Keeping Pace with Robots
The robots are among us, but they're not exactly the stuff of science fiction. At least, not yet.
A Slacker Tries His Hand at Gentoo
I've been wanting to try Gentoo for some time, but always had to roll my eyes at the pages and pages of installation instructions. This time, however, I rolled up my sleeves and buckled down. Minutes later, I was on my way.
Linux on Desktop Is a Diverse Market – Really
Don't expect hegemony from a single Linux vendor on the desktop comparable with Microsoft's Office, as rival frameworks and implementations tackle different markets. That's according to Red Hat fellow Alan Cox, who said research indicates users are adopting KDE and Gnome to serve different scenarios. Evidence from different reports suggests KDE is more widely used in Europe and Gnome in the US.
Microsoft: No Office on Linux ‘at This Time’
Microsoft has rejected porting its Office productivity suite to Linux anytime soon, despite the growing popularity of open source on the desktop. Speaking at the LinuxWorld conference in London on Wednesday, Microsoft's head of platform strategy, Nick McGrath, said that the software maker had no intention of porting Office to any of the Linux desktop distributions.
Analyzing and Improving GNOME Startup Time
"The time it takes to log in to GNOME has not improved much in recent years and does not compare favourably with other systems, especially closed-source systems. This work attempts to determine what causes GNOME startup to be slow and what can be done to address the problem."
Apache’s Beehive 1.0 Generates Buzz
The Apache Software Foundation has announced the release of Beehive 1.0, its component toolkit for J2EE and Struts. Beehive is aimed at making it easier to develop Web applications in Java by reducing the amount of coding needed to produce a working application.
Microsoft FAT Patents Get Thumbs Down
The US Patent and Trademark Office has rejected two key Microsoft patent applications relating to its File Allocation Table file system. But Microsoft officials still hold out hope that the company ultimately will succeed in the quest to patent FAT. Open-source vendors are holding their breath.
An Embedded View of the Mac Mini: Working with USB
"This installment takes a fairly detailed look at USB drivers. The primary application is of course the Mac OS X driver architecture, but the test program I used was actually developed in parallel on Mac OS X and NetBSD."
Review: Updated .Mac Tools Suite Disappoints
Submitted by
"Apple has updated its .Mac suite of online tools, giving subscribers more for their $99.95 yearly fee. They'll now get more storage (1GB, up from 250MB), a new service called Groups for creating instant online shared spaces, and a simplified backup tool. .Mac has always been good, but Apple has never committed the resources to make it great. More storage and top-notch backup and antivirus tools would seem essential. The suite no longer offers an antivirus utility either."
YellowTAB ZETA: An Alternative to Desktop Linux?
"When looking for an alternative to Windows most people think of either Apple's OS X or Linux. Of course, these are both viable alternatives but they are not the only options. One way to go is with yellowTAB's ZETA operating system. Though it is not yet very popular, ZETA is the successor to BeOS, the highly regarded OS from Be, Inc. This is a very interesting and beautiful operating system which may not presently be a threat to Linux but it does have more than a few things going for it."
Best Practices for Apache Derby and J2EE Servers
Cloudscape is a freely available repackaging of the Apache Derby relational database manager. Its implemented in Java, and integrates cleanly and will run unaltered anywhere a J2EE Server will run. Most J2EE applications require that a JDBC-compliant database be integrated with the Server to store information. This article shows how to best fit Cloudscape or Derby into a J2EE environment.
Common Malware Enumeration Initiative
The Common Malware Enumeration Initiative was just announced. Headed by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) and supported by an editorial board of anti-virus vendors and related organizations it should provide a neutral method for malware outbreaks.
Is Desktop Linux Stuck on Stupid?
"So how's that look-like-Windows thing working for the Linux community? Is the wave of desktop adoption far ahead of where it was in 2001 and 2002 when this started? And, if not, why don't we stop doing it? Is it because we're stuck on stupid?"
‘GoogleOffice’: A Microsoft Office Killer?; Free StarOffice 8
"If 'GoogleOffice' ever materializes, it won't be going head-to-head with Microsoft Office. Instead, expect some new MSN services in the pipeline to emerge as Redmond's secret weapons." On a related note, Sun's StarOffice 8 is now available as a free download for teachers and students.
Windows Vista’s New Security Features
Microsoft's new operating system won't be out until late 2006, but here's a look at some of the new security features expected. This includes less kernel-level code, IE7 in restricted mode, and more.
Wind River Flows Into Mobile Linux Maelstrom
Wind River today launched a version of its commercial embedded Linux distribution targeting mobile phones, set-top boxes, PVRs (personal video recorders), and other small-footprint consumer electronics devices. The company expects its Platform for Consumer Electronics, Linux Edition to be used in several mobile phone designs shipping before 2006.
A First Look at GIMP 2.4
A major update to the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), widely regarded as the leading free software raster image editing program, is scheduled for this month. The 2.4 release is expected to include a number of new features and enhancements to existing features.
Mobile Email Client for USB Devices
At the core of Mobility Email is Mozilla Thunderbird, the wildly popular open source email client. The best thing about Mobility Email is that it's totally mobile. You can take it anywhere with you on an iPod Shuffle (or any other USB device). Simply plug your USB key into any Windows computer in the world and boom. There's all your email and all your contacts.
Arm Reveals Cortex A8
Chip designer Arm is unveiling the latest generation of processors that will power future mobile phones. Processors built with the Cortex A8 design will have more than one billion transistors on board and will be many times more powerful than current ones.
FreeBSD: Interview with Release Engineer Scott Long
BSDForums interviews FreeBSD Release Engineering Team's Scott Long relating to various aspects of FreeBSD. Topics discussed include FreeBSD general issues, its academic roots, how FreeBSD compares to other BSDs - OpenBSD, NetBSD, and the ongoing debate on FreeBSD vs. Linux. Scott gives us his perspective on the corporate adoption and popularity of FreeBSD. He brings us up to speed on FreeBSD 6.0, its new features and enhancements, including Apple G4 PowerMac, AMD64 and wireless compatibility. Scott also discusses FreeBSD 6.0's upgrade path and release timetable.