release

Those of you interested in taking the current flavor of Windows 8 for a spin can now download and install the Developer Preview edition.

Being demoed at Microsoft's Build conference this week, the Developer Preview is a prebeta version showing off the operating system at its current stage. Though technically designed for developers, no registration is required, so anyone can download and install it.

Apple has released the newest beta seed of iTunes 10.5 as well as iWork for iOS 3 to developers for testing.

Developers can now download both releases from the Developer Center Web site. iTunes 10.5 beta 8 includes a number of security improvements and bug fixes, focusing on iTunes Match (currently in beta as well). Developers can also test the ability to back up to iCloud from inside iTunes.

Developers should be aware that while testing the backup feature, Apple may occasionally delete all information from iCloud, meaning developers should keep a backup of all their information locally. … Read more

The text of Yahoo's announcement of a management reorganization that saw Tim Morse replacing Carol Bartz as CEO.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO - News), the premier digital media company, today announced a leadership reorganization under which the Board of Directors has appointed Timothy Morse interim Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, replacing Carol Bartz, who has been removed by the Board from her role as Chief Executive Officer.

The Board has also named key senior Yahoo! executives to a newly formed Executive Leadership Council tasked with supporting Morse in managing the Company's day-to-day … Read more

The Firefox rapid-release program has caused some corporate indigestion, but Mozilla Chair Mitchell Baker believes it's worth it.

She acknowledged that companies can have problems with the approach, in which new browser versions arrive every six weeks, but those problems are secondary compared to the alternative of holding up new features for a year, Baker said in a blog post today:

A browser is the delivery vehicle for the Internet. And the Internet moves very, very quickly. Philosophically, I do not believe a product that moves at the speed of traditional desktop software can be effective at enabling an … Read more

SSuite Office is a free productivity suite that can go head-to-head with Microsoft's Office as well as other free and premium suites. It bundles a word processor, spreadsheet, PDF creator, e-mail, Web browser, and lots of extras. Many of its tools are fully compatible with other applications and file types, making it a viable alternative not just as a standalone suite but also in collaborative and business environments. We sampled SSuite Office's Excalibur Release.

Like MS Office, SSuite Office has an extensive Start Menu folder filled with its various tools as well as subfolders for Games, General Utilities, … Read more

Mozilla upgraded its developer's edition of Firefox today to version 8, including changing how forced third-party add-ons are handled and debuting a series of under-the-hood tweaks that continue a renewed assault on performance gains made in Firefox 7 Beta. Firefox 8 Aurora can be downloaded for Windows, Mac and Linux, and it marks the first release of Aurora for Android.

Two add-on changes were revealed last week that represent, for the first time in possibly years, that Mozilla has forced changes on how third-party programs and Firefox interact. Basically, Mozilla is disabling the ability of a third-party program, like … Read more

Netflix launches a video streaming channel for kids, a Chrome extension called Google Related shows content tied to the currently viewed page, and Sony drops the price of all its PlayStation 3 models by $50.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

The Nintendo Wii launched with a Zelda game and now it looks like it will also go out with one, too. Call it the last Wii game you'll ever buy, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will finally release in North America on November 20. Interestingly enough, the time in between the two Zelda games spans the entire life cycle of the Wii, so it's only fitting the console's last major piece of software be another adventure featuring our little green hero from Hyrule.

We've been critical of Nintendo for seemingly leaving the Wii hanging in terms of software support, but if our time with Skyward Sword at E3 2011 is any indication of the game's quality, we're highly optimistic about the final product. … Read more

Mozilla pushed Firefox 6 out the door today, updating the vast majority of its users to the browser's latest stable build.

Firefox 6 is available to download for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. This is the second stable version of the browser to arrive under the new rapid-release cycle, which promises a new stable build of Firefox every 6 weeks. As such, the changes to the browser are smaller in nature, and are more likely to be about stability and security concerns. However, Mozilla has taken the opportunity of this second stable rapid release to also address complaints from … Read more