OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

NetBSD, for When Portability and Stability Matter

Submitted by User256 2004-10-29 NetBSD 19 Comments

"In NetBSD's sweet spot are organizations looking for a slim, lightweight, highly stable, and capable operating system to run the latest server applications on modest or specialized hardware." Read the article at ServerWatch.

Review: SuSE Linux 9.2 LiveCD

Guest post by Uri Sharf 2004-10-28 SuSE, openSUSE 47 Comments

Novell has recently released SUSE Linux 9.2 LiveCD/DVD edition. In line with its impressive track-record, SUSE managed to make yet another step forward each time. Having used SUSE 9.1 for a while now, I was more than looking forward to this new release, so I downloaded and ran SUSE 9.2 LiveCD on my Dell Inspiron, and gave it a try.

Using the Edit and Continue Feature in C# 2.0

Eugenia Loli 2004-10-28 .NET 8 Comments

This article provides an overview of how to use the new Edit and Continue debugging feature in Visual C# 2005. The feature allows you to make changes to the code while an application is being debugged and apply those code changes without having to close, rebuild, and run the application again.

VectorLinux 4.3 – Rocket Fueled Slackware

Submitted by Robert 2004-10-28 Slackware, Slax 13 Comments

MadPenguin has the first review of VectorLinux 4.3, with screenshots.

C++ in the Linux kernel?

Submitted by Lumbergh 2004-10-28 Linux 45 Comments

This company has a patch that allows C++ in the Linux kernel, but Linus thinks otherwise.

Is Open Source Really More Secure?

Submitted by Scott 2004-10-28 Privacy, Security 31 Comments

In this article we'll discuss the claim made by proponents of open source software that such software is more secure. Is open source really inherently more secure than closed source commercial software? If so, why? And if not, why do so many have that perception? Read Article

“C++ GUI Programming with Qt 3” Book Download

Submitted by Anonymous 2004-10-28 Qt 22 Comments

The C++ GUI Programming with Qt 3 book written by Trolltech software engineer Jasmin Blanchette and Trolltech's documentation manager Mark Summerfield, can now be downloaded in PDF format from the publisher's homepage in the "Downloads" section.

Suse warns of hole in Linux kernel

Submitted by Anonymous 2004-10-28 Bugs & Viruses 42 Comments

Linux distributor Suse has warned of one of the most serious security holes to date (a remote root vulnerability) in Version 2.6 of the Linux kernel, which could allow attackers to shut down a system running 2.6-based software. Suse's advisory ranked the bug 9 out of 10 in severity.

Apple Shows Off Mac OS X Tiger, Xcode

Submitted by Tudy 2004-10-28 macOS 31 Comments

Apple demonstrated Tiger and XCode's new capabilities and features at the O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference tuesday. "I know you've heard statements like this before, but this is without a doubt going to be the biggest release for developers in Mac history," said Apple's Chris Bourdon.

The wonders of ‘format c:’

Guest post by Jonathan Hohle 2004-10-28 Humor 66 Comments

Often the solution given to newbies in response to their computer programs is to format c:. However funny the theoretical outcome of this action may be, this suggestion is often made without the suggester really knowing what will happen. This afternoon I decided to look at format c: and it's cousin rm -Rf / and found some pretty interesting results.

Firefox 1.0-RC1 Released

Eugenia Loli 2004-10-28 Mozilla, Gecko 88 Comments

MozillaZine reports that Firefox 1.0-RC1 has been released to the world.

Haiku Kernel Hits Some Milestones

Submitted by Androo 2004-10-27 Haiku 32 Comments

In an announcement today on the offical Haiku website, Axel Dörfler provides an update on the status of the Haiku kernel. Most notably it now has the ability to run Bash, boot to a graphical console from a hard drive on real hardware, and view files on other BeFS-formatted partitions.

QSSL (manufacturer of QNX) sold to Harman International

Submitted by samab 2004-10-27 QNX 56 Comments

Harman (maker of Harman Kardon and JBL audio gears) has bought QNX.

OpenBSD looking for better licenses on binary firmware for WiFi

Eugenia Loli 2004-10-27 OpenBSD 37 Comments

Ryan McBride requests the help of the OpenBSD community in convincing Texas Instruments to change the license of their firmware for the ZCX100 802.11b chipset. Theo de Raadt makes a similar request directed at Intel. A success story from Theo de Raadt in using this tactic on Adaptec. This is also important for Linux and the rest of the BSDs. I had to "pirate" my Prism's firmware files in order to make the pcmcia card work with my Linuces. I don't see the point of keeping these firmware files bound.

Open Letter: Getting In-Touch With Your Ex

Guest post by Matt Cahill 2004-10-27 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 99 Comments

Dear Mandrake,
I used to be both a user of Mandrake (from v7.2 -> v10) as well as a renewing member of their Club. For various reasons, both personal and not, I decided to switch distros in August of this year. I wanted to try a Debian distro and experience that side of Linux .

Web development IDEs tested

Eugenia Loli 2004-10-27 General Development 30 Comments

Builder AU have an article testing four Web development tools based on ease of use, features and functionality, User interface development, code development, platform and language support, and documentation. Products tested include Zend, ASP.NET WebMatrix, Dreamweaver MX, and NitroX.

Ballmer: Comparing Windows with Linux and UNIX

Submitted by Zac Woodall 2004-10-27 Rumors 63 Comments

In the thousands of meetings that Microsoft employees have with customers around the world every day, many of the same questions consistently surface: Does an open source platform really provide a long-term cost advantage compared with Windows?

Java and .NET security

Submitted by Scott 2004-10-27 Privacy, Security 19 Comments

SUN Microsystems Java and Microsoft's .NET platforms are no more than programming languages that exploit network potential with the idea that the same software should function on different platforms. Both systems are centered around the principle of running software that doesn't reside on the client machine to provide greater functionality or faster execution, saving connection time and improving public perception of the server to which the client connects. Read Article

Mandrakelinux 10.1 Official Released

Adam Scheinberg 2004-10-27 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 45 Comments

Many users submitted the news of the release of Mandrake 10.1 Official. Mandrakelinux 10.1 includes Linux kernel 2.6.8.1, Gnome 2.6, KDE 3.2.3, and GCC 3.4.1. Mandrake touts the benefits of better Centrino support, expanded Bluetooth support, and improved laptop support, which includes ACPI and wireless chip support. Mandrake 10.1 Official can be purchased now.

SGI supercomputer: Two records in one day

Eugenia Loli 2004-10-27 SGI and IRIX 21 Comments

Even as Silicon Graphics trumpeted on Tuesday a new speed record with the Columbia supercomputer it built for NASA, CNET News.com has learned, it quietly submitted another, faster result: 51.9 trillion calculations per second. SGI also plans to announce a new Linux computer Nov. 1, a machine that uses Intel's newest Itanium 2 processor and packs the chips twice as compactly as current machines do.