ABIT Computer Corp., known for manufacturing outstanding motherboards, has released version 2.0 of it's Gentus Linux distribution. Why would a hardware manufacturer release their own operating system? Well, with their hardware expertise, ABIT is able to build a Linux install which auto-detects your motherboard and kernel configuration, plus supports the latest drivers without having to patch the kernel. Gentus 2.0 provides full support fot ATA/66, ATA/100, and VIA chipsets. ABITconf allows you to graphically configure drivers for SoundBlaster Live! and i810 sound chipsets, a tool not found in any other distribution. For a list of advantages found in Gentus 2.0, check out the press release. If you are a Linux user with top-of-the-line hardware, be sure to check out this new release of Gentus. Gentus 2.0 is completely free and can be downloaded here, or wait until Gentus ships with your new ABIT motherboard.

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Microsoft is asking for beta testers to try out their new Windows Hardware Quality Labs Web site. As stated on their site, "The purpose of Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs is to ensure the compatibility of hardware with Microsoft Operating Systems. WHQL provides test kits that are used to qualify devices, systems and servers for the Microsoft Windows logos and for inclusion on Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)." The WHQL site also offers a great place to find out about Windows development and what you can expect to see in upcoming Microsoft operating systems. If you are sitting at home bored, check out the site and take the tour.

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After first appearing in Asia, a new e-mail worm has begun to spread like wildfire and reak havok on corporate mail systems. Titled, "barok -loveletter(vbe) i hate go to school," the worm propagates itself via e-mail as a VisualBasic script named LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs with the message, "kindly check the attached LOVELETTER coming from me." Like the infamous Melissa, this worm is written to spread itself any possible way. After first sending itself to the victims' address book, it infects mIRC trying to send users an HTML file with the worm, and auto-downloads the file WIN-BUGSFIX.exe. While it is currently unknown whether this file has a destructive payload, Symantec has confirmed the worm will modify vbs, vbe, js, jse, css, wsh, sct, hta, jpg, jpeg, mp3, and mp2 files in an attempt to spread itself. The anti-virus company is calling the worm, VBS.LoveLetter.A and warns to delete any messages with the subject 'ILOVEYOU'.

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Microsoft has announced a beta release of the new Windows Media Player 7, just a month after the company first previewed the new technology. The beta comes complete with SRS WOW 3-D audio enhancement technology, support for portable audio devices, and new customization features. Windows Media Player 7 Beta includes support for playback of 60 frames per second full-motion video, a new radio tuner, and more skins as well. Netscape users will need to install this plug-in after WMP 7 to use the player. Download the beta from FileForum and tell us how it compares to the other players on the market.

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The voting system has been put into place and it now time for you guys to choose the top WindowBlinds skins showcased in our eFront Skins Contest 2000. We have some extremely impressive prizes for our winners, so take a look at the excellent entries and decide who should take home the top spots. Anyone can vote - all you need is a mouse. This is your chance to find some great skins for your desktop from some of the top creative minds on the Net. Grab WindowBlinds from Stardock and browse the skin listings!

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Setting their sites on the emerging data protection market, industry giants Xerox Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have teamed to form a new, independent company called ContentGuard Inc., the companies announced today. ContentGuard will sell a suite of data protection products developed by Xerox at its Palo Alto Research Center that provide the "same kind of content protection in the digital world that you have in the printed press (arena)," Xerox spokesperson Bill McKee said today.

Xerox, which owns a majority stake in ContentGuard, enlisted the help Microsoft, which is a substantial minority owner of the new company, to promote the products and the programming language that accompanies them, McKee said.

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Rock group Limp Bizkit has announced a month's worth of completely free concerts starting on July 4th, dubbed "Limpdependence." Lead singer Fred Durst told the press regarding Napster's involvement, "We could care less about the older generation's need to do business as usual. We care more about what our fans want, and our fans want music on the Internet."

Napster will support tour costs such as travel, venue rentals, and lights, giving the band close to $2 million.

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ICQ 2000a has officially reached beta status after a long period of alpha testing. Today's beta launch was initially scheduled for last week, however a couple last minute bugs delayed the release. ICQ 2000a features a new contact list design, redesigned option menus, an ICQ quick launch bar, redesigned preferences, help cards, an answering service, and countless other additions. An advanced address book now allows you to easily search through your contacts. Version 2000a is definitely worth checking out if you want to take advantage of the new features, however some may find 2000a's interface cluttered. Download ICQ 2000a Beta v.4.29 Build #3140 from FileForum.

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BeZilla developers have posted a status update to the Mozilla Web site. As the name implies, BeZilla is a port of Mozilla, the engine behind Netscape 6, for the BeOS. Due to a problem with the R4.5 compiler, BeZilla development was on hold until R5 went public last month. The team currently expects the next binary release in a month or two, but is in desparate need of developers. For more information on how to support the project, visit the BeZilla Web site.

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After giving you skinners a few extra days to get your WindowBlinds creations in, we have stopped accepting new submissions. Within the next few days we will begin the voting period, which will last for two weeks. Anyone can vote on their favorite skin, and the winners will receive some impressive prizes provided by Stardock. eFront and Stardock would like to thank everyone who entered. We will make an announcement shortly regarding the start of voting. While you are waiting, browse the entries.

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Napster today responded to the threat by Dr. Dre that he would sue the company if they did not remove his music from their databases, telling the musician's attorneys they could not agree to the request. Napster instead offered the ability to block users Dre found in violation of copyright laws. Howard King, lawyer for Dr. Dre and Metallica, called the company's response "comical" and said other artists would soon be joining Metallica's lawsuit. Shortly after Dre sent the notice to Napster, he was ironically slapped with a lawsuit by Lucasfilm LTD. for using their THX theme without permission.

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Fueling the fire in the heated battle between Metallica and MP3 fans worldwide, Metallica's Web site was hacked early this morning. Visitors to the band's site today encountered a simple yet omninous message: "LEAVE NAPSTER ALONE." Metallica filed suit against Napster yesterday, and promised to add anyone else found illegally trading their music to the list of defendants. Read more about the suit on BetaNews.

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According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft has acknowledged that engineers included a secret backdoor in some of its Internet software. It is not known exactly which pieces of software are affected, however Windows 2000 seems to be free of the problem. The WSJ has said the company planned to warn customers via e-mail and instruct them to delete the file 'dvwssr.dll', which contains the backdoor. The file can be found on Microsoft's IIS with Frontpage 98 extensions. According to the report, using a password which referred to Netscape rivals as "weenies," hackers could potentially gain access to hundreds of thousands of Web sites running Microsoft's IIS software. Keep checking back as the story develops.

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Metallica today filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Napster, three educational institutions, and 20 fans for unauthorized distribution of music. The suit alleges that by enabling music piracy to occur, the defendants have committed copyright infringement. Specifically named thus far are Yale University, the University of Southern California, and Indiana University.

Napster has faced heavy litigation as of late, due to their MP3-sharing program of the same name. Napster allows users to trade and share MP3s, legal or not. Many Napster-like applications have arisen since, including Globalscape's CuteMX, Gnullsoft's Gnutella, Scour's Exchange, iMesh, and more. A San Francisco judge will soon announce a verdict in the Recording Industry Association of America's case against Napster.

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Be, Inc. has posted a few experimental applications and drivers for those running BeOS 5 Personal Edition. These tools are normally only available on BeOS install CDs. Currently posted applications include VideoRecorder and World O' Networking (WON), the BeOS interface for sharing files and services over a network, compatible with SAMBA and Windows machines. BeOS users may also download experimental drivers for compact flash, Roland UA-100 audio and MIDI processor, basic USB speakers, and Ethernet PCI devices (DP83815, Realtek 8139, Accton EN503x, VIA vt86c100 chips and ISA 3Com 3c509B card). Visit the BeOS 5 Experimental Items page for more information.

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