Q&A with the Windows Vista Bitlocker Team

Windows 15 Comments
BitLocker Drive Encryption is a new feature in Windows Vista that provides enhanced data protection for your computer. BitLocker is Microsoft's response to one of their top customer requests: address the very real threats of data theft or exposure from lost, stolen or inappropriately decommissioned PC hardware and tightly integrate the solution into Windows. Windows Connected recently had an opportunity to ask the Windows Vista Bitlocker team a number of questions.
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Linspire May Offer Ubuntu CNR Service

  Submitted by anonymous Debian 44 Comments
Linspire and one of its biggest desktop Linux rivals, Ubuntu, are talking about collaborating to offer Linspire's CNR (Click-N-Run) application download service to Ubuntu users. CNR is a subscription service ($20 annually) through which users can install thousands of software programs with 'literally' one click, CEO Kevin Carmony said. Ubuntu, according to DistroWatch.com the no. 1 most popular Linux distribution (as ascertained by number of clicks), has nothing like CNR available for its users. Both Linspire and Ubuntu are based on the Debian kernel.
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AOP Myths and Realities

  Submitted by anonymous General Development 7 Comments
"What's keeping you from trying out AOP? Whether you think it's only good for low-level functions like tracing and logging, worry that it'll get in the way of unit testing, or would simply rather stick with the object-oriented alternatives, Ramnivas Laddad gives you good reason to reconsider. Follow along as this popular author and speaker digs beneath the surface of 15 myths that hinder the adoption of AOP."
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SUSE Linux 10.1 Beta 6; OpenSUSE Project News

  Submitted by boisvdav SuSE, openSUSE 23 Comments
The OpenSUSE project has announced the development version SUSE Linux 10.1 Beta 6. Also, the revised released schedule for SUSE Linux 10.1 and the start of the SUSE Linux 10.2 schedule with eight months development have been posted. The project attended FOSDEM 2006 and the slides of the talks given there are now online (audio/video recordings will follow soon). Last but not least the preview phase of the openSUSE Build Service has started.
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ODF Alliance Formed to Push ODF Adoption by Governments

  Submitted by Andy Updegrove Office 7 Comments
"In a well-orchestrated PR bliltz, 36 Companies, associations, and end-users today announced the formation of the ODF Alliance. The ODF Alliance was first proposed by IBM at meeting of key players and others held at an IBM facility in Armonk on November 4 of last year, and has now been brought into existence under the wing of the Software and Information Industry Association."
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All Hail Shale: Shale Isn’t Struts

  Submitted by anonymous General Development 10 Comments
"What Shale isn't is a shrink-wrapped, well-documented, well-tested product complete with an automated installer and a polished management interface. now find out what it is, as Brett McLaughlin unveils this mighty - and rightful - heir to the legacy of Struts. In this first of a five-part series, Brett explains what Shale is, how it's different from the Struts framework, and how to install and set it up in your development environment."
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SimpleKDE: Cut-Down KDE

KDE 67 Comments
The ModdingDen has an interview with the lead developer of SimpleKDE, a cut-down, lightweight version of KDE. "The main reason is that we find KDE too cluttered and too bloated; and we want something faster, more simplistic and easier to use. Honestly, I'm pretty happy with my own KDE installation, but I especially observe beginners having difficulty in adapting themselves to it." The interview dates 9th January 2006, but since we never covered SimpleKDE on OSNews, it's interesting nonetheless. Read more about SimpleKDE at their website. And yes, boys and girls, there are screenshots too.
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Intel Mini: Just About Perfect; Opening up the Intel Mac Mini

Apple 37 Comments
Two articles about the Intel Mac Mini: "As a fan of faster computers from Apple, I’m heartened by this week’s release of an Intel-based Mac mini. In fact, with the SPECint_rate_base2000 benchmark indicating speeds of up to four times faster than the Mac mini G4, this new crop of minis sounds just about perfect. I say 'just about', because of one particular issue." And secondly, "Our first Intel-based Mac minis have arrived, straight from the Apple Store, and what was the first thing the cold, cruel alien intellects at Macworld did with one of these innocents? That’s right. We got out our putty knife, popped it open, and spilled its guts out." Here are some XBench tests between an Intel and a G4 Mac Mini.
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Windows Vista To Support Upgrades on the Fly

Windows 71 Comments
"With six separate versions of Windows Vista on the way, Microsoft has a marketing challenge on its hands. How will the company properly inform users as to which versions support which features? One part of the plan is now becoming clear: all four 'consumer' versions of the OS will be available to users even after installation. How? They'll all be available for 'instant online upgrade' once Vista is installed."
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An Evening with Steve Wozniak

  Submitted by BrainDeadHippie Apple 6 Comments
Steve Wozniak did a talk at the Computer Museum on January 12th 2006 and it is now on Google video. "Woz serves up Apple Computer history in his own unique way. Steve will describe a sequence for providing a rational understanding of many of the innovations leading to early Apple designs. He'll look at early company structure, the personalities that influenced him, and personalities within the company. In addition, he'll discuss the reasons he wants to be an engineer for life but not a CEO. Don't miss this sure to be entertaining, informative, and very personal view."
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Apple Security Fix Closes Mail, iChat, Safari Holes

  Submitted by Moulinneuf macOS 21 Comments
Apple on Wednesday released Security Update 2006-001, available for download through Software Update system preference pane and from Apple's Downloads Web page. The update addresses a recently reported exploit that left Safari users vulnerable to malicious shell scripts, corrects a vulnerability in Apple's Mail software, and also changes the way iChat handles file transfers to help prevent the Leap-A malware.
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Review: VectorLinux SOHO 5.1.1

  Submitted by anonymous Slackware, Slax 16 Comments
XYZComputing reviews VectorLinux, and concludes: "VectorLinux is definitely going places. This distribution made a very good impression on me during the time I have spent with it and it will be remaining on my desktop for some time to come. Though it is not really one of the better known Linux distributions it appears to be growing due to its speed and capability."
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Review: MacBook Pro

Apple 20 Comments
Ars has published review of a Macbook Pro in which they feature benchmarks contrasting the performance of the Macbook Pro, a G4 PowerBook, and an Inspiron 9100 with a hacked version of OS X. Interestingly, one of the benchmarks, Cinebench, also features the same Inspiron running Windows, in which the Inspiron/Windows combination does better overall. Of course an unfair comparison (hacked OSX vs. normal XP), but interesting nonetheless. Ars concludes: "All in all, the MacBook Pro is an extremely solid machine that makes me happy to be back in the Apple Pro notebook world after a six month hiatus in 12" iBook-land."
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