Version 4.0.0 of the server-based backup and recovery software, Restore, has just been released. The developers have fixed various bugs in this version, and packetized the GPL'd software for Debian/Ubuntu systems.

Based on the release policy of Ubuntu and its KDE derivative Kubuntu, the next version of Kubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) scheduled for mid January would be a Long Term Support (LTS) version with three years support. Now, Kubuntu's chief developer Jonathan Riddell has announced that there will not be an LTS version; instead Kubuntu is relying on the KDE 4 desktop update.

Today the Protocol Freedom Information Foundation (PFIF), a non-profit organization created by the Software Freedom Law Center, signed an agreement with Microsoft to receive the protocol documentation needed to fully interoperate with the Microsoft Windows workgroup server products and to make them available to Free Software projects such as Samba.

Version 0.20.0 of Itools, a function rich library for Python programmers, has now been released.

Version 1.3 of dwdiff, a free front-end for the Unix diff program has just been released and is now licensed under the GPLv3.

As announced, Mozilla has released another beta of Firefox 3, which is scheduled to go final next year, just in time for Christmas.

The Linux Foundation is hosting a Linux Developer Symposium in Peking February 19 and 20 2008. The event partner is the China OSS Promotion Union (COPU).

Version 0.4.0 of libvirt, a free library for administration of virtualized operating systems has just been released.

The developers of the Samba 4 version have released the second alpha version three months after the initial alpha.

Version 4.2 of the miniscule (50MB) DSL (Damn Small Linux) distribution has just been released.