The results of DesktopLinux.com's 2006 Desktop Linux Market survey are in, and the roughly 15,000 votes are all tallied. In the first article of a series, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols offers a perspective on how the various desktop Linux distributions fared, and why. Read his analysis here.

Microsoft is breathing more life into older versions of its products by offering businesses extended coverage for fixing security problems and bugs. Large companies running old favorites Windows NT 4.0, Exchange Server 5.5 and Windows XP Service Pack 1 can expect at least three more years of support from Microsoft after it decided to update the Custom Support Agreement program. There is even the suggestion support will go beyond three years.

Consumers now are getting more for less of their money when they buy security software. Microsoft's entry into the consumer security software arena in late May has made PC protection cheaper, according to data from The NPD Group. At the same time, security products are becoming more comprehensive, analysts said.

Virtualization and Linux can be a match made in heaven, which is why enterprise Linux heavyweights Red Hat and Novell are pushing so hard to make support for virtualization a highlight of their respective mainstream Linux operating systems. Also recognizing this potential - but pursuing a markedly different tack toward realizing it - is rPath, a company that offers IT organizations and the ISVs that serve them a clever new means of getting the most out of this technology tandem.

Microsoft.com Canada has released pricing for Windows Vista. Windows Vista Ultimate is listed at $499 Canadian which translates into $450.36 in USD. Home Premium is listed at $299 or $269.86 USD, Vista Ultimate Upgrade is priced at $299 or $269.86 USD, while Home Premium Upgrade is $199 or $179.60 USD. At the same time, the first 100000 respondents can download Vista Build 5536. Microsoft is not giving out new keys, so you need your Beta 2 key. Update: Amazon.com now too sells Vista.

Beta versions of Mandriva 2007 have been appearing for a while now and the final release is coming soon. This short review covers the key changes introduced in beta 2. "Except for the software update which has been awaited by the Mandriva fans for a long time, there are no revolutionary changes or something that could put Mandriva 2007 in front of the competition. Still, not many distros provide such easy installation and configuration process. In Mandriva, almost all works out-of-the-box (including an MP# player) or network setup. And this is the reason I think Mandriva can be still recommended for the newbie users."

"For months now, all we really knew about the new Core 2 Duo mobile processor was its code name: Merom. Given the blazing speeds that the desktop Core 2 Duo processors exhibited, we could only imagine what was in store for laptops. Now, Intel completes the architectural upgrade of all its processors with the release of its mobile Core 2 Duo mobile. And we tell you if it was worth the wait."

IT professionals need to strike a balance between user freedom (such as letting them install any app they want) and keeping a predictable and safe computing environment. Several network admins give their advice about the best way to find and maintain that balance - with tech tips for each operating system.

Intel is expected to release on Monday development tools designed to help programmers at software companies take advantage of the added computing power available on multicore systems.

eWeek's review of the latest Vista build is pretty positive: "On Aug. 25, Microsoft released to testers Vista Build 5536, the latest in a long line of sneak peeks at Microsoft's forthcoming desktop operating system. eWEEK Labs' tests of Build 5536 show that the operating system is gaining speed and losing quirks as its release nears." They also made a pretty screenshot gallery. In addition, everybody's favourite Microsoft Apple Microsoft zealot is also positive about this build.

RPCEmu has been ported to the Mac OS X platform, allowing RISC OS 4 to run alongside Apple's shiny desktop. An experimental port of the open source RiscPC emulator was checked into its source code repository over the weekend after the emulator was adapted to run on Apple computers that use PowerPC processors. The port can run RISC OS 4 and 3.7 with mouse and keyboard support. The emulation of IDE hard discs and higher resolutions needs further testing, and the user interface needs more work. The emulator manages around 5 MIPS on a modest 800MHz G4 iBook - which makes the desktop fairly usable.

"How many distributions does the Linux world need? And what exactly is a distribution, as opposed to just an edition of another distribution? Why is it that there are so many developers who feel inclined to start their own project instead of joining another, more established one?"

A landmark study on Department of Justice network crime prosecutions reveals most attacks used stolen IDs and passwords, resulting in far greater damages to affected organizations than previously thought: up to USD 10 million per occurrence and on average more than USD 1.5 million per occurrence. The report, "Network Attacks: Analysis of Department of Justice Prosecutions 1999-2006", concludes that 84% of attacks could have been prevented if, in addition to checking the user ID and password, the organization had verified the identity of the computer connecting to their networks and accounts.

Web services have been around for a while, but the idea has yet to fully take off. Learn how that's about to change, particularly as Web services go private and mobile. Learn how the application builders of tomorrow will use simple, drag-and-drop techniques to build new applications out of existing services.