The Super Gamer VectorLinux-based distribution comes as a live DVD loaded with tons of native Linux games. It includes demos of some proprietary games, and native Windows games can be played with Wine or one of its derivatives (Cedega or Crossover). Read more...

The developers of OpenOffice have released version 3.0 of this productivity suite. This is not a production release but intended to make the software available for testing by the general public.

Highlights:

• A new Start Centre
• New fresh-looking icons
• Zoom control in status bar
• New solver component in Calc
• Increase to max. 1024 columns per spreadsheet
• Support for OpenDocument Format (ODF) 1.2
• Runs on Mac OS X without X11

For more information see here. Download here.

Puppy Linux is a distro with a number of interesting design requirements. For example it is designed so small that it can be loaded completely into RAM and run from there, including a large number of applications (you should have at least 128MB RAM). You can boot it from a live CD, and once booted up, the CD drive can be used for other purposes. Running completely from RAM means that response is very quick. Read more...

Orbit is an addictive Open Source game that is based on a Newtonian physics simulation system. It takes some practice initially to figure out how to maneuver your spaceship when floating freely in space. To help you get started, the space bar can be used to stop at any point. It is also instructional. You can explore all the planets and their moons in our solar system and learn their names along the way. Their display is based on NASA images. Read more...

This latest Slackware version includes desktop environments Xfce 4.4.2 and KDE 3.5.9. Support for the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) has been added as well. This enables users to connect USB flash drives, USB cameras, DVD media, MP3 players, etc. without mount and umount commands. Read more...

The powerful Unix/Linux command awk allows you to manipulate files that are structured as columns of data and strings. Once you understand the basics of awk you will find that it is surprisingly useful. You can use it to automate things in ways you have never thought about. It can be used for data processing and for automating the application of Unix/Linux commands. It also has many spreadsheet-type functionalities. Read more.

DFO is a photo management tool that allows you to do more of your photo organization work on your local computer. It is more responsive and you get your edits done faster. DFO takes care of synchronizing your local photo sets with your account on the popular Yahoo photo sharing web site flickr. Read more...

Company wide software projects, such as setting up enterprise resource planning (ERP) or customer relationship management (CRM) systems, tend to be extraordinarily expensive compared to the functionality they offer. Besides the initial software purchase, companies often have to spend large sums for consulting services by software specialists required to integrate the software package with the company’s IT infrastructure. The alternative of writing the software from scratch has the obvious drawback of requiring a substantial software development effort.

The solution to this dilemma is to develop such software as Open Source projects. Read more...

17 months after his arrest, the trial of Hans Reiser, the original developer of the Reiser file system, has come to a conclusion. The jury found him guilty of killing his estranged wife, who disappeared in September 2006 and was never seen again. Reiser maintained that she went back to her native Russia after being accused of embezzling money from his company. Read more...

Wubi is probably the easiest way for Windows users to try out Linux. With this method the process of installing a Linux system as a dual-boot setup is just like installing any Windows application, namely running an executable. Read more...