Shuttleworth Proposes Delaying Dapper; Ubuntu Runs on Niagara

  Submitted by JCooper Ubuntu 42 Comments
"I'm writing to propose a six week delay in the release date of Dapper, in order to do additional validation, certification, localisation, and polish. Work towards our feature goals for Dapper is very much on target. However, in some senses Dapper is a 'first' for us, in that it is the first 'enterprise quality' release of Ubuntu, for which we plan to offer support for a very long time. I, and others, would very much like Dapper to stand proud amongst the traditional enterprise linux releases from Red Hat, Debian and SUSE as an equal match on quality, support and presentation." And on a related note, Ubuntu now runs on Sun's UltraSPARC T1 (Niagara) processor too.
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Mac Minis Geekbenched

  Submitted by mcsimpson Benchmarks 16 Comments
"The only benchmark where the PowerPC-based Mac mini outperformed the Intel-based Mac mini was Stdlib Allocate, which is also the only benchmark where the PowerBook G4 outperformed the MacBook Pro. The Stdlib Allocate benchmark depends more on standard library performance than raw hardware performance. It's also worth mentioning that the Intel-based Mac minis were, for the most part, faster than our baseline system (a PowerMac G5 1.6GHz). Yikes. Overall, we're impressed with the Intel-based Mac mini's performance."
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Review: SimplyMEPIS 3.4-3

  Submitted by SilentBob4 Debian 14 Comments
MadPenguin reviews SimplyMEPIS, and concludes: "The bottom line here is when reviewing a desktop Linux candidate, I expect to have a certain amount of functionality at hand, and a certain amount of polish. SimplyMEPIS 3.4-3 lacks both in my opinion. If you're looking for a fundamental installation and don't mind spending a bunch of time fixing/adjusting things that normally would have been done for you already, MEPIS might be for you. If you're looking for a desktop that pretty much works out of the box, handles removable media with grace, and isn't going to rob you of productive time, then I'd recommend sticking with something like Fedora, Ubuntu, Mandriva, or SUSE."
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Here Comes the UMPC

  Submitted by anonymous Wireless 5 Comments
"Anyone who has been following the tech headlines lately has had no choice but to find themselves immersed in news and speculation about the ultramobile PCs. After weeks of rampant speculation about the Origami Project and news streaming in from an unusually exciting Cebit expo, consumers have been introduced to this new form factor and have finally received some definite answers about what to expect."
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Opera Is Now Acid2 Compliant

  Submitted by HankPowers Opera 27 Comments
Opera is now fully Acid2 compliant. Its latest preview build fixes the last missing feature that was preventing the test page from rendering correctly. Other improvements in this release: fixed crasher on Flash; added experimental support for opening Web archives; improved display of content blocker toolbar; added keyboard shortcuts Cmd+ for back/forward on Mac; and much more.
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Google Office Takes Shape

  Submitted by BryanFeeney Google 52 Comments
The long talked about Google Office is taking shape. At the same time as TechCrunch has displayed screenshots of a possible Google Calendar called CL2, Google has announced that it has acquired Writely, an online, collaborative word-processor creating using JavaScript and DHTML. Documents are saved online (perhaps in Google's rumoured GDrive). Of particular interest is that GMail, when paired with CL2, provides a decent alternative to Exchange/Outlook, and it was only in November that Google annnounced GMail for Domains, a system whereby Google acts as a company's mail server, but uses the companies own domain name for the email address.
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Test Shows How Vulnerable Unpatched Windows Is

  Submitted by Moule Privacy, Security 56 Comments
It's official, boys and girls: it's easier to kick in a door when it's open. "A test has revealed that a Linux server is far less likely to be compromised. In fact, unpatched Red Hat and SuSE servers were not breached at all during a six-week trial, while the equivalent Windows systems were compromised within hours. However, patching does make a difference. Patched versions of Windows fared far better, remaining untouched throughout the test, as did the Red Hat and Suse deployments."
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Interview: Linus Torvalds

Open Source 58 Comments
"Fans of open source software have been buzzing since Linus Torvalds, creator of the popular Linux operating system, indicated he wouldn't adopt a new version of the license under which Linux is distributed. Torvalds' opinion matters because his program is by far the most popular open source program in the world. In an interview via e-mail with Forbes, Torvalds discusses GPLv3, digital rights management and sharks with laser beams. "From where I'm standing, says that you suddenly can't use the software in certain 'evil ways' (where evil is defined by the FSF--it doesn't actually cover the James Bond kind of evil, but if you can see Richard Stallman as a less dashing James Bond, it would be that kind of evil)."
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Linux Audio Comparison

  Submitted by Klew Linux 15 Comments
"Of the challenges that GNU/Linux users face when choosing hardware components for any system is the sound card compatibility. ALSA, or officially known as Advanced Linux Sound Architecture, provides much of the audio and MIDI functionality to Linux users and is largely replacing OSS. Today we are examining Linux audio performance in the gaming environment with a slew of various sound cards by examining their effect on frame-rate performance. The contenders are Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Z3, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2, Chaintech AV-710, Aureal Vortex (AU8820), and AC'97 integrated audio."
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Microsoft, Samsung Launch ‘Origami’ Ultra-Mobile PC

  Submitted by DigitalDame Microsoft 35 Comments
Samsung will enter the US computer market in April as the launch partner for Microsoft's new UltraMobile PC or 'Origami' platform. Launched this morning at the CeBit technology show in Hannover Germany, this smaller tablet PC fits between hand-held Portable Media Centers and more traditional tablet/notebook computers. Samsung's unit, scheduled to go on sale in April, is expected to cost under $1000 . There's a batch of photos of the devices too. In addition, the 3rd video on the Origami website is also up.
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Novell Announces ‘Next Generation’ Desktop

  Submitted by HeLfReZ Novell and Ximian 83 Comments
"SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is an all-in-one solution that contains technology innovations and usability breakthroughs including integrated desktop search, accelerated graphical interfaces and numerous application improvements. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop delivers market-leading usability plus an exceptional end user experience with an easy-to-use and easy-to-learn environment. Seamless interoperability and support for standards allows SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop to readily coexists with Windows, Mac, Unix and other operating systems." The preview page has some screenshots and a screencast. My take: And there was much rejoicing. I'm seriously looking forward to this release.
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OpenOffice.org 2.0.2 Released

  Submitted by Hands Office 34 Comments
"OpenOffice.org 2.0.2 is available today. This release is recommended for everyone. It contains some new features, fixes many small bugs, and resolves numerous issues. The community have further added import filters for Quattro Pro 6 and Microsoft Word 2. As well, other import filters have been improved and it is now easier to use mail merge. Integration with the KDE address book is now possible. The appearance has also been enhanced, and for Linux users, there are new icon sets for KDE and GNOME."
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