Posted at Linux Weekly News: “This is not an “official” stable Gimp release, but unless users
report problems with this release, the 1.2.2 release will follow
shortly.

This pre-release fixes a number of bugs that were found in the
1.2.2-pre1 release. I’d be happy if people could test it on a
variety of platforms.”

An announcement from the folks at Linux Knowledge Base: “…a dramatic shift in the Linux Knowledge Base Project is in process. As of now, all development has stopped on the current site in order that
we can design and document our plan for the future. The biggest change is the formation of the Open Object Directory Services (OODS) Group. OODS will be
an open API using CORBA for a platform independent means of storing, retrieving, and managing information over the Internet. Initially, most of our efforts will be
focused on making the OODS concept a reality. After basic functionality has been developed, we will work to incorporate the OODS within the LinuxKB’s web
site. We hope that other individuals and groups interested in documentation management for free software and open source will contribute to OODS.”

Newsbytes (via NewsAlert): “Intel Corp. [NYSE:INTC] has enhanced its voice portal technology, releasing a
range of servers for use by third-party firms to offer interactive services to end users.

The most important aspect of the enhancements is that Intel is now supporting the Linux operating system on its line of voice Internet portal servers.

Intel staffers at the Networks Telecom Europe show, taking place this week in Birmingham, England, told Newsbytes that Ydilo, the first voice Internet portal
using the new technology, has gone live in Spain and is undergoing tests in Latin America. “

PC World: “For the paranoid, Logitech now encrypts the wireless
signals transmitted from keyboard to the radio frequency
(RF) receiver, reducing the likelihood that your keystrokes
will be logged by hackers crouched in a black van parked
outside your house. Logitech has added a second RF
signal to the keyboard ensuring wireless signal reliability.”

CBC: “Corel Corp. has reported a small profit for the
second quarter, surprising analysts who’d expected the
company to post a net loss. The company said its
cost-cutting efforts outweighed a slight decline in
revenue.

Corel said it recorded a net
income of $2.3 million US (2
cents US per share), a major
turnaround from the loss of
$23.6 million US (36 cents US
a share) in the year-earlier period.”

Business Wire: “The Open Source Development Lab (OSDL), an independent, vendor-neutral, non-profit organization dedicated to enabling Linux for enterprise and
carrier-class functionality, today announced a call for entries for their 2001 OSDL Enterprise Achievement Award.
A cash prize of $25,000 will be granted to a developer or group that has made a significant contribution to Linux for the enterprise.
Nominations are open to an individual or group that has made a noteworthy accomplishment in the last two years that relates to enterprise type work. The
award will be presented at LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco, August 27-30, 2001.”

The stable Gnome– 1.2.0 has finally been released, and is available
from
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=1161.

Gnome– provides C++ wrappers for the gnome-libs widgets, such as
GnomeApp, Canvas, Dialog, Druid, MDI, MessageBox, etc.” Read the full message from Murray Cumming at LinuxProgramming.com.

“Note to packagers : The Bonobo enabled build is now the default. You WILL need
to change your packaging to reflect changes in paths and to add
Bonobo-1.0x as a depend.

This is a _development_ release. Although the code is stable, packages will
definitely need work to cope with the switch to Bonobo. It is possible to
build without Bonobo (–without-bonobo), and will continue to be
possible for the foreseeable future.” Read the release announcement, posted at Linux Today.

A short item on ZDNet News reports that the first domain names with .biz and .info extensions should show up on the public network today. Still waiting in the wings for implementation are the five other top-level domains with the ICANN seal of approval: .name, .pro, .aero, .coop, and .museum.

Reuters (via Interactive Week) reports that the European Union’s telecom ministers are backing a proposal to bring the Internet into every citizen’s home. Service providers would be required to ensure “functional” Internet access, even in very remote areas. EU member states will be left to decide for themselves how to compensate providers for building and maintaining the infrastructure that would be required for such universal service.