OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

The Path to Linux Success

Thom Holwerda 2006-08-29 Linux 11 Comments

Virtualization and Linux can be a match made in heaven, which is why enterprise Linux heavyweights Red Hat and Novell are pushing so hard to make support for virtualization a highlight of their respective mainstream Linux operating systems. Also recognizing this potential - but pursuing a markedly different tack toward realizing it - is rPath, a company that offers IT organizations and the ISVs that serve them a clever new means of getting the most out of this technology tandem.

Interview: Guy Martin of Motorola’s Linux Division

Eugenia Loli 2006-08-29 Original OSNews Interviews 12 Comments

Guy Martin is a distinguished member of technical staff within Motorola's Mobile Devices business. He helped establish opensource.motorola.com, and works with groups inside of Motorola to better interface with the Open Source community. Guy also co-manages a version of SourceForge.net inside of Motorola, to take advantage of the best practices of Open Source methodology within the company. Read in our interview with Guy below about the future of Motorola's Linux phones and expect later this week our review of the Linux-based RoKR-E2 feature phone.

Vista Pricing Released; Build 5536 Available for Download

Submitted by Robert Kovacs 2006-08-29 Windows 83 Comments

Microsoft.com Canada has released pricing for Windows Vista. Windows Vista Ultimate is listed at $499 Canadian which translates into $450.36 in USD. Home Premium is listed at $299 or $269.86 USD, Vista Ultimate Upgrade is priced at $299 or $269.86 USD, while Home Premium Upgrade is $199 or $179.60 USD. At the same time, the first 100000 respondents can download Vista Build 5536. Microsoft is not giving out new keys, so you need your Beta 2 key. Update: Amazon.com now too sells Vista.

Submitted by michuk 2006-08-29 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 21 Comments

Beta versions of Mandriva 2007 have been appearing for a while now and the final release is coming soon. This short review covers the key changes introduced in beta 2. "Except for the software update which has been awaited by the Mandriva fans for a long time, there are no revolutionary changes or something that could put Mandriva 2007 in front of the competition. Still, not many distros provide such easy installation and configuration process. In Mandriva, almost all works out-of-the-box (including an MP# player) or network setup. And this is the reason I think Mandriva can be still recommended for the newbie users."

Submitted by igalmarino 2006-08-29 Ubuntu 91 Comments

"Like cold fusion or a painless weight-loss plan, a user-friendly version of Linux remains elusive. But developers are getting closer with Ubuntu - a free, Linux-based operating system that appeared in October 2004 and is winning over waves of converts, including high-profile geeks like Cory Doctorow."

Submitted by DigitalDame 2006-08-29 Intel 8 Comments

"For months now, all we really knew about the new Core 2 Duo mobile processor was its code name: Merom. Given the blazing speeds that the desktop Core 2 Duo processors exhibited, we could only imagine what was in store for laptops. Now, Intel completes the architectural upgrade of all its processors with the release of its mobile Core 2 Duo mobile. And we tell you if it was worth the wait."

Preventing End-Users from Installing Applications

Submitted by Esther Schindler 2006-08-29 Privacy, Security 17 Comments

IT professionals need to strike a balance between user freedom (such as letting them install any app they want) and keeping a predictable and safe computing environment. Several network admins give their advice about the best way to find and maintain that balance - with tech tips for each operating system.

The .NET Show: Windows Server “Longhorn”

Eugenia Loli 2006-08-28 Windows 11 Comments

The next version of Windows Server may still be using its code name, but this episode helps explain some of the ways it will help you run your systems and services better.

Intel: Optimize Applications for Multicore

Eugenia Loli 2006-08-28 Intel 19 Comments

Intel is expected to release on Monday development tools designed to help programmers at software companies take advantage of the added computing power available on multicore systems.

Vista Build 5536 Shows Performance Gains

Thom Holwerda 2006-08-28 Windows 75 Comments

eWeek's review of the latest Vista build is pretty positive: "On Aug. 25, Microsoft released to testers Vista Build 5536, the latest in a long line of sneak peeks at Microsoft's forthcoming desktop operating system. eWEEK Labs' tests of Build 5536 show that the operating system is gaining speed and losing quirks as its release nears." They also made a pretty screenshot gallery. In addition, everybody's favourite ~~Microsoft~~ ~~Apple~~ Microsoft zealot is also positive about this build.

Analyst: Apple Better than Microsoft at Maximizing OS Profitability

Thom Holwerda 2006-08-28 Rumors 33 Comments

By releasing its operating system more often and at a slightly higher cost, Apple Computer is better able to maximize its profitability in the OS field compared with its rival, Microsoft. That conclusion is according to a new analysis released Aug. 28 by Gene Munster, a senior researcher at Minneapolis-based Piper Jaffray & Co.

RISC OS 4 Caught on Mac OS X

Thom Holwerda 2006-08-28 RISC OS 15 Comments

RPCEmu has been ported to the Mac OS X platform, allowing RISC OS 4 to run alongside Apple's shiny desktop. An experimental port of the open source RiscPC emulator was checked into its source code repository over the weekend after the emulator was adapted to run on Apple computers that use PowerPC processors. The port can run RISC OS 4 and 3.7 with mouse and keyboard support. The emulation of IDE hard discs and higher resolutions needs further testing, and the user interface needs more work. The emulator manages around 5 MIPS on a modest 800MHz G4 iBook - which makes the desktop fairly usable.

Quo Vadis, Linux Distribution?

Submitted by anonymous 2006-08-28 Linux 41 Comments

"How many distributions does the Linux world need? And what exactly is a distribution, as opposed to just an edition of another distribution? Why is it that there are so many developers who feel inclined to start their own project instead of joining another, more established one?"

Submitted by twickline 2006-08-28 Google 12 Comments

Starting Monday, Google will offer Google Apps for Your Domain, a free package of programs for businesses, universities and other organizations. Workers will be able to send e-mail with Gmail, Google's two-year-old Web-based mail service, but messages will carry their company's domain name. The package also includes Google's online calendar, instant-messaging service, and Page Creator, a Web page builder.

Analysis of Department of Justice Prosecutions 1999-2006

Submitted by anonymous 2006-08-28 Privacy, Security 2 Comments

A landmark study on Department of Justice network crime prosecutions reveals most attacks used stolen IDs and passwords, resulting in far greater damages to affected organizations than previously thought: up to USD 10 million per occurrence and on average more than USD 1.5 million per occurrence. The report, "Network Attacks: Analysis of Department of Justice Prosecutions 1999-2006", concludes that 84% of attacks could have been prevented if, in addition to checking the user ID and password, the organization had verified the identity of the computer connecting to their networks and accounts.

The Future of Mobile Web Services

Submitted by anonymous 2006-08-28 Internet No Comments

Web services have been around for a while, but the idea has yet to fully take off. Learn how that's about to change, particularly as Web services go private and mobile. Learn how the application builders of tomorrow will use simple, drag-and-drop techniques to build new applications out of existing services.

ReactOS 0.3.0 Released

Thom Holwerda 2006-08-28 ReactOS 29 Comments

The ReactOS team has released ReactOS 0.3.0. There's a massive changelog for this release. You can get 0.3.0 from the SourceForge page. "The ReactOS project is dedicated to making Free Software available to everyone by providing a ground-up implementation of a Microsoft Windows XP compatible operating system. ReactOS aims to achieve complete binary compatibility with both applications and device drivers meant for NT and XP operating systems, by using a similar architecture and providing a complete and equivalent public interface."

Sci-Fi: a New Kind of OS

Submitted by MHW 2006-08-28 Geek stuff 28 Comments

"Imagine if you will, a world where your ideas and perhaps, even your own creative works became part of the OS of tomorrow. Consider the obvious advantages to an operating system that actually adapted to the needs of the users instead of the other way around. Not only is there no such OS like this, the very idea goes against much of what we are currently seeing in the current OS options in the market."

Review: Debian Etch Beta 3

Eugenia Loli 2006-08-28 Debian 23 Comments

Debian has without much fanfare released the beta 3 of Etch, the final release slated to take place sometime this year. This review looks at what Debian has for the Linux enthusiast with its latest offering.

Submitted by falko 2006-08-27 Internet 10 Comments

"In this howto we will install 2 bind dns servers, one as the master and the other as a slave server. For security reasons we will chroot bind9 in its own jail. Using two servers for a domain is a commonly used setup and in order to host your own domain you are required to have at least 2 domain servers. If one breaks, the other can continue to serve your domain."