Colossus II was the first programmable computer, the one that enabled the Allies to “read the mind of Adolf Hitler.” From a report at Wired.com.

IBM, the world’s largest computer
maker, will unveil the first machine to be sold
under a single brand name covering all its business
computers. From a report by Reuters.

Wired.com tells us that October 3 is Techies Day — a time to call attention to the shortage of qualified tech workers in the United States. Industry reps will talk to kids around the country about the wonderful opportunities awaiting them in geekdom.

PCWorld.com reports that Web sites with financial news have become vital for investors. Imagine the disarray that could occur if a hacker would take over such a site. A Dutch hacker claims he could have altered Nasdaq.com and three sites run by MarketWatch.com.

Linux.com brings us Alex Young’s review of several synthesizers; he calls the technology “addictive.”

From LinuxJournal.com: “Many different factors affect performance. Changing one thing may or
may not translate into a noticeable performance improvement. Sometimes, it’s a question of a little tweaking here and a little tweaking there. Deciding what to change
can be quite challenging. It also helps to be able to determine where the bottlenecks are.”

AxKit
provides on-the-fly conversion from XML to a variety of other formats
including HTML, WAP, and plain text. From LinuxPR.com.

From OSOpinion: “Much ado is made of applications, and in particular Free and Open Source Software “chasing tail-lights,” or limiting itself to tracking the designs of others. This is all fine and dandy, since at some point the chasing ends and a bit of leading happens. As they say, “Even if you’re on the right track, don’t stop, or you’ll be run over.” –Kelly McNeill

ZDNET reports that, among other things, Napster had
offered to charge subscribers $4.95 a month, a figure they
estimated would have earned record companies and
artists $500 million annually.

From OSOpinion: “I find it disconcerting that Microsoft has taken over the “.net” extension in its marketing. If we don’t stop the people at Microsoft now, “.net” will eventually end up a trademark of theirs, or even worse, people the world over, will associate “.net” with Microsoft. It may be too late already. Global mindshare is the new battle that they are playing now.” –Kelly McNeill