The early access version of the GNOME 2.0 Accessibility Framework answers the call for accessibility by providing tools to help developers build technologies for employees with disabilities. The built-in, extensible GNOME Accessibility Framework provides the foundation for developers to write accessible applications from the ground up, support existing GNOME applications, and adopt enabling technologies to the UNIX platform.

Sun has upgraded the Forte Developer suite of products, an integrated set of development tools designed for building enterprise applications. The upgrade features new debugging and compiling capabilities that enable programmers to debug mixed Java technology language and native C, C++, and Fortran code on the Solaris 8 Operating Environment (OE). Users can now migrate applications more quickly to Solaris OE. In addition, the new upgrade significantly improves the interoperability between open source/GNU apps across Solaris OE and Linux systems.

The 07/01 update of the Solaris Software Companion CD image is now available for external download. The Solaris Software Companion CD, which also ships in the Solaris 8 Operating Environment (OE) media kit, contains a comprehensive set of freely available software, providing interoperability and commonality across both Linux and Solaris OE environments. There is a list of new and updated packages and a link to the download page.