OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Xorg 7.0/6.9.0 Released

Submitted by Kraml Liu 2005-12-22 Wayland 76 Comments

"The first major version release of the X Window System in more than a decade, X11R7.0, is the first release of the completely modularized and autotooled source code base for the X Window System. X11R6.9, its companion release, contains identical features, and uses the exact same source code as X11R7.0, but with the traditional imake build system."

Submitted by jonsmirl 2005-12-22 Windows 62 Comments

"The current Win32-based Windows UI graphics subsystem, found in Windows XP, has been around for nearly 20 years. It's aging and limited, and as a result, user interface development has been somewhat, well, constrained at best. The Windows Presentation Foundation, which is built on the .NET Framework, provides new techniques for developing applications, and makes better use of current hardware and technologies. In this article, we'll show you 10 of the most significant advances that make WPF superior to its Win32 forebears." In related news, here are shots of Vista server.

XGL – Realistically

Guest post by Anonymous Reader 2005-12-21 Wayland 143 Comments

Yes it would be nice if X.org could use OpenGL directly for it's display and composition, but to date, nobody has made this possible. Is it wrong for a business to make it so? Since when does developing software for GNU products mean that they aren't allowed to do it privately? If Novell is developing XGL behind closed doors, and paying the developers to build it... Where's the problem?

Submitted by Bascule 2005-12-21 Solaris 65 Comments

Sun has released the 1/06 update for the Solaris 10. You can check out what's new (whatever happened to ye good ol' changelog?) or download it (here I was going to put something about whatever happened to ye good ol' direct download, but nevermind).

OpenOffice 2.0.1 Released

Submitted by Witek Wasilewski 2005-12-21 Office 25 Comments

"Eight weeks after 2.0, our first update remedies minor bugs and brings new features. For example, it is now possible to disable and hide particular application settings, which comes in handy for central administration in networks. Plus, a new keyboard shortcut permits the user to return to a saved cursor position. The bullets and numbering feature has been expanded, and a new mail merge feature is available." Here are the release notes, downloads can be found here.

The Rise and Fall of Gil Amelio

Thom Holwerda 2005-12-21 Apple 30 Comments

Gil Amelio had been on Apple's board for less than a year before he was tapped to be Michael Spindler's successor. As CEO, he would transform Apple from the inside out, and set it up for Steve Jobs's triumphant return. Read an account of Gil Amelio's 500 days as CEO of Apple Computer here.

QEMU 0.8.0 Released

Submitted by DanO 2005-12-21 OS News 13 Comments

"QEMU version 0.8.0 is out. New features include: support for ARM Integrator/CP board system emulation; support for MIPS R4K system emulation; initial SMP support on x86 (up to 255 CPUs); many new audio emulation features; initial USB support; new networking options for VLAN support between several QEMU instances." The changelog is here, downloads are here.

Interview: Bill Weinberg of the Mobile Linux Initiative

Thom Holwerda 2005-12-21 Linux 1 Comment

"LinuxDevices recently caught up with OSDL spokesperson Bill Weinberg, to discuss the organization's new Mobile Linux Initiative. Weinberg, who serves as the OSDL's representative to the MLI, filled us in on the initiative's early progress, strategy, and tactics for the year ahead." In addition, here is a first look at the UI of the latest Motorola Linux phone.

Sun: No Rush to Open Software

Thom Holwerda 2005-12-21 Oracle and SUN 32 Comments

Those who hope Sun will open-source all of its software products anytime soon are in for a big disappointment. Sun executives, including president Jonathan Schwartz and John Loiacono, the executive vice president for software, have all repeatedly said that the company intends to open-source its entire software stack over time. However, they have not been specific about the time frame for that, which has left the impression that it is imminent. But Simon Phipps, Sun's chief open-source officer, said in an interview that this process is not going to be rushed and will not happen quickly.

Submitted by the_leander 2005-12-21 Zeta 17 Comments

"With a recent flurry of releases and announcements from yellowTAB, I decided that it was time to talk to Bernd Korz about where he hopes to take ZETA. He was kind enough to go through these plans at length with me, and at the same time gave valuable personal insights into the man behind the public face of yellowTAB."

Will Macs Wear Intel Inside on the Outside?

Thom Holwerda 2005-12-21 Apple 61 Comments

"One can't wander through the aisles of an electronics retailer or down the hallways of an office without walking past any number of PCs with Intel Inside stickers. As a brand-building endeavor, Intel Inside has been a success by any definition. With the first Intel-powered Macintosh computers expected to be introduced at Macworld San Francisco next month, some are wondering if Apple's machines will bear the mark of the CPU beast."

Scripting with the Microsoft Shell

Thom Holwerda 2005-12-21 Windows 23 Comments

"Welcome to the Script Center portal for the Microsoft Shell (also known as MSH or Monad), Microsoft’s next-generation command-line and scripting environment. We’ll be adding new content and scripts periodically - so check back with us every once in a while. We’d like to be sure we’re continuing to meet your needs, so let us know what you’d like to see here."

Instant Messengers Choose Sides

Thom Holwerda 2005-12-21 Google 15 Comments

A significant instant messaging project between Google and America Online is now underway. Google and AOL plan to let their respective instant messaging features communicate. This way, someone using Google Talk could chat with an AIM user, and vice versa.

Submitted by ibantxuyn 2005-12-21 Solaris 4 Comments

"BeleniX 0.3 is available for download now. The following are some of the changes that have gone into this release: based on OpenSolaris build 27 that includes ZFS; a Perl-Curses based hard disk installer (hdinstaller utility) that can install the OS to a Solaris2 partition and also does basic configuration; several bugfixes; bootup time performance enhancements based on amount of RAM available and a few generic optimisations; includes the cardbus and wireless drivers and inetmenu from the laptop community; new software and upgraded to latest Xfce release."

Firefox 1.5 Stability Problems? Readers, Mozilla Respond

Submitted by Gubol123 2005-12-21 Mozilla, Gecko 73 Comments

"On December 8, 2005, we published a story that wondered: Firefox 1.5: Not Ready For Prime Time? In response, some 450 (and climbing) InternetWeek, InformationWeek, TechWeb Pipelines, and Scot's Newsletter readers have sent details about their experiences with Firefox 1.5. A picture is emerging about Firefox 1.5 in the real world - on a small percentage of Windows, Mac, and Linux computers - that is less than positive."

Submitted by kmarius 2005-12-21 Opera 10 Comments

Users of Java-capable cell phones anywhere may find browsing the Web easier and cheaper now that Opera Software is allowing anyone to download its Opera Mini application. The official worldwide launch of Opera Mini is planned for January but Opera has quietly lifted restrictions that previously allowed only residents of some Nordic countries and Germany to download the application, a spokesperson has confirmed.

Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 Updated (r1)

Eugenia Loli 2005-12-21 Debian 27 Comments

The first security and critical bug-fix update to Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 "sarge" has been released: "This is the first update of Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 (codename 'sarge') which mainly adds security updates to the stable release, along with some corrections to serious problems."

Submitted by alex_extreme 2005-12-20 OS News 73 Comments

PearPC, the PowerPC processor emulator capable of running Apple's Mac OS X on x86, has released version 0.4.0 after more than a year's wait. "This is the first release with G4 support by Daniel Foesch (you have to enable it in your config). Other features include support for native CD-ROMs (no need for images) and endianess safety (i.e. you can run PearPC on big-endian systems)." The full changelog is here, downloads are here.

Eclipse Web Tools Platform 1.0 Released

Submitted by WNB 2005-12-20 Java 11 Comments

"The Eclipse Foundation will make the Eclipse Web Tools Platform 1.0 release generally available the week of Dec 19th, 2005. Eclipse WTP 1.0 is an extensible, standards-based tool platform for developing J2EE and Web applications. This full version release solidifies the platform API for 3rd party extension, and accompanying major documentation improvements make WTP ready for the next-level of vendor adoption."

Book Writing Applications in Linux

Guest post by Alcibiades 2005-12-20 Linux 73 Comments

In order to see what is needed in book writing applications, you need to look carefully at the desk of someone who is actively writing a book. You will most likely see piles of paper, often cut up and marked with pencil, and if you examine those of the papers that are in piles, you will see that the pagination is all over the place because pages have been reordered. Read on...