NZ's Inland Revenue department is to trial 7,000 PCs running Linux to assess
it's usefulness. Linux shouldn't find the task too taxing:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3452696a28,00.html
OpenOffice 2.0 is now on release, now with database support and improved PDF
indexing and thumbnail capabilities, as well as OpenDocument support:
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1549201339;fp;16;fpid;0
OpenOpenOffice aims to add OpenDocument support to Microsoft Office clients by
offering an OpenOffice service via .NET, minimising user installs:
http://www.phase-n.com/openopenoffice/
The Firefox web browser has now registered over 100 million downloads:
http://www.spreadfirefox.com/?q=node/18908
Groklaw gets a sneak preview of the EU's COSPA project, a controlled study of
governmental migrations to Free and Open Source software:
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=2005102011342691
Rice University scientists have constructed the world's smallest car
from a single molecule, with a chassis, axles and four buckyball wheels:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-10/ru-rsb102005.php
E-Ink show their latest display, which is in full colour at 83 pixels/inch:
http://www.e-ink.com/news/releases/pr86.html
Freescale Semiconductor hosts a demonstration of its direct sequence-UWB
(DS-UWB) operating under the Bluetooth software stacks:
http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/3557936
And finally. Meet the Airpouf, the vacuum cleaner that thinks it's a mutant
footstool. Complete with spherical port covers that fly off on activation:
http://www.architonic.com/web/nCatalogue/satellite/satDataSheet/fstSatDataSheet.php?prm1=1019335&prm2=2009587
News collated from various sources by Vik Olliver for Diamond Age Solutions Ltd. The views presented in this document are the personal opinion of the collator, and should not be taken as any more than that.