The Apache Project announced the latest version of Commons Digester, which comes with less dependency and can validate XML code. Programmers use Digester to convert data from XML into Java objects.

Debian developers have determined the outcome: proprietary components are acceptable, paving the way for Lenny, the next free distro of Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.

Acer has put the source RPM packages and a recovery DVD for its increasingly popular Aspire One Linux netbook online for free download. Sources for the kernel and further components are also available.

The web based groupware solution Simple Groupware is now available in version 0.500. New in this version is a module for rendering diagrams with another module implemented to allow offline viewing of folders and attachments.

Retro, the free implementation of a minimalist dialect of Forth, is now available in version 10.0.

The FreeBSD Project has released version 7.1 of the BSD Unix-based operating system. The release comes without any spectacular changes.

The Shoreline Firewall product, also known as Shorewall, has arrived in its 4.2.4 version. The new release includes a configuration tool for IPv6 networks.

Chris Mason, lead developer of the copy-on-write BtrFS filesystem, has appealed for its inclusion in the Linux kernel.

A few server admins had reported Linux crashes right at the New Year's Eve countdown. Linux developers are currently investigating if they had anything to do with the leap second phenomenon.

The Android OS from Google is optimized for ARM processors and smaller displays, but, with some adjustment, can also run on netbooks.