In today's heterogeneous environments, it is hard to escape the influence of Java and .NET. So why not come prepared? This month we examine some tools and techniques for integrating the Java and .NET frameworks with Linux.

After years of development, version 1.0 of the Parrot virtual machine has arrived for Perl, Python and other dynamic languages. Whether the Parrot will take a firm foothold in software development is still up in the air.

Adobe, maker of Photoshop and Flash, has released version 1.5 of its AIR platform for Linux. The software allows Web users to run so-called Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) without resorting to a browser.

British company PureCM.com Ltd has released a new version of its PureCM software configuration management (SCM) tool.

Linux Foundation has released its first beta of the Linux Standard Base (LSB) version 4.0. The providers have already promised developers an easier work environment through the SDK, shell script and application checker. The successes are logged in the FOSSBazaar workgroup.

The developers of Mono, the free implementation of the .NET framework, have achieved a major milestone with version 2.0.

Three months after the announcement at the JavaOne exhibition, Sun Microsystems is putting the discussed plans into action and placed the Lightweight UI Toolkit (LWUIT) under the conditions of the GPLv2. The Toolkit is intended for Java ME applications.