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Linux creator Linus Torvalds released the official 2.6.9 kernel today, following what he referred to as "naming confusion" in which a test release named "-final" was first uploaded to kernel.org. Linus went on to add, "excuses aside, not a lot of changes since -rc4 (which was the last announced test-kernel), mainly some UML updates that don't affect anybody else. And a number of one-liners or compiler fixes. Full list appended." Official releases and test kernels can be found at a kernel.org mirror.

Part 1 in a series on embedded development explains the purpose of the project and outlines hardware options

An OpenOffice.org macro is a saved sequence of commands or keystrokes that are stored for later use. An example of a simple macro is one that "types" your address. Macros support commands that allow a variety of advanced functions, such as making decisions (for example, if the balance is less than zero, color it red; if not, color it black), looping (if the balance is greater than zero, subtract 10 from it), and even interacting with a person (asking the user for a number). It is common to assign a macro to a keystroke or toolbar icon so that it can be quickly started.

At Gartner Inc.'s Symposium/ITxpo, eWEEK.com got a sneak peek of Novell Inc.'s forthcoming Linux Desktop. According to company officials, the anticipated software package may arrive sooner than expected and offer customers a choice of looks and feels. Contrary to earlier reports, the Waltham, Mass.-based Novell has changed its plans and will not release a "best of breed" Linux desktop that combines the best features from the GNOME and KDE environments, said Ted Haeger, the Linux Desktop's director of marketing. Instead, users will be offered an option for either KDE or GNOME during the installation process.

Thunderbird 1.0 is just around the corner and it's already a hit. "Thunderbird makes emailing safer, faster, and easier than ever before with the industry's best implementations of features such as intelligent spam filters, a built-in spell checker, extension support, and much more." - mozilla.org At OSDir, we've put together a screenshot presentation of the 0.8 release to give you a taste of what to expect in 1.0.

Toshiba America Electronic Components (TAEC) has released a hardware/software reference design targeting digital multimedia appliances with sub-$100 BOMs (bills-of-material). The reference design, designated AVM49R, includes a mini-ITX board with a dedicated MPEG-1/2/4 codec chip alongside a 333MHz MIPS RISC-based SoC (system-on-chip). The design runs Linux.

Many aspects of KDE performance depend on the underlying system or the user's configuration. The KDE Performance Tips document, which lists some of the performance related issues together with instructions how to avoid or fix the problems, has been updated with new tips. If you would like to add new tips to this page, update the ones already listed, or discuss them, please use the kde-optimize@kde.org mailing list. Note that this list is for working on optimizing KDE -- not for complaining.

By this time next year you may well be using a Linux desktop at work. It may not be a choice you make but one that is made for you by managers concerned at cost and security issues associated with the Microsoft Windows platform.

Combined with recent Netscape app purchases, hire gets Linux provider closer to integrating desktops with network services.

The biggest challenge for the open source community is that there are too few open source developers, according to Michael Tiemann, vice president of Open Source Affairs at Red Hat Inc.

JBoss Inc. has added business process management (BPM) to its growing roster of open source software.

Over the past few years, intellectual property policy in the U.S. has shifted dramatically in favor of business at the expense of the public interest. Software patents, automatic copyright extensions that can last as long as Congress wants them to last, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act have all become policy with very little opposition from either Democrats or Republicans. A new political action committee, IPac, hopes to change that by giving a voice to the public interest.

If it isn't right to judge a book by its cover, then perhaps it isn't right to judge a Linux destro [sic] by its name. Ever since I first heard of LindowsOS, I was extremely skeptical about the direction of this distribution. I even snubbed the idea of trying it out, thinking that it would be too dumbed-down and tainted to even consider it Linux. I stand before you a man of significantly changed opinion. After spending a week with Linspire 4.5 on my new Northgate Athlon from Staples, I now strongly believe that Linspire 4.5 is likely the best Linux distribution on the market. Of course, every Linux distribution focuses on a particular audience, and by no means is Linspire right for every Linux user, but it fills many voids that I have expressed in my four years of using Linux.

As many as three-quarters of all Linux desktop systems use KDE as their primary desktop. While the GNOME desktop has made great strides over the last few years, KDE is clearly the more stable and mature choice for business users.

Sharp has added a hard-disk drive to its latest Zaurus PDA (personal digital assistant), and is considering selling the Linux operating system-based device abroad, the company said Friday.

For Linux and open source to succeed in the enterprise, it could all come down to a matter of proper planning and competent training. John Horn, CEO of Kansas City, Mo.-based Interstate Software, said both of these components are necessary if an enterprise is considering open source technologies in areas such as the desktop, database and server.

Matrix, which locally [in Israel] sells the Red Hat Linux infrastructure, has reported that its Linux sales reached NIS 1 million in the third quarter - a 10-fold increase on the second quarter, when it began its operations.

Ben Goodger is the lead engineer for the open-source browser Firefox, which has been gaining in popularity in a market overwhelmingly dominated by Microsoft. He talks about Firefox's history, and how he sees it competing with Longhorn.

When the Internet travel market began to kick into high gear in 2002, National Leisure Group, which sells vacation packages through sites such as Orbitz and Priceline.com, knew it had to step its services up a notch. It embarked on a project to create an online system that could put together custom vacations for prospective customers in minutes.

SGI has released the Silicon Graphics Prism Linux-based visual computer product line. Applications include cancer research, disaster preparedness, oil exploration and car safety analysis.