Issue #97 / Dec 2008

Barcodes efficiently speed us through supermarket checkout lines, but the technology is also useful for totally different applications. An inexpensive barcode scanner can help you organize your private library, CD, or DVD collection.

Mozilla Thunderbird email client continues to gain ground thanks to its multitude of internal features, and add-ons help to extend its functionality.

iTalc gives teachers complete control over the digital classroom and integrates the PC as a learning aid and tool.

If you want your business to run smoothly, deploying a dependable invoicing solution should be among your top priorities. BambooInvoice offers a user-friendly, web-based invoicing solution.

Governments need a better understanding of the flexibility and security of open source software.

Snow-covered white mountains, green meadows, yellow cheese, purple cows, the distant sound of yodeling marmots, and plenty of Linux people from all over the world – a perfect combination for a geek event.

VMworld, the world's largest virtualization event, offered a variety of technical events, birds-of-a-feather sessions, press conferences, and perhaps the biggest IT party ever. VMworld's fifth year is one to remember.

The free high-end game, Yo Frankie, in which players steer a flying squirrel through a colorful 3D world, is almost finished. KI Research still faces major issues, but FreeHAL, a dialog program, gives users a behind-the-scenes look at the current state of affairs.