The Syllable project has released a new package of Builder, the system that builds Syllable, its native applications, and ported applications. Builder can also be installed on Linux. This release matches the Syllable 0.6.4 source code. It also contains the beginnings of a branch for the upcoming Syllable Server based on the Linux kernel. Part of the documentation for Builder was just integrated in the new Syllable documentation set. The full manual is in Builder/README. Further, the development version for the next Syllable release already has a new gigabit ethernet driver, for the D-Link DL2000.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2007-07-20
Its nice that a group of people are a totally new desktop.
From the comments in the last post I guess they think having their own kernel is important enough to warrant writing one.
The SkyOS author seemed to think having the UI mixed into the kernel made it more responsive.
Personally I would be happy to see a new 'Desktop OS' build on the linux, especially if it breaks away from X11/GTK/QT and standard unix stuff (they are all well and good in their own way but also have drawbacks from unix heritage).
All the minor OS's want better drivers so Its surprising more of them dont go this way- Even if linux is not their IDEAL kernel it would be a hell of a lot easier then writing a new one. With compile time choice of schedulers, preempt etc in Linux Im sure a configuration could be made so it dosnt totaly suck for a lightweight OS like syllable..
I quietly think that the 'Syllable Server' project may gain more traction and end up being the most popular syllable OS. - But who knows, give it some time to evolve.
PS... If people want to write new and innovative kernel, then great. But for a kernel thats not a hole lot different from existing free (and MAINTAINED) kernels.. it seems like a good way thr throw away a few years of your life 
Edited 2007-07-20 17:50
Member since:2006-03-26
I would also like to see that. If there was a well developed linux distro that had a non X based gui and just blew away all of the load of crap that is currently there (ie made a single unified clear API for programming under the operating system) I would switch to it in a heartbeat.
This is pretty much what apple did with OSX and bsd, and id say its a pretty successful trial case.
As it stands all linux distros are giant hodge podges of hacks stacked on top of hacks stacked on top of hacks to make it appear as if its user friendly at first glance. But nothing truly is.
Edited 2007-07-20 22:17
Member since:2005-07-06
Yes.
Even as a light weight OS on top of Linux, Syllable Server will still be heavier than Syllable Desktop and less suitable for general desktop use.
"The first killer app was VisiCalc. This early spreadsheet turned the Apple II from a hobbyist toy to a business computer. VisiCalc came with room for improvement, though. In addition, a new architecture and operating system, the Intel-based IBM PC and MS-DOS, also needed a spreadsheet to be taken seriously. That spreadsheet, released in early 1983, would be Lotus 1-2-3, and it would change the world. It became the PC's killer app, and the world would never be the same. On May 14, IBM quietly announced the end of the road for 1-2-3, along with Lotus Organizer and the Lotus SmartSuite office suite. Lotus 1-2-3's day is done." Impressive 30 year run.
"There's a disconnect between how Apple CEO Tim Cook sees his company's tax strategies and how some members of the US Senate view it. That became clearer than ever today after Cook and two other Apple executives testified before Congress, explaining why they're holding most of their international income in Irish subsidiaries like Apple Operations International, which declare no tax residency anywhere in the world. AOI hasn't filed a tax return anywhere in the world for the last five years, yet it earned $30 billion in income from 2009 to 2012, according to a Senate report released yesterday." Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's just. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and many more - these companies might not be breaking any laws, but it's obvious to anyone that what they are doing is scummy.
The new WebKit Opera for Android has been released. "Opera 14 for Android is built on top of Chromium 26, with a total overhaul of the UI in native code, making it fit well with the latest Android design guidelines. Go get the build from Google Play or point your browser to m.opera.com, and give it a spin!"
The Verge pointed me to a blog post by Leap Motion - which reveals how their Kinect-like motion control works with Windows 8. "From the second you plug in your Leap Motion Controller, you'll be able to browse the web and interact with your computer just by moving your hands and fingers in the air. With Leap Motion technology and Windows, you can do everything that's possible with multi-touch inputs - without actually touching anything. This also means that existing applications in Windows 7 and 8 will respond to your natural hand and finger movements. Soon, we'll show you how Leap Motion will work with Mac OS X." Quite cool.
PocketNow interviews Marc Dillon, and there's an interesting note about why Jolla is keeping the display properties under wraps: "We're leaving some of those details out because we do understand that there are a lot of really big players in the market and they tend to take certain components in the market and dominate them. We created the ability to actually be able to run Sailfish on multiple hardware displays and be able to swap components, so this is part of the demand and supply planning phase. We are committed to this industrial design which is a 4.5-inch display, an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a front-facing camera at the front, and the exact specs of the display we'll provide when we're close to delivery." Something you rarely hear anything about.
"This is my NeXTstation Turbo Color booting the Mac System 7.1 Operating System using a hardware add-on called 'Daydream'. The Daydream has a Mac ROM and a few custom ICs in it and hooked up to the NeXTs DSP port. Turns your NeXT into a full fledged 68k powered Mac." So cool.
"The NetBSD Project is pleased to announce NetBSD 6.1, the first feature update of the NetBSD 6 release branch. It represents a selected subset of fixes deemed important for security or stability reasons, as well as new features and enhancements. Please note that all fixes in the prior security/bugfix updates (NetBSD 6.0.1 and 6.0.2) are also in 6.1."
"At the end of a week in which Electronic Arts confirmed it wasn't developing a thing for the Wii U, one of the software engineers in EA Sports' Canada studio, in a series of since-deleted tweets, disparaged the console as 'crap' and suggested Nintendo should give up on hardware altogether. 'The Wii U is crap. Less powerful than an Xbox 360. Poor online/store. Weird tablet', tweeted Bob Summerwill, listed as a senior software engineer at EA Canada, in a reply to a tweet posting a link about EA's no-Wii U news. 'Nintendo are walking dead at this point'." The Wii U is turning into the 21st century's Virtual Boy.
"In NixOS, the entire operating system - the kernel, applications, system packages, configuration files, and so on - is built by the Nix package manager from a description in a purely functional build language. The fact that it's purely functional essentially means that building a new configuration cannot overwrite previous configurations. Most of the other features follow from this." Interesting approach. A Linux distribution, sure, but with some very refreshing ideas about system configuration.
Appfour added, among other features, C/C++ support to its new version of AIDE. From Android-IDE, "Now you can write parts of your app or your whole app in C/C++ on your device. AIDE supports the Standard Android NDK toolchain (GCC 4.6 + Bionic, STL, ...). No changes are necessary if you want to build an app developed on a PC with Eclipse. C/C++ development is fully integrated: Build errors appear in the error list and files can easily be navigated to with Go to file. The editor supports C/C++ syntax highlighting."
Member since:
2005-06-30
Does Syllable Desktop still matters?
If Syllable Server is not bloated like a 'normal' Linux distro with tons of packages and heavy weight desktop environments, applications can be easily recompiled, why developers don't make Syllable Server the new Syllable OS?