Many scanner tools confuse users with functional overkill. The clear-cut gscan2pdf scanning aid gives users a simple approach to converting existing paper documents into space-saving PDF files.

The office suite builds on Open Office adding a plethora of graphical elements and fonts.

Open Source service provider Corratech recently released Opensuite, a platform for the integration of heterogeneous enterprise applications.

UK-based ARM is looking to develop a Linux platform for mobile devices in cooperation with six partners.

Software vendor Autodesk is looking to release a geodetic program for the conversion of geographical data into various formats as Open Source.

IBM's Lotus Symphony will be unable to break the dominance of Microsoft's Office package according to market researchers Gartner. Open Office still has too many deficits for enterprise use, they say, and the future belongs to Web-based office and collaboration solutions.

The first KDE 4 beta release gives users a sneak preview of the many innovations the next K Desktop generation will introduce.

About one week after IBM joined the Open Office project, Big Blue is releasing its own free office package. The office software, dubbed Lotus Symphony is based on Open Office.