On the heels of announcing their plan to offer Ubuntu Linux pre-installed on selected consumer desktops and laptops, Dell will disclose today that it will team up with Novell and Microsoft to distribute Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server software along with Microsoft's Windows Server software. As part of the deal, Dell will help Novell and Microsoft make SLES and Windows work together efficiently on Dell's computer hardware. Rick Becker, a Dell VP, says, "There's many aspects of open source that delight my customers, they have concerns about software licensing. Those concerns go away when they deploy Microsoft and SLES Linux."

The first release candidate of Ion3 has been released. "This is the first 'rc' or '(stable) release candidate' release of Ion3. This means that there will not be any further major changes to it. Bugs will be fixed, and as an exception to the general feature freeze, some hooks may still be added, if deemed useful. Translations may also be included. After no new bugs (that can not be deemed features) have been found in this or following 'rc' releases, the stable Ion3 will be released."

ACK has pretty much confirmed that their high-end Amiga system will use PA Semi chips. In an IRC session, Adam of ACK replied to the question how ACK was going to build a system faster than anything Apple ever produced on the PPC side: "Think PA Semi quad-core chips." Adam also said ACK started talks with PA Semi about a year ago, while also promising specifications of the high-end system to be released coming Monday.

Remember the 'Minority Report' scenes in which Tom Cruise and others used their hands to manipulate data on giant computer screens? One man is on a mission to make that gestural interface technology commonplace on every desktop.

"The news that Dell will begin making the fast-growing Ubuntu flavor of Linux available on some of its machines should be welcomed by consumers everywhere." Read the rest of the review here.

"Pidgin 2.0, the latest version of the popular open-source instant messaging client formerly known as Gaim, is now available for download. After months of development and numerous beta releases, Pidgin 2.0 is finally ready. A significant improvement over the current 1.5.x series, Pidgin 2.0 includes several compelling features and usability enhancements. Last year, we looked at the second beta release and concluded that much work still needed to be done. Many of the problems we discovered in the early Gaim 2.0 betas have since been resolved. The official Pidgin 2.0 release, available for download from the Pidgin web site, provides an impressive level of quality and reliability."