Debian To Rebrand Firefox

Debian adheres to a strict interpretation of what is Free Software and what isn't. The Firefox logo is trademarked, so Debian doesn't consider it to be Free and will not include it as part of its distribution. Mozilla claims that using the Firefox name without the official branding is a trademark violation. Furthermore, Mozilla claims that if Debian runs any patches to the version of Firefox included with Debian distros, it has to run them by Mozilla first for approval. What all this ultimately could mean is that the Firefox name is wiped from the face of Debian and its offshoots. Debian developer Eric Dorland confirmed to internetnews.com that Debian will re-name Firefox and that the re-naming process could be completed as soon as next week.

Lenovo, IBM Recall Thinkpad Batteries

Lenovo and IBM have announced a battery recall of Sony-made notebook batteries. "Lenovo and IBM Corporation, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other regulatory agencies, have announced the voluntary recall of certain lithium-ion batteries manufactured by Sony Corporation. In the interest of public safety, Lenovo will offer customers free-of-charge replacement batteries for all recalled batteries." Apple, Dell, and Toshiba have all also recalled Sony batteries due to fire hazards.

Hands On: A Mac Fan Takes on Vista

"Earlier this month, when I found I could install Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) on my MacBook Pro, I quickly took the plunge, practically chortling at the thought that my dual-core laptop could run Microsoft's next operating system. What better way to show that when you buy a Mac you get two computers in one? I've been using Vista off and on for a couple of weeks now, but I'm not chortling as much." More here.

Duval: Ulteo Can Be Installed and Is an Ordinary OS

Gael Duval has emailed us to let us know of an error in our previous coverage of his new project, Ulteo. "There is small confusion in the Linux Format article which leads to confusion. In fact, what is shown in the LXF article is the 'Ulteo Connected Desktop', which is actually to way to use Ulteo within a web-browser, with all basic applications, for free. Anyway, this feature is just a part of the Ulteo concept, and of course the full Ulteo OS can be installed on a PC." Stay tuned for a short interview with Duval which will give some answers concerning Ulteo.

IEs4Linux: Internet Explorer on Linux Made Easy

"IEs4Linux is the simpler way to have Microsoft Internet Explorer running on Linux (or any OS running Wine). No clicks needed. No boring setup processes. No Wine complications. Just one easy script and you'll get three IE versions to test your Sites. And it's free and open source." Very handy for web developers, it will allow you to test your websites without rebooting.

Microsoft Accused of Withholding Vista APIs

Anti-malware company Symantec has accused Microsoft of withholding key information about its upcoming Vista OS, in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage in the security market. Symantec claimed this week that Microsoft is refusing to hand over the APIs for Windows Defender, its anti-spyware product which will be included in Vista. Without the APIs, Symantec claims that it isn't able to ensure that its own security products are compatible with Vista. Microsoft, though, insisted on Wednesday afternoon that the APIs are now available.

A Look Into the Feature Design Process in the Windows Team

"My favorite part of the product cycle is right before we start the development phase. For me it's extremely exciting to work with all of the different disciplines to build a feature that will affect millions of people across the world. At this point, I spend almost all of my time working with my 'feature team' composed of dev, test, design, and usability to map out how the features that I work on are going to look and behave. Today I'd like to give you some insight into the process of designing a feature inside the Windows organization."

LivePC Technology: One Click Delivery of Operating Systems

"LivePCs are virtual PCs that you can create and share just as you can share the rest of your digital life (photos, music, videos, etc.) A LivePC contains everything needed to run a virtual computer - an operating system and a bunch of applications. You can create and share your own LivePCs, or use the public LivePCs created by others in our BetaGarage. You can use LivePCs on your desktop, or you can take them with you everywhere on a portable USB drive."

Ultr@VNC: Poor Man’s Virtual PC

"Believe it or not, you don't need to purchase Win4Lin or Virtual PC to easily access your old Windows OS that you still find yourself relying on. As a matter of fact, if you already own a Windows machine, you're already halfway there. Enter the headless PC. Today, I'm going to share with you a technique that I feel has been lost, thanks in part to virtual PC options, such as VMware and Win4Lin. It's a utility that many of you may even still use to this very day - VNC."

Mac OS X 10.4.8 Appears To Be Ready for Release Soon

Users of Apple Computer's Mac OS X Tiger are soon to receive a handout from the Cupertino, Calif-based company - a new software update to the operating system that will offer increased stability and some performance enhancements. Under development since the summer, Mac OS X 10.4.8 Update will represent the eighth such maintenance release issued to users of Tiger since the system made its debut in late April of 2005.