Freespire 5.0 Screenshot Tour

LinuxPlanet reports - Once known as a community-supported alternative to the Linspire distribution, the Freespire name is about to rise again from the ashes of obscurity--only this time as a distro completely sponsored and endorsed by Linspire itself... Freespire will be a Debian-based, community-driven and -supported project tied to the commercial Linspire distribution, Carmony outlined, in much the same way as Fedora Core and openSUSE relate to their parent commercial distros, Red Hat Linux and SUSE Linux, respectively. OSDir has some screenshots of Freespire in the Freespire 5.0 Screenshot Tour.

A Switcher’s Guide to Windows / OS X

Thanks to Apple's Boot Camp beta, long-time Mac users are trying out Windows XP, and Windows users are starting to pick up Macs. Trying out the "other side" can be confusing at first. ExtremeTech has a simple little guide that makes this trasition an easy one. Some things discussed are what programs are great for each OS, as well as how to get around your new environment.

Building an Open Source Universal Binary

"Mac OS X includes many open source projects that contribute to the stability and robustness of the system. While Apple provides working versions of these for both PowerPC and Intel architectures, sometimes you want to build your own to tune performance or enable custom features. Plus, distributing a single binary is often preferable to keeping track of separate, architecture-specific binaries. These objectives can be accomplished by building the project as a Universal Binary, a file that contains code for both the PowerPC and Intel architectures." This article shows how to use Xcode (using Xcode 2.2.1) to construct a make-based project that builds OpenSSL as a Universal Binary."

OpenBSD Tips and Tricks

Many people responded to the call for OpenBSD and OpenSSH donations by purchasing an OpenBSD CD set. Those CDs are beginning to arrive in the mail, and when they do, how are you going to use them? If you're a software enthusiast who has never used OpenBSD before, you might enjoy installing it by yourself and figuring it out as you go. If, however, you're looking for a more practical approach to using OpenBSD as a desktop or server operating system, here's a guide to get you started.

Gates Said Microsoft Had to Beat RealNetworks

Microsoft told a European Union court on Monday that regulators had completely misunderstood thriving competition in the software market in issuing a landmark antitrust ruling against the giant U.S. company. But an internal Microsoft memo presented by a coalition of critical companies suggested founder Bill Gates was told that a strategy used to crush the rival Netscape browser could also take down the leader in streaming media, RealNetworks' RealPlayer.

Microsoft Details Vista’s Media Features

Microsoft on Monday detailed innovations coming in Windows Vista that the company believes makes the operating system superior in the delivery of multimedia. This would include several enhancements to Windows Media itself as well as expanded functionality within Windows Media Center, now standard in Vista. The company is promoting the new features of its upcoming operating system at the National Association of Broadcasters convention being held this week in Las Vegas. With online multimedia becoming more prevalent, traditional broadcasters are increasingly interesting in utilizing the Internet as a method for delivery.

LSB 3.1 Unifies Linux Desktop Standards

"The Free Standards Group will unveil Linux Standard Base 3.1, the first LSB version to include explicit Linux desktop application support, April 25 at the Desktop Linux Summit in San Diego. The standard has already been endorsed by Linux leaders Red Hat and Novell, along with other major Linux players such as AMD, Asianux, CA, Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, Mandriva, RealNetworks, Red Flag, and Turbolinux, according to the FSG."

Linspire Announces Freespire Distribution

Is the world ready for another community Linux distro? That's the question being asked and answered today at the 4th Annual Desktop Linux Summit. Once known as a community-supported alternative to the Linspire distribution, the Freespire name is about to rise again from the ashes of obscurity -- only this time as a distro completely sponsored and endorsed by Linspire itself. Editor's Note: The Freespire website is online now as well.

Why Monolithic Kernels Aren’t the End of the World

After the Why I like microkernels article, I thought it'd be useful to have a view from the "other side" of this endless war. While some of the reasons given by microkernel fans are true, the big picture is somewhat different and it's what I think it keeps traditional-style kernels in the top. Note: please take note that the author is not a native English speaker, so forgive any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Review: Xubuntu 6.06 Beta (Dapper Drake)

x64bit.net reviews Xubuntu Dapper Drake Beta, and concludes: "If your system runs slowly using Gnome or KDE then try out Xfce. On the other hand if you think Gnome or KDE is bloated and you wish you could have a desktop that was like either Gnome or KDE. Then Xfce is for you. Xubuntu is a welcomed member of the Ubuntu family. I look forward to Xubuntu 6.06 final." Rejoice over the multitude of screenshots, boys and girls.

Make UNIX Work with Windows XP, Mac OS X

"Learn about using a UNIX system as a primary domain controller and file repository, including an anonymous, read-only shared area accessible by anyone with a Web browser. To be a good citizen on your local network, you need to integrate your favorite UNIX system with the networking features of client systems, generally running Windows XP or Mac OS X. This makes it easier for the users of those workstations to take advantage of the centralized authentication and storage facilities you can provide."

Windows to Linux, and Vice Versa

"These days, the 'revolution' is all about Linux. The word alone has become a catchcry for everything anti-establishment, anti-Bill, and anti-licensing fees. If you listen to the hype, it's being used everywhere, in businesses of all sizes, to do everything but make the coffee. Just because everybody's using Linux, however, doesn't mean everybody's happy for that fact to be known, as I found recently while looking for potential candidates for this special report about companies that had made the switch from Windows and Linux, and vice versa."