OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Google’s Summer of Code

Submitted by Jan Schaumann 2005-11-18 Google 2 Comments

Dr. Dobb's Journal has published the first articles in a series on the popular Google Summer of Code. These articles cover the following four projects: 'Apache Axis2 JMX Front', 'CL-GODB: a Common Lisp GO Database Manipulation Library', 'Wide Character Support in NetBSD Curses Library' and 'gjournal: FreeBSD GEOM Journaling Layer'.

Sun Backs Open-Source Database PostgreSQL

Submitted by 2005-11-18 Databases 26 Comments

Sun Microsystems has thrown its weight behind PostgreSQL, announcing plans to distribute and support the open-source database.

Apple Planning Intel-Ready iBook Debut for January

Thom Holwerda 2005-11-17 Apple 129 Comments

The same sources that correctly predicted the Mac Mini and the photo iPod, have now confirmed that Apple will release an Intel-based iBook in January 2006, 6 months ahead of schedule. These new iBooks will most likely use Intel's forthcoming Yonah processors, and will be priced as much as $200,- (E170,-) lower than current offerings.

Submitted by Mystic TaCo 2005-11-17 Office 26 Comments

"When Office 12 arrives sometime in the second half of 2006, you may stop hating Microsoft Office. We looked at an early, private beta version of the suite and found a lot of improvements. Although the interface is radically changed, a lot of the underlying features and commands remain the same. We won't promise using Office 12 will be trouble-free, but so far it looks like a big step forward." Another look at beta 1 can be found here.

Submitted by anand78 2005-11-17 Hardware 84 Comments

MIT has unveiled its $100 hand-cranked laptop computer to the United Nations technology summit in Tunisia and said that it hopes to make millions of the devices to give to the poorest people in the world. The lime-green machines, which are about the size of a text book, will offer wireless connectivity via a mesh network of their own creation allowing peer-to-peer communication and operate in areas without a reliable electricity supply.

Submitted by Eugenia Loli 2005-11-17 Mono 69 Comments

"We just released Mono 1.1.10, our best release so far. The major feature missing from this release to call it Mono 1.2 is the completion of our Windows.Forms implementation. In this document I only present the direction of development of the Mono team at Novell; a more comprehensive view of other Mono developments by the Mono community is something that am working on and will post at a later date. I also present how our team's priorities are shifting in response to Novell's own internal use of Mono and external factors like the final release of .NET 2.0."

Ubuntu on the Business Desktop

Submitted by rchapman 2005-11-17 Ubuntu 50 Comments

"One day, while the boss was away, I shoved a spare hard-drive into my computer and installed Ubuntu 5.04. I managed to work for a month and a half before the Boss noticed I was using Linux - and that was only because he happened to glance at my screen. Half a year later, I am still using Ubuntu (now version 5.10) at work and I am more productive than ever."

Submitted by Mystic TaCo 2005-11-17 Windows 5 Comments

Microsoft Wednesday edged one step closer to its vision of offering a complete home digital entertainment system through PCs running Windows XP Media Center Edition OS. The company revealed a deal with a cable television consortium that will allow PC vendors to offer digital-cable-ready Windows Media Center PCs by next December.

Install, Use Mac GNU Privacy Guard

Submitted by Mirko 2005-11-17 macOS 3 Comments

"Mac GNU Privacy Guard is the Mac OS X port of the popular security utility. I have been using GnuPG for more than 5 years now and it is the best available open source solution for various encryption purposes. This article guides the reader through Mac GNU Privacy Guard installation, as well as its basic functions."

Microsoft: No More Five-Year Waits for SQL Server

Submitted by Ian Phillipe 2005-11-17 Microsoft 10 Comments

Microsoft's SQL Server development team learned a hard lesson from its work on SQL Server 2005: customers do not want to wait five years for an upgrade. From now on, a new development regime called the Software Reengineering Initiative will ensure that releases ship every two years whether new features are ready or not, said Mark Souza, who heads the SRI team.

Why ‘Windows Live’ Ain’t Dead Yet

Eugenia Loli 2005-11-17 Microsoft 73 Comments

The Microsoft doubters are at it again. Skeptics are questioning Microsoft's ability to deliver on the "Windows Live" strategy outlined recently by Bill Gates and Microsoft CTO Ray Ozzie. If history is a lesson, however, it's a mistake to underestimate Microsoft, a company that has repeatedly shown an ability to catch up to competitors when it falls behind, as it often does.

Massachusetts, OpenDocument, and Accessibility

Thom Holwerda 2005-11-16 Office 26 Comments

"While the move to ODF seems to offer clear benefits to the Massachusetts government and citizens in general, a move to ODF and a change in office application has significant accessibility implications for people with disabilities. Today people with disabilities are predominantly on the Microsoft Windows desktop. The proportion on Windows increases further when you look at employees of the Executive Branch of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. When it comes to the move to ODF for people with disabilities, there are two basic questions to ask." UPDATE: ODF turned into nothing but a forgotton political football in the Massachusetts Senate today when Senator William Morrissey pulled his own amendment to S 2256 and replaced it with something even worse.

GNOME 2.13.2 Released

Thom Holwerda 2005-11-16 Gnome 32 Comments

GNOME 2.13.2 has been released. Odd-numbered versions of GNOME represent developmental branches, hence this is the second development release on the road towards GNOME 2.14 in March 2006. You can compile this new test release using these jhbuild modulesets. Now, can you hear the new Zipdisk Mount Error Dialog HIG-compliant console beep?

Sun Studio 11 Released for Free

Submitted by anonymous 2005-11-16 Oracle and SUN 29 Comments

"Sun Studio 11 software is the latest release of optimizing compilers and tools for the C, C++ and Fortran developer. This release delivers the highest optimizations and the best performance in the development of scalable 32-bit and 64-bit applications on Sun's newest hardware platforms including the latest multi-core UltraSPARC, x64 and x86 platforms. And Sun Studio 11 software now removes the price barrier and is available for free."

Why Browsers Should Be Able to Display OpenDocument

Guest post by Christian Paratschek 2005-11-16 Office 91 Comments

OpenDocument got a lot of publicity lately. StarOffice 8 and OpenOffice.org 2.0 finally arrived, and all the other makers of office suites (with the notable exception of Microsoft) have started implementing the new standard into their programs. Massachusetts recently decided to use OpenDocument as the standard file format, effectively locking out MS Office as soon as January 1st, 2007. Other countries are on their way to do the same. Also, OpenDocument recently got submitted to become an ISO standard.

US Reaches Net Detente with UN

Thom Holwerda 2005-11-16 Internet 73 Comments

The Bush administration and its critics at a UN summit have inked a broad agreement on global Internet management that will preclude any dramatic showdown this week. By signing the statement (.pdf), the Bush administration formally endorsed the creation of an 'Internet Governance Forum' that will meet for the first time in 2006 under the auspices of the UN. The forum is meant to be a central point for global discussions of everything from computer security and online crime to spam and other 'misuses of the Internet.' What the agreement does not do is require the US to relinquish its unique influence over the Internet's operations.

OpenOffice for ZETA

Submitted by Frank Suhn 2005-11-16 Zeta 47 Comments

"An operating system without an office suite is limited in its mass market appeal, making this a fairly serious issue. When yellowTAB decided to update ZETA's compiler, much thought was given to this problem in particular, and finally an answer made itself clear."

Microsoft Virtual Server R2 Ships with Linux Support

Thom Holwerda 2005-11-16 Microsoft 5 Comments

Microsoft Virtual Server Release 2 has begun shipping to manufacturers and is due for general release in the first week of December with a new pricing model and a number of new features, most notably formal support for Linux. "Technically, Linux already worked on Virtual Server, but with R2 we have formalised support, and we will continue to support Linux in the future," said Bob Muglia, who recently took over as senior vice-president of Microsoft's server and tools division.

Submitted by Rahul 2005-11-16 Legal 6 Comments

A database containing more than 500 software patents and backed by big-name vendors has been posted online to foster development of litigation-free open source. Open Source Development Labs has launched its Patent Commons Project with backing from IBM - the industry's largest holder of technology patents - Computer Associates International, Novell, Red Hat, Intel and Sun Microsystems.

Questioning Microsoft’s Need for a ‘Get the Facts’ Campaign

Submitted by LinuxFanBoy 2005-11-16 Microsoft 25 Comments

"If Microsoft offers a superior product to Linux then why would they need a 'Get the Facts' campaign? Just about any time a major publication runs a story about Linux, Microsoft gets them to place a 'Get the Facts' advertisement nearby and often right in the middle of the story. That seems pretty suspect to me. Do you ever wonder if publications run Linux stories just to garner Microsoft's ad money? Or have you considered that desperate times call for desperate measures? It makes me wonder."