applications based on Windows CE .NET using a Windows2000 or WindowsXP Professional workstation without additional hardware investments.