OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

MenuetOS 0.78-pre3 Released

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-18 OS News 33 Comments

On MenuetOS 0.78-pre3 there is a new screen layout, with a new panel application, graphics designed by Andrew Youll. The menus, applications and icons are completely under user control now - just edit MPANEL.DAT to make changes. You do not need to re-boot for changes to take effect.

UserLinux Desktop Live CD 0.2 Available

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-18 Linux 18 Comments

A contributed live CD created from the current UserLinux desktop package set is available for download.

Subversion 1.0.7 Released

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-18 General Development 15 Comments

Subversion is a version control system that is a compelling replacement for CVS in the open source community. This is a minor bugfix release.

OneFinger 1.0 Released

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-18 Unix 26 Comments

OneFinger is a general-purpose GUI for composing CLI commands with the mouse. Although entirely graphical, it does not attempt to hide the underlying CLI language. Requires Python for Qt3.

BlueJ 2.0 Released

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-18 Java 9 Comments

BlueJ is an interactive Java development environment. It provides a unique user interface that presents a graphical display of the application classes and their relationships, and it lets users interactively create objects of any class. This 2.0 release adds support for J2SE 5.0, full diagram keyboard navigation, editor improvements, interface improvements, a new text evaluation pane, improved jar file creation, and many other improvements and bugfixes.

IBM Pushes for End to SCO’s Case

Submitted by Tudy Parghel 2004-09-17 Legal 14 Comments

SCO has been seeking more time for its Unix intellectual property case against IBM, while IBM strives to end the case quickly. The SCO Group Inc. and IBM are locked in a blizzard of claim and counterclaim paperwork in the U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City. Matters reached a climax Wednesday as the court heard arguments on four motions.

Finding a good Find

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-17 Graphics 16 Comments

Bryan Clark is discussing what a good "Find" dialog would be to be used with applications.

Basic Lesson #4: Can You See It?

Submitted by Timothy R. Butler 2004-09-17 Editorial 9 Comments

In this lesson in the Clueless Computer User series, Ed Hurst will discuss more about stability and interface issues. A popular buzzword these days is "interface". That's just a fancy word implying that two or more people are face to face. In actual practice, it usually means anything but face to face. It's a means of interacting with another. You are said to "interface" by some means. So it is with computers.

Microsoft: Can we check your software license?

Submitted by robert renling 2004-09-17 Microsoft 62 Comments

The software maker has launched a pilot program in which some visitors to the main Windows download page are being asked to let the software maker check to see whether their copy of the operating system is licensed.

More web surfers abandoning the good ship Internet Explorer

Submitted by many viewers 2004-09-17 Internet Explorer 91 Comments

Microsoft's web browser, Internet Explorer, is continuing its slow but steady slide in market share. According to fresh numbers from web metrics firm Websidestory, IE's share has slipped 1.8 per cent in the last three months.

Defining the Linux Enterprise

Submitted by Sam Hiser 2004-09-17 Linux 3 Comments

If you're as confused about the definition of Enterprise Software as Microsoft and the Department of Justice, then this article from Tom Adelstein at O'Reilly's Linux DevCenter should clarify things.

Script-based Debian install/config guide

Submitted by Rodd Ahrenstorff 2004-09-17 Debian 8 Comments

Here is an easy to read step-by-step guide utilizing a script based method for Debian GNU/Linux installations. It's designed to be a starting point for Linux user groups or interested individuals to assist with all manner of Debian installations. It requires the new Debian installer and the included script results in a Gnome desktop. Customizing this simple script method allows for an endless diversity of packages and various system designs while maintaining 100% compatability with Debian repositories.

Building a BSD Netboot Server

Submitted by BSD_User 2004-09-17 FreeBSD 3 Comments

Diskless FreeBSD workstations work beautifully for many users. With recent changes in FreeBSD 5.x, the old methods of building a netbooting lab have changed. Read more at OnLamp.com.

A developer’s guide to evaluating Eclipse vs. JBuilder

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-17 Java 14 Comments

Many programmers are moving to Eclipse, the popular, open source development environment. For programmers familiar with Borland's free JBuilder X Foundation edition, this article starts with a brief comparison of both IDEs' features, ease of use, and stability, and then demonstrates essential tasks in Eclipse -- and shows how they differ from JBuilder -- so you can decide if Eclipse is right for you.

Automate the application build and distribution process

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-17 General Development 2 Comments

This article looks at how to create a structure for building and distributing applications, including heavily customized versions, and a simple way of disseminating the applications among a number of machines, manually or automatically, as easily as possible.

The Paradox of Choice

Adam Scheinberg 2004-09-17 Linux 138 Comments

Yesterday, a co-worker of mine and I had a lengthy discussion about this article posted on OSNews awhile back. My past writing about Linux has centered on general usability and sensible defaults, but his contention was that Linux is the Linux kernel and that anything beyond that is the responsibility of the distribution. The conversation took an interesting turn. Read on for more.

Q&A: Microsoft’s Linux strategist Martin Taylor

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-17 Microsoft 27 Comments

Martin Taylor recently marked his one-year anniversary as Microsoft Corp.'s chief Linux strategist. Taylor, whose official title is general manager of platform strategy, recently spoke with Computerworld about his first year in that job. This is Part 1 of that interview.

Perl Parser Performance

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-17 Benchmarks 10 Comments

C/C++ parsers, such as libxml2 or Xerces C++ have entered the scene, and so have their Perl extensions. Perl XML folks have developed Perl SAX, a Perlish counterpart of Java SAX interface. Currently, CPAN contains several parsing modules. This article compares the performance of five free PerlSAX 2 parsers available from CPAN. Older XML::Parser is also included to serve as a baseline.

Building a Linux PVR, Part 2: Microsoft’s MCE 2004

Eugenia Loli 2004-09-17 Rumors 9 Comments

Today, AnandTech brings you the second part of the series, which focuses on Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 and how it compares to the Linux-based MythTV.

The Stealth Desktop Part III: Managing Users, Fonts and Printers

Submitted by Timothy R. Butler 2004-09-17 Slackware, Slax 12 Comments

In the third installment of the Stealth Desktop series about Slackware Linux, Eduardo Sánchez builds upon the previous steps of Part I and Part II. Continuing where those parts left off, he introduces the subjects of user, font and printer management in Slackware.