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© viZZZual.com

The famous Linux penguin is getting some competition from a new open source download called Puppy Linux. Version 5.2.5 of the flagship Lucid Puppy Linux distribution, aka "Lupu", improves on earlier releases with a raft of updates and new features. For example, a version 4.1.0 of the Bash shell is included, replacing the previous version's Bash 3. Version 4.03 of the Syslinux bootloader replaces Syslinux 3, while the window manager JWM 500 has replaced JWM 493. Also included is the Gnumeric spreadsheet software, updated to version 1.10.13.

More programs are also available through the Puppy Package manager, and notable improvements include upgrades to the new release's sound capabilities. Lucid Puppy is primarily based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, but it also includes version 1.41.14 of the e2fsprogs filesystem utilities, which are the latest from Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal."

© osde8info

Certain rumors had recently evolved that Google Android is no longer an open source because of the delay in release of the new source code for developers. Rumors had it that the new version of Android (Honeycomb) won't be an open source but a paid version instead.

A clarification comes from Google's vice president Andy Rubin that the Android will remain a free open source, they will release the source code as soon as it gets ready and they are enduringly committed to provide Android as an open source platform.

On the other hand, a perplexing blog post by Nokia claims that Symbian Platform is no longer an open source and source codes are only available for their collaborators. This has enraged the Symbian fans, who are crying foul play.

© Randy Zhang

The RockMelt team has decided that the time is right to put its new social web browser online as a free download for beta testing.

The browser has been in development for more than two years, and is based on Google's Chromium browser, the open source download behind Google's Chrome web browser. RockMelt is designed to be a cross-platform browser to match how people use the web today. RockMelt is tightly integrated with a number of social networking sites and services, including Facebook and Twitter. It has a feature which allows users to sign in and sync their Facebook friends, feeds, favorite services, bookmarks and preferences. RockMelt is a start-up that is backed by Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen. While RockMelt does contribute back to Chromium and the other open source projects on which it is based, they will not be releasing their source code at this time.