One month ago, I pledged that I would try Windows Vista on my new PC for a month before deciding whether I would keep it or revert back to Windows XP as my primary desktop OS. The verdict? I’m sticking with Vista, begrudgingly.

After announcing its first event for “end users,” the Linux Foundation has begun to promote “individual memberships.” Available now for $50 a year, memberships include a T-shirt, quarterly newsletter, and the “ability to run for and vote for a Linux Foundation board seat,” says the organization.

The images include the start menu and a range of other administration views, such as program lists and the Control Panel. Mainstay applications such as Paint and Calculator are also represented. Overall, the screenshots show a distinctly Vista-like interface, but there is still plenty of time for tweaks and changes to take place.

Representatives of big browser makers Microsoft, Mozilla and Google talk about the future of browsers, as developers decry browser incompatibility and ask what browser makers plan to do about it. The panel of experts talked about HTML 5, Canvas, Silverlight, IE 8, Google Chrome and Firefox at the Web 2.0 Expo.

The carrier’s heavy promotion of aggressively priced wireless broadband and iPhone 3G plans has resulted in the network being overloaded with users, leading to widespread performance problems and frequent outages. The worst of the complaints have come from Sydney, where users have been forced to drop down to the inferior 2G network just so they can receive calls. But customers around the country are reporting problems including call dropouts and slow internet speeds.

All four major record labels - Sony BMG, Universal, EMI and Warner - as well as a range of independent artists have signed on to the Vodafone MusicStation service, which will offer access to more than 1 million tracks and does not charge any fees aside from the weekly subscription cost.

As with its competitors, Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 is fitted with Intel’s Atom N270 chip. This pint-sized processor has a surprising amount of muscle. Partnered with 1GB of RAM, it gallops through everyday tasks such as email and the web and uses programs such as Microsoft Office. If you’re in the market for a netbook, the Inspiron Mini should be near the top of your list.

Based on Mandriva Linux 2008, which was released last October, Mandriva Mini is designed to work on small format, low-cost netbooks, which typically have screens ranging from 7 to 10 inches. It is said to support key netbook platforms, such as products based on the Intel Atom processor.

With input from older people, researchers from the University of the West of England, Bristol, have identified ideas for innovative in-car information systems which, if developed, could help compensate for the reduction in reaction time that affects many drivers as they get older.

I haven’t been enthusiastic about any office application for some time. They aren’t flashy. They shouldn’t be, really, as it gets in the way of their primary task. That’s why it seems that OpenOffice.org’s 3.0 release candidate is a winner. It doesn’t look radically different. Its new features are its strength, and its extensibility is its future.