OpenOffice 1.1 Beta is now available for download.

For those unfamiliar with it, OpenOffice is a free, open-source, cross-platform (Linux, Windows, Solaris, and Mac OSX) office suite. I've been using it pretty exclusively for a while now, and it's quite capable. It does have a few rough spots (as of 1.0.2 - I haven't tried this new beta yet), but it can definitely replace other well-known expensive and proprietary office suites. Check it out.

Both of these have been posted to Slashdot already, but it's worth mentioning here as well.

First of all, Mozilla 1.4a has been released. See the Release Notes for more information.

Second, it seems the Mozilla organization is making a radical change of direction with their latest development roadmap update. The two major highlights:

• Mozilla is dropping the integrated Mozilla suite after 1.4, and instead releasing a componentized Mozilla based on the Phoenix web browser and the Minotaur mail client
• More focused development and refinement of the Gecko rendering engine

Guru Labs has posted a review of the Red Hat Linux 9 Technical Changes. Any Red Hat users should read this to see what the next version has in store for them.

Sony appears to be considering using Linux as the core OS for its upcoming PlayStation 3. Of course, Linux is already available for the PlayStation 2 as an add-on, but this would mean that Linux will run natively on the PS3, and most likely be the game environment as well.

Now, this is pure speculation, but if the PlayStation 3 is indeed based on Linux, and games are written for Linux on the PS3, it seems like it should be pretty easy to port it to Linux on the PC. Now how cool would that be!

Sorry for the lack of news lately - I've been hard at work on other parts of the site. Too bad most changes I made aren't even noticeable unless you know what to look for...

Anyway, I have a few new articles for everyone. To kick things off, I wanted to mention the new O'Reilly Hacks Series of books. Each book in the series contain 100 hacks, or "tools, tips, and tricks that help users solve problems." I just bought Linux Server Hacks and Google Hacks, and so far I'm quite impressed. Well worth checking out if you're looking for some new reading material.

I'm currently in the middle of updating the LegRoom.net theme, as well as updating the layout of the home page. Although the theme looks almost identical at the moment, I've made extensive changes on the backend, reimplimenting it with another theme system that will make updates and modifications much easier in the future.

However, as a result of the changes, there are still a few minor problem with page layout, colors, etc. If you notice any such problems with the site, please let me know. Also feel free to send any feedback or ideas for improvement.

In the meantime, please bear with me while I complete this transition. Thanks.

This is an update to the story below. Dell includes a hardware sensor that detects refilled ot 3rd-party ink cartridges, and refuses to allow use of them. So, either buy a separate printer, or expect to pay out of the ass for ink cartridges for your Dell printer.

For more information , see the Slashdot post or the original Yahoo article

Apparently, all of the year+ old rumors are true - Dell will begin selling its own printer line next week. According to C|Net, Dell has two goals in mind: boost it's own sales, and hurt archrival HP. HP, you might remember, snubbed Dell last year when the rumors of a Dell-branded printer line first surfaced. Dell, it seems, is still rather pissed about that.

This move, combined with their decision to begin selling Dell-branded PDAs last fall, makes for some interesting times at Dell.

You can read the full article here:
http://news.com.com/2100-1041-993750.html?tag=lh

Most fans of the Mozilla web browser suite are probably aware of Phoenix, the lightweight, cross-platform browser heavily based on Mozilla's code. Phoenix supports the same web standards as Mozilla, but it has a much smaller memory footprint due to it's stripped-down codebase, lack of integrated mail client, etc.

Well, here's more good news for speed-happy or low-end hardware users - Minotaur. Designed with the same goals as Phoenix, this will be a lightweight, cross-platform mail client based heavily on the Mozilla Mail code. You can read additional details in this usenet post, or on the project homepage.

I just want to also say that, although I personally prefer the standard Mozilla suite, this is a good thing. Older machines especially will benefit from this, as well as anyone that's put-off by Mozilla's sometimes long startup times (due to the fact that, unlike another web browser, it's not loaded as part of the OS).