Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Tue 22nd Jul 2008 17:54 UTC
David Williams over at iTWire has done a comparison of Windows vs Linux. It is performed by doing functionally identical tasks in both the OSes. This comparison is not a fair one by any measure. The laptops running the Windows and Linux were different in the hardware config and the software used for the tests were comparable but clearly different (MS Office vs OpenOffice; IE vs Firefox 3).
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Tue 22nd Jul 2008 15:55 UTC, submitted by LinucksGirl
Linux loadable kernel modules are on of the most important innovations in the Linux kernel. They provide a kernel that is both scalable and dynamic. Discover loadable kernels, the ideas behind them, and learn how these independent objects dynamically become part of the Linux kernel.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 22nd Jul 2008 12:27 UTC, submitted by danmassa7
Scott Finley, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has ported the Linux files system Ext2 to Microsoft's new research operating system Singularity. One of the most striking observations was the author's comments on Singularity's robustness. "Perhaps the best testament to Singularity's dependability was the extremely good system stability during the development of ext2... If the ext2 process terminated as the result of a failure, it only resulted in open channels closing. Other processes could (and did) recover gracefully." Finley's report details all his findings quite extensively.
Linked by Tony Steidler-Dennison on Tue 22nd Jul 2008 09:36 UTC, submitted by snydeq
Peter Wayner takes a deep look at four cloud computing services: Amazon EC2, Google App Engine, GoGrid, and AppNexus, each of which simplifies your workload but forces you into a 'ball-and-chain-computing' routine you may not like. Although the services do let you pull CPU cycles from thin air when you need it, they can't solve the deepest problems that make it hard for applications to scale gracefully, Wayner writes. Overall, Wayner finds the 'clouds' rife with potential but 'far from clear winners over traditional shared Web hosting.'
Written by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Tue 22nd Jul 2008 08:29 UTC
Geeks.com sent us in a pretty cool computer gadget: a vintage-looking internet radio device, the iMedia100. I have a soft spot about classic-looking devices that have modern features, so this was an interesting experiment for me. Read on for more.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Tue 22nd Jul 2008 01:54 UTC
Walter Bright talks about D and his desire to improve on systems programming languages. Many successful concepts from other languages like JavaScript, PERL, Ruby, Lisp, Ada, Erlang, Python, etc., have had a significant influence on D, he says. He adds: "D 1.0 was pretty straightforward stuff, being features that were adapted from well-trod experience in other languages. D 2.0 has ventured into unexplored territory that doesn't have a track record in other languages. Since these capabilities are unproven, they generate some healthy skepticism. Only time will tell."
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Mon 21st Jul 2008 22:38 UTC, submitted by Moulinneuf
Software engineer Satoshi Nakajima, the lead architect of Microsoft's Windows 95, picked up a Mac for the first time two years ago.
He was so impressed, he says he'll never again touch a PC again.
Satoshi loves Apple products so much, he started a company in April, Big Canvas, to develop for Apple's iPhone platform full-time.
"We have chosen iPhone as the platform to release our first product (for) several reasons," explains his company's website. "We love Apple products... You need love to be creative."
Linked by David Adams on Mon 21st Jul 2008 14:47 UTC, submitted by Moulinneuf
Microsoft rarely gives out sales numbers, but Vista is another story. Due to bad press, the company apparently wants to remind everyone that Vista is still selling well. The software giant recently announced that it would be putting resources into launching a marketing campaign that will fight back against Apple's ads and incorrect Vista assumptions and will instead tell the "real Vista story."
Linked by David Adams on Mon 21st Jul 2008 14:44 UTC, submitted by Moulinneuf
Linus Torvalds is remarkable, not only for being the technical genius who wrote Linux, but for then being able to inspire and lead an enormous team of people to devote their free time to work on the operating system and bring it to maturity. We sent Richard Morris off to interview Linus, and find out more.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Mon 21st Jul 2008 14:35 UTC, submitted by Thom_Holwerda
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Sat 19th Jul 2008 19:01 UTC, submitted by cypress
Linux and UNIX-like operating systems in general are regarded as being more secure for the common user, in contrast with operating systems that have "Windows" as part of their name. Why is that? When entering a dispute on the subject with a Windows user, the most common argument he tries to feed me is that Windows is more widespread, and therefore, more vulnerable. Apart from amusing myths like "Linux is only for servers" or "does it have a word processor?", the issue of Linux desktop security is still seriously misunderstood.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Fri 18th Jul 2008 23:29 UTC, submitted by Dale Smoker
The convoluted case of SCO v. Novell dealt a heady blow to the SCO Group Wednesday, with United States District Judge Dale Kimball ordering the company to pay $2.5 million to Novell for improperly claiming, and collecting royalties for, the Unix operating system.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 18th Jul 2008 22:28 UTC, submitted by AdamW
Lately it's hard to avoid the buzz about these small laptops (sorry, I don't participate in the hype of calling them netbooks or whatever) - the small, cheap laptop systems that were popularized by the Asus Eee PC. Just like Xandros with the Eee, Mandriva is providing the operating system for the upcoming GDium system, produced by Emtec. The first GDium will be a netbook with a 10", 1024x600 resolution display and a battery life of four hours, weighing in at 1.1kg. The device is powered by the (for us) exotic Chinese Loongson processor, which is based on a MIPS design. Mandriva is working together closely with the GDium team to provide an optimal software experience. Available from September 2008, with a price expected to be round and about EUR 400.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Fri 18th Jul 2008 21:24 UTC
"Linux is a powerful and versatile operating system that can be utilized to hack just about any electronic hardware device. To prove it, I have here a list of popular gadgets that are already known to run Linux."
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Fri 18th Jul 2008 19:16 UTC, submitted by dockingbay94
At the heart of every networking device is an operating system that enables traffic flow. In the case of networking vendor Juniper, that operating system for the past ten years has been JUNOS, a network operating system with its roots in the open source FreeBSD operating system.
Juniper has updated JUNOS every 90 days since 1998.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Fri 18th Jul 2008 17:06 UTC, submitted by Rahul
Linux security may seem daunting, but there are a host of best practices to simplify the maze. Recently, Steve Grubb of Red Hat Inc. outlined some important security principles, including minimizing admin access, the increasing sophistication of SELinux and the importance of auditing systems.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Fri 18th Jul 2008 14:06 UTC, submitted by IdaAshley
Although Mobile Safari is more than adequate at rendering normal Web pages, many Web developers created versions of applications aimed at the iPhone. Here in Part 3 learn what to do when the user reaches the end of the list structure and your application actually needs to display content. Part 1 discusses how to set up your server to detect and serve alternate content to Mobile Safari, and Part 2 explores actual content you might create for an iPhone or iPod touch.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Fri 18th Jul 2008 04:42 UTC, submitted by snydeq
Neil McAllister deliberates the question of public disclosure of open source vulnerabilities, contrasting Ounce Labs' announcement of security vulnerabilities in the Spring Framework for Java with Linus Torvalds recent missive on the Linux kernel development mailing list. Sure, vulnerability bulletins raise awareness of real danger, but they also distract from other productive activities. To find the right balance between keeping users informed and maintaining an orderly and holistic development process, McAllister suggests we take a biologist's view of how species deal with risk perception.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Fri 18th Jul 2008 01:19 UTC
A window manager in GNU/Linux is a piece of software which controls placement and appearance of windows in a graphical user interface in X. All the WMs listed here can easily be obtained through your distribution's respective repositories.
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Thu 17th Jul 2008 22:06 UTC, submitted by Nehemoth
The CEO of chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is stepping down.
Hector Ruiz had been just the second person to lead AMD after company founder Jerry Sanders. He'll be replaced by the chip maker's No. 2 executive, Dirk Meyer.