Xorg 7.2 Release Schedule Revealed

  Submitted by Joel Dahl Wayland 19 Comments
The schedule for Xorg 7.2 has been posted to the Xorg announce mailing list; Xorg 7.2 is planned for 17th November 2006. The mail also says xorg 7.1 is planned to be released on 22nd May. "7.1 is basically done at this point. The release won't actually go out until probably Monday, due to press release timing and (hopefully) doc updates, but excluding the server and the badged tarballs, everything else is pretty much in place. So, woo."
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Accessing Network Attached Storage from Linux

  Submitted by anonymous Linux 1 Comment
Network attached storage allows using TCP/IP network to backup files. This enables multiple servers in an IDC to share the same storage for backup at once, which minimizes overhead by centrally managing hard disks. The protocol used with NAS is a file-based protocol such as NFS or Microsoft's Common Internet File System. Both of them allow storing backups using UNIX and Linux systems. NAS are not just common in IDC or offices anymore, you can use them for file sharing and backup at home. You can purchase 200+GB NAS for less than $200. However, many new Linux or UNIX sys admin or home users find it difficult to use NAS for backup and sharing purpose. This tutorial covers how to access NAS from Linux using various methods.
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Intel Donates Free Swing/AWT to Apache Harmony

  Submitted by Ken Java 15 Comments
As the leader of Apache Harmony, Geir Magnusson Jr, said, Intel will donate a Swing/AWT implementation for the Apache Harmony project. "Today during our JavaOne talk (given by Tim and I) I was proud to demonstrate JEdit running on Harmony! That's right, with Swing/AWT code. The formal contribution is on it's way, and I don't wish to steal any more thunder from the contribution when it's made, but we (Intel hat on here...) wasn't able to make the donation in time for the talk today because of internal process loose ends, and I wanted to make a splash for us at JavaOne. I expect it will be here in the next couple of days."
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Interview: Linus Torvalds

  Submitted by Moulinneuf Linux 34 Comments
"Torvalds works full time overseeing the development of Linux which he created back in 1991 while at university in Helsinki. Usually media shy, the 36-year-old Finn invited Kristie Lu Stout and the Global Office team into his home for an insight into life at the helm of the operating system that is giving Microsoft some serious headaches."
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Microsoft: Open Source ‘Not Reliable or Dependable’

Microsoft 127 Comments
A senior Microsoft executive told a BBC documentary that people should use commercial software if they're looking for stability. "Some people want to use community-based software, and they get value out of sharing with other people in the community. Other people want the reliability and the dependability that comes from a commercial software model. And again, at the end of the day, you make the choice based on what has the highest value to you."
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Review: Apple MacBook

Apple 30 Comments
Ars reviews the new MacBook, and concludes: "Apple's new consumer level laptop is full of new features (iSight, widescreen display, MagSafe power connector, optical audio connections, etc.) and the prices are reasonable. Apple has thrust themselves back into a state of competitiveness when it comes to the consumer laptop space, and even offers prospective users features that other computer manufacturers cannot. Someone who buys a Dell or HP laptop cannot legally or easily boot OS X and Windows, and other laptops just don't look as good (your mileage may vary)."
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A Linux Distribution for an Old Laptop

  Submitted by Mark Linux 33 Comments
"I am faced with a challenge: I need to find a Linux distribution that is both small enough, efficient enough and easy enough to maintain for my laptop. Realizing that all Linux distributions are not created equal, I did my research and was able to narrow my list to a handful of distributions that may be suitable for my needs and my laptop. Throughout the course of this article, I am going to test each of these distributions on my laptop and discuss my experiences. I will attempt to install and evaluate each distribution for a period of a couple of days. Based on my findings, I will select the distribution that best suits my needs."
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CARP Ported to NetBSD

  Submitted by Jan Schaumann NetBSD 5 Comments
NetBSD's Liam J. Foy has ported CARP from OpenBSD and committed it into NetBSD-current. CARP is a secure, free alternative to the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol and the Hot Standby Router Protocol. CARP works by allowing a group of hosts on the same network segment (known as 'redundancy group') to share an IP address, and in the event that the master host suffers a failure, the IP will move to one of the backups hosts and the service will continue unaffected.
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Red Hat: ‘Java Linux License Does Not Go Far Enough’

  Submitted by Pat Java 69 Comments
Sun Microsystems' new GNU/Linux-friendly Java license does not go far enough for Red Hat. It says Sun should have open-sourced Java instead. Brian Stevens, Red Hat CTO, told The Register Sun should open-source its Java Virtual Machine (which is licensed by Red Hat) so developers can improve the software's real-time capabilities. According to Stevens, Sun's Distro License for Java - launched at this week's JavaOne conference - will reduce companies' legal costs, but does not satisfy the desire for open source Java. He criticized Sun for being reactive, rather than leading, on the issue of open source Java. "They try to do the minimal amount they can get away with," he said.
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Symantec Sues Microsoft Over Trade Secrets

  Submitted by deathshadow Legal 17 Comments
It's court time again, people. "Symantec filed a lawsuit in Seattle today alleging Microsoft committed a host of business misdeeds, including misappropriating trade secrets and violating a contract that covered code used in part of the coming Windows Vista operating system. The suit, filed in US District Court for the Western District of Washington, relates to a contract between Microsoft and Veritas, which merged into Symantec last year, dating to 1996."
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AMD Turion X2 Released

  Submitted by anonymous AMD 24 Comments
"AMD today introduced AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology, the first and only family of 64-bit dual-core processors designed for thin and light notebook PCs. AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology allows people to get more from their mobile lifestyle through long battery life and outstanding performance, even when using multiple applications simultaneously, including demanding digital media applications."
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How Shellcodes Work

  Submitted by Mediv Privacy, Security 4 Comments
Here is an article explaining how shellcodes work: "This article is not a guide on writing exploits, nor an overview of popular vulnerabilities. This is a step-by-step guide on developing a shellcode, a crucial point of any exploit software. Hopefully, learning how they work will help conscientious and respectable developers and system administrators to understand how malefactors think and to defend their systems against them."
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Dell To Launch AMD Server

AMD 27 Comments
Dell will use AMD's Opteron chip. The PC maker has long been an Intel shop. But it intends to change that later in 2006, when it will begin offering a multi-processor AMD Opteron server. Dell, which announced its first-quarter earnings May 18, said in a statement that it would begin offering "AMD Opteron processors in our multi-processor servers by the end of the year offering a great new technology to our customers at the high-end of our server line." The Opteron server, likely to be a four-processor machine, will be sold alongside new Intel-based servers, Dell indicated.
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Microsoft Tells All on Vista’s Hardware Needs

Windows 70 Comments
As expected, the software giant on May 18 unveiled its Windows Vista Get Ready Web site, along with a set of minimum PC hardware guidelines for Vista Capable PCs - which call for at least an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and a DirectX 9-capable graphics processor, but ask for more for those who seek to use all of Vista's features - and a Windows Upgrade Advisor application as part of a campaign to prepare people. on a related note, the WinFS team whetted the appetites of advocates of Microsoft's next-generation file system by sharing information on plans for a new, Microsoft-developed application for WinFS, code-named "Project Orange".
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