OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

A parallel Linux backup script

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-10 Linux 15 Comments

This article describes an example bash shell script which demonstrates a simple method of creating backups of multiple filesystems to several tape drives simultaneously. The example script can easily be modified to write to other device types and to create a different number of backup streams.

VMware 5 Out This Coming Week

Submitted by Tomas Gayoso 2005-04-10 In the News 26 Comments

VMware Workstation 5 now has memory sharing technology borrowed from the company's ESX Server, plus a Teams feature that connects multiple virtual machines together in order to simulate and test higher-end applications on a programmer's desktop system.

Networking and Web Browsing on Haiku

Submitted by Kian Duffy 2005-04-10 Haiku 26 Comments

Haikunews reports that Micheal Lotz of the Haiku Project has suceeded in getting their kernel land networking stack working on Haiku itself, along with the Links web browser. The one Links binary works on BeOS R5 and on Haiku, proving binary compatibility even further.

NetBSD Status Report January – March 2005 published

Submitted by Jan Schaumann 2005-04-09 NetBSD 4 Comments

The NetBSD Foundation published its first quarterly status report in 2005, covering the months January through March of 2005. Among many other things, this status report covers the addition of TCP/SACK and PAM support, the opening of the Foundations Online Store, the new stable pkgsrc branch and various port-specific items.

New GPE Screenshots; GTK+ 2.6.5 Released

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-09 GTK+ 26 Comments

The GPE project updated their web site with brand new screenshots of their X-based PDA interface. Elsewhere, GTK+ 2.6.5 was released with bug fixes.

Ubuntu 5.04 Hoary Hedgehog Review

Submitted by Scrivs 2005-04-09 Ubuntu 94 Comments

Ubuntu Linux 5.04--the "Hoary Hedgehog" release--came out on Friday, April 8. Is there a reason it's #1 on distrowatch.com? Or is it not all it's cracked up to be? Read here to find out.

Longhorn Delayed Again – Who Wins?

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-09 Windows 102 Comments

In the last few weeks, the tech industry has been buzzing with speculation that Microsoft's next OS release, Longhorn, will not be ready for its planned 2006 unveiling. If the OS is put off until 2007, some competitors could win more profits, but many analysts say that software and hardware partners will face the most serious challenges and could end up losing more than they anticipated.

OSI changes criteria for license approvals

Submitted by Hanno Braun 2005-04-09 Open Source 17 Comments

The Open Source Initiative has published a statement about license proliferation. According to the statement OSI introduces three new criteria that approved open source licenses must meet: They must be (a) non-duplicative, (b) clear and understandable and (c) reusable. Read more in the statement.

DragonFly 1.2 is now Released

Submitted by GeekGod 2005-04-09 BSD & Darwin 12 Comments

1.2.0 is the second major DragonFly release and the first one which its devs have created a separate CVS branch for. DragonFly's policy is to only commit bug fixes to release branches. This release represents a significant milestone in efforts to improve the kernel infrastructure. DragonFly is still running under the Big Giant Lock, but this will probably be the last release where that is the case.

Debian adds kernel of FreeBSD

Submitted by Robert Millan 2005-04-08 Debian 132 Comments

Debian just added the kernel of FreeBSD to the unstable branch of its GNU/Linux distribution. The package contains pristine 5.3 kernel source together with patchset for conformance to Debian's requirements. This is a first step towards inclussion of the Debian GNU/kFreeBSD port as a candidate for future Debian releases.

Critical Microsoft Patches on patch Tuesday

Submitted by Danny 2005-04-08 Windows 41 Comments

Microsoft will provide a variety of patches; some of which are described as critical. The patches are part of Microsoft’s monthly security updates. Read more.

Ubuntu Hoary 5.04 And Kubuntu Hoary 5.04 Released

Submitted by Thom Holwerda 2005-04-08 Ubuntu 135 Comments

eXpert Zone was the first to announce the release of Ubuntu and Kubuntu Hoary 5.04. "Very fresh from the ubuntu-announce mailinglist: Ubuntu Hoary 5.04 has been released! Ubuntu Hoary 5.04 features Gnome 2.10, X.org 6.8.2, faster boot process, better power management, and much, much more. Read the release notes for the complete list, and download either the live CD or the install cd here, available for various architectures. In conjunction with this release, the Kubuntu team is proud to announce the first official release of Kubuntu Hoary 5.04, featuring KDE 3.4. Download Kubuntu here."

Microsoft’s New Smart Phone Interface: Your Thumb

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-08 Wireless 12 Comments

Microsoft Research scientists, in cooperation with University of Maryland researchers, have designed two interfaces to support easier use of PDAs and cellphones. Although existing stylus-based gesture systems do not preclude the use of the thumb, no systems have been specifically designed to be operated using the thumb, according to the researchers.

Introduction to Indigo

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-08 .NET 26 Comments

Indigo is the managed communication stack that will ship with WinFX. It is the "V.Next" for ASP.NET Web Methods, .NET Remoting, Enterprise Services, System.Messaging, and WSE. Steve Swartz provides a conceptual overview of Indigo, walks through some code, and introduces you to his jackalope.

Linspire: Short Review

Guest post by Jeremy LaCroix 2005-04-07 Linspire 65 Comments

Linspire has always intrigued me, it's a professional class operating system aimed at the mainstream market, and one of the few Linux distributions available in boxed sets. I've never really been a big fan of Linspire though, because I am a power user. Still, I was intrigued enough to inquire about reviewing Linspire, and they were nice enough to provide me with a digital download copy with a trial Click N Run (CNR) subscription. I wasn't too keen about blowing away my Fedora installation (I only have one computer with enough resources to run anything above DOS) but eventually curiousity took over, and I went for it.

Running Linux and BSD on the Mac Mini

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-07 Apple 85 Comments

NetBSD and Yellow Dog Linux have both begun to support the Mac Mini. Seebach looks at open source operating system options on this new contender in the embedded PowerPC platform space.

Mandrakesoft Announces Name Change: Mandriva

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-07 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 109 Comments

Linuxlookup.com is reporting after spending weeks balancing pros and cons, Mandrakesoft has decided to change its name. The name change will apply worldwide to both the company and its products. Reasoning behind the name change, along with details are available.

CherryOS to Go Open Source

Submitted by Nirodha 2005-04-07 Open Source 56 Comments

Another wrinkle in the ongoing CherryOS saga: having just announced that they were putting the CherryOS Mac emulator project "on hold" indefinitely (amid accusations that their software was inappropriately using PearPC intellectual property), now the CherryOS web site states: "Due to Overwhelming Demand Cherry Open Source Project Launches 5.1.2005."

Fewer permissions are key to Longhorn security

Eugenia Loli 2005-04-07 Windows 54 Comments

Software engineers who attend Microsoft's annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference later this month could get their first taste of a new Windows user permissions model that could change the way thousands of programs are developed and run. But as the company prepares for the final Longhorn development push, questions remain about its plans for a new user privileges model called Least-Privilege User Account, or LUA.

DragonFly 1.2 Release Candidate available for Download

Submitted by David Rhodus 2005-04-07 BSD & Darwin 40 Comments

After many months of work DragonFly is about to release version 1.2 of its BSD based operating system. The first release candidate version can be download from dfly-20050406-pre1.2.iso.gz