TextOS version 2.0b1 5/15/05 "Progression" has been released. It runs programs built with the new TextOS BASIC version 2.0, which adds many more commands to the TextOS BASIC language.
Microsoft's new consumer product, OneCare , "offers virus and spyware protection, a new firewall and several tune-up tools for Windows PCs". A beta, version is scheduled to be available by the end of year, and the final product will be offered as a subscription service.
Most of you might already know the cluster project OpenMosix. OpenMosix has been around for awhile now and has worked with many vendors to create a “patch” for the 2.4 Kernel tree. It also makes userland utilities for this cluster patch. But what a lot of people don't know is that they have started to work on a patch for the 2.6 Kernel tree. For a lot of users that now use the 2.6 Kernel this gives them the opportunity to run cluster at home or at work without having to buy very expensive equipment. There is one site that now makes it easy to patch your kernel now for the 2.6 Kernel tree. What would be nice is to see this in the main line tree, if anything in the 2.7 tree.
This paper will provide an overview of grid computing including its history, current development, terminology, and use. The scope of this project is geared towards the implementation of Apple's Xgrid technology in a university environment, or in a home environment for power users such as architects. Later in this paper we will implement an Xgrid, and will demonstrate its cross platform abilities, while exploring its revolutionary take on grid computing. Benchmarks of this grid will be done using light ray tracing software called Pov-Ray in combination with Architectural CAD software called Sketchup, and will produce a series of complex graphical scenes. Each computer on the grid will be responsible for rendering at least one scene, and rendering times will be recorded.
BSD Updates provides online security and operating system upgrades for BSD systems in binary format. No messy source patches. No waiting for system rebuilds. Just an easy to navigate web interface which securely applies the latest patches in just minutes. Read More.
Debate between Apple and the open source KDE project over a rendering engine replacement intensified yesterday as Firefox lead engineer Ben Goodger backed the vendor.
Colin Percival, a FreeBSD committer and security team member, has found a local exploit against the current implementation of Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology. "Hyper-Threading, as currently implemented on Intel Pentium Extreme Edition, Pentium 4, Mobile Pentium 4, and Xeon processors, suffers from a serious security flaw," Colin explains. "This flaw permits local information disclosure, including allowing an unprivileged user to steal an RSA private key being used on the same machine. Administrators of multi-user systems are strongly advised to take action to disable Hyper-Threading immediately."
Sun Microsystems has delayed the release of two major features the company has trumpeted as reasons to try its latest version of the Solaris operating system. Eric Schrock, a Solaris kernel programmer, said on his blog in April that he's "completely redesigning the ZFS commands from the ground up" after finding some deficiencies.
An engineer at Mandriva is writing a series of technical articles pinpointing some problems in the current development distribution and proposing solutions. An interesting reading for people interested in Linux distribution development. Includes research on package management and compares buildsystems.
The open-source Netbeans IDE version 4.1 has been released. Many improvements and bug fixes. The infamous Scanner class error which plagued earlier versions seems to be fixed.
As reported by C|Net Windows XP Starter Edition will only work on "Intel's Celeron chips, AMD's Duron or Geode chips, or processors from Via Technologies." If one tries to run it on a processor such as the Intel Pentium 4, the operating system will read the processor ID and stop functioning. This was done to prevent "Starter Edition from supplanting standard versions of Windows XP."
Every Windows Mobile–based device implements a set of security policies that determine whether an application is allowed to run and, if allowed, with what level of trust. To develop an application for a Windows Mobile–based device, you need to know what the security configuration of your device is. You also need to know how to sign your application with the appropriate certificate to allow the application to run (and to run with the needed level of trust).
Microsoft is under attack by a bevy of competitors. But is the software giant really at its "most vulnerable moment in history"? In the second part of this BBC report they examine how Microsoft hopes to beat its rivals.
Usability has always been a controversial aspect of free software development, but one that is becoming increasingly important along with the uptake of GNU/Linux distributions in businesses and homes. Developers' discussions about usability are often marked by shrill accusations and defensive responses. Implementing usability suggestions can mean giving up months of feature-building. But according to a few developers and usability experts working on KDE, bringing usability experts into the hackers' work processes can be a big help.
Among the flavors of UNIX, Solaris is considered to be the closest to Linux, so before starting a port of large Unix-based application to Linux, the OS-dependent code is generally picked up from Solaris. But for migration purposes, differences can arise in the areas that depend on the architecture, memory maps, threading, or some specific areas like system administration or natural language support.
