OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Gateway: Sun’s Next Acquisition Target?

Submitted by Bascule 2005-07-22 Oracle and SUN 29 Comments

Technewsworld postulates that Gateway would be a prime takeover target for Sun Microsystems. Sun's competence on the desktop, they argue, would be greatly improved, as well as their ability to manage at an executive level.

Submitted by Nicholas Blachford 2005-07-22 Hardware 45 Comments

6 months ago N. Blachford wrote an article based on the 2002 Cell processor patent application. Since that original document, the Cell evolved considerably in both hardware and software. This new version has been rewritten to cover those changes. New sections have also been added to cover Cell software development and the design of the architecture.

Apple – the World’s Most Innovative Company

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-22 Apple 89 Comments

Apple is the world's most innovative company, according to BusinessWeek. A stunning 24.84 per cent of 940 senior business executives from across the planet who voted chose to recognise Apple as the world's most innovative company.

Microsoft Explains Windows Vista Name

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-22 Windows 87 Comments

With the announcement of Longhorn's official name, Microsoft has left many users asking: why Windows Vista? Company representatives told BetaNews that Microsoft felt the new version of Windows "deserved a name that was more representative of what it specifically brings to customers."

Sun Says it Will Help Develop Opteron

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-22 Hardware 23 Comments

It's only a matter of time before Sun Microsystems starts helping AMD enhance the Opteron chip, at least according to Sun. David Yen, executive vice president of the scalable systems group at Sun, said that the collaboration between the two will lead to cooperative efforts on AMD's flagship processor.

Trouble Rolls Into Win2K Town

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-22 Windows 19 Comments

Some third-party applications are encountering problems introduced by the cumulative Windows 2000 Update Rollup that Microsoft introduced in late June.

SWT and JFace, Part I/II: a Gentle Introduction

Submitted by anonymous 2005-07-22 Java No Comments

In part I of this series, you get introduced to Eclipse, the Eclipse SWT, and the JFace GUI tool kits to construct Eclipse and stand-alone rich GUIs. also introduced the basic label, text, and button GUI controls, and the composite, group, and shell container types. Part 2 shows you how to create simple Standard Widget Toolkit applications using Java technology, Eclipse, and the SWT and JFace libraries.

Linux and Audio Production: Simplicity Required

Submitted by Jono Bacon 2005-07-22 Linux 21 Comments

This article discusses audio production on Linux. The author identifies two problems: integration and usability. "I am convinced the the problems discussed here have readily available solutions, but I think opening some dialog with the providers of different parts of the stack needs to happen to allow the solution to develop."

Sun Suffers Self-Imposed Linux Lobotomy

Andrew Youll 2005-07-22 Oracle and SUN 27 Comments

Not too long ago Sun Microsystems proudly sold Linux on its x86 line systems, but Wednesdays press release has settled any qualms about whether this Linux-loving era has come to an end.

Exploring Strange Languages, Programming on Linux

Submitted by Viktor 2005-07-22 General Development 33 Comments

Kevin Burnett has written an article over on the Novell website, about programming using script languages on Linux.

MacOS X Steaming Ahead in the Business World

Andrew Youll 2005-07-22 macOS 61 Comments

Apple's MacOS X is making inroads in the business world, according to a report by market research firm Jupiter Research, the report covers desktop and server OS usage in medium to large sized businesses.

Windows Codename Longhorn to Be Named Windows Vista?

Submitted by anonymous 2005-07-22 Windows 122 Comments

Is the official new name for the Longhorn operating system is Microsoft Windows Vista? Flexbeta seems to think so, and has posted a domain registration from MS that seems to support this idea. Update: Looks like it's official.

IBM Steps Into Open-Source Java Project

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-21 Java 89 Comments

IBM has begun participating in open-source Java project Harmony and intends to contribute code to the initiative, according to a Big Blue executive.

Debian Core Consortium Continues to Come Together

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-21 Debian 17 Comments

Insiders say that the efforts to form a Debian Core Consortium are continuing to go well. One of the purposes of the DCC is to create a common Debian Linux distribution for the enterprise based on the LSB 3.0 and possibly the next version of Progeny's CL Debian distribution.

XYNTService Open Source Admin Tool for Windows

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-21 Windows 10 Comments

Running a background process on the Windows platform requires running a Windows Service. To run a Windows Service, you must have an application that is Windows Service aware. A Bash script is not Windows Service aware and neither are many console applications. XYNTService allows an administrator to define a console program and its options to execute. The XYNTService application is a Windows Service that reads a configuration file to know which applications to run. Read more...

On Being and Deliciousness, with Wil Shipley

Submitted by Malcolm Crawford 2005-07-21 Original OSNews Interviews 8 Comments

Here is an interview with Wil Shipley, software developer for OS X and prior to that for NeXTSTEP.

MS Plans to Buy Secure-Messaging Company FrontBridge

Thom Holwerda 2005-07-21 Microsoft 18 Comments

In more evidence of Microsoft's increased interest in security technology, the software company said on Wednesday that it plans to acquire FrontBridge, a provider of secure messaging services. Microsoft plans to use its acquisition of FrontBridge to deliver a secure, highly availabile e-mail service that will be marketed to companies with limited IT resources, Microsoft said in a statement.

Review: GFI LANguard Network Security Scanner 6

Submitted by LogError 2005-07-21 Privacy, Security 4 Comments

LANguard Network Security Scanner will scan computers for known vulnerabilities and common misconfigurations and other potential security issues. It produces reports that can be used to assist in the tracking and mitigation of security issues that have been identified.

Hacking the Linux 2.6 Kernel, Part 1

Submitted by anonymous 2005-07-21 Linux 29 Comments

In this first of a two-part series, learn about system and environment requirements, the best ways to acquire Linux source code, how to configure and boot your new kernel, and how to use the printk function to print messages during bootup.

Dan Kaminsky on Microsoft’s Security

Submitted by anonymous 2005-07-21 Privacy, Security 30 Comments

SecurityFocus published an interview with BlackHat/Defcon speaker Dan Kaminsky. He was guest-hacker at the Microsoft BlueHat event, and met Redmond's engineers and management. His conclusion: "My sense is that a combination of respect for SP2 and growing fear of Google (which has an entirely different, and arguably more managable security posture than Microsoft can achieve) has really pushed people towards seeing security in 2005 as stability was in 2000/2001."