There's a lot going on in the world of open source software development, including some early looks at updates to several popular applications. Remember: beta versions of software are fun to play with and crucial for getting final versions out the door, but aren't stable enough for everyday use.

AbiWord 2.7.10 Beta - Open source word processor, AbiWord, mainly fixes bugs associated with plugins but there are also a handful of fixes for some cross-platform issues. You'll also want to check out this beta version if you've been having issues with importing and exporting Open Office XML docs.

Audacity, the free, open source sound editor, is on the top of everyone's list of podcasting and audio apps here at OStatic, so we're always thrilled when there's an update. If you love Audacity, too, and can't wait for the next stable version to be released, you can get in on the beta action right now. Audacity 1.3.8 Beta is available now for a sneak peek at some new features and improvements that will be in the app's next stable version.

Linux.com has an interesting item up today on FLOSS Manuals,an effort to produce comprehensive, free documentation for popular open source software titles. As the post notes, "documentation is one area in which free/libre/open source software (FLOSS) is weakest." That's true, and FLOSS Manuals looks like an excellent learning and reference resource for titles such as OpenOffice, Firefox, Audacity, Blender, Inkscape and more. Here are some of the details on what's available there, and 16 other open source learning and tutorial resources that we've compiled.