Happy Independence Day, if you are among those who celebrate the independence of the US. (Our friend Alan Yeo of ScreenJet in the UK quips that the Brits celebrate July 4, too, as "the day we got rid of our offspring.")

Independence is important to The 3000 NewsWire. You see the word in our tagline under our logo, so it's part of our essential mission. We have published stories over the years that sparked controversy and ruffled some feathers, part of the byproduct of saying what we think, as well as relaying what you think. As a small company we couldn't do the work by ourselves. We stand on the shoulders of this community of users and developers who tell us what they know. We also rely on a long-time friend and Webmaster, Chris Bartram, to deliver news through our Web site.

We don't except there will be a lot of news today with the US holiday slowing the pace somewhat. But it might be news to you to learn how much Bartram has done with his 3k.com Web site. You can download software for your 3000 for free there, utilities tried and tested by the user community over years. Have a look at our latest Q&A interview with him to learn more about the 3000's Web resources and a hopeful outlook for the platform.