OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Donate to Help Get Rid of FreeBSD’s Giant Lock

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-10 FreeBSD 34 Comments

FreeBSD kernel hacker Poul-Henning Kamp lost recently his biggsest contracting job and so he has plenty of free time to work on getting rid of the giant lock on the FreeBSD kernel (found on disk and device I/O path) which would benefit the system performance and scalability.

The Only Way Microsoft Can Die is by Suicide

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-10 Microsoft 108 Comments

Cringely editorializes: "When I wrote last week about my conclusion that the legal system -- any legal system -- is unequipped to change Microsoft's monopolistic behavior, I had no idea that within 24 hours, Sun would be throwing in the towel, trading its so-called principles for $1.95 billion in cash. So I guess I was right. Only now, a few thousand readers out there expect me to blithely produce an answer to the problem of what to do to bring Microsoft into the civilized world. Well, I say it can't be done".

Tutorial: Setting Up Samba 3.x

Guest post by Brian Snipes 2004-04-10 Internet 24 Comments

Recently I got the opportunity to setup a new lab for a small school. The server runs Linux and the workstations run WindowsXP. There are 3 levels of access on the workstations (admin, teacher, and student) and security on the workstations is based on Windows policies applied at logon.

Managing Packages on Panther with DarwinPorts

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-10 BSD & Darwin 5 Comments

"One of the first things I started doing almost immediately after installing Mac OS X when it first came out in March 2001, was to begin downloading and building Unix-based open source applications. I was able to build quite a few applications by performing the usual configure/make/make install sequence." Read the rest of the article at MacDevCenter.

Chronicles of a WinFx Developer: Just Getting Started

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-10 Windows 11 Comments

From ActiveWin: Adam Kinney, a known blogger in the Avalon community, tells us of his experiences getting started with Longhorn, and what's working and what's not. Elsewhere, Joe Beda, development lead on the Avalon/Longhorn team, talks about the 3D capabilities that will be delivered in Longhorn.

Sun Rolls Out Free Java Application Server 8

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-10 Java 15 Comments

Sun has released the latest version of its Java application server software, and as in the past, has made it available for free download to developers, TechWeb reports.

Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 11 Released

Submitted by Bero 2004-04-10 Linux 14 Comments

The Ark Linux team has announced the immediate availability of Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 11, a new version of its easy to use, easy to learn desktop operating system.

Sun kills UltraSparc V, Gemini chips

Submitted by Ken Farmer 2004-04-09 Oracle and SUN 50 Comments

Sun Microsystems has discontinued development of two planned chips as it retrenches in a difficult era for the company. More at News.com.

How Microsoft Is Clipping Longhorn

Submitted by Oni 2004-04-09 Windows 42 Comments

To get the already-delayed follow-up to Windows XP out the door by 2006, it has decided to omit some of the most ambitious features, including WinFS over network.

KDE 3.2: A User’s Perspective

Submitted by Navindra Umanee 2004-04-09 KDE 26 Comments

W. Kendrick gives a visual overview of lesser known KDE features in KDE 3.2 - A User's Perspective (mirror). He covers everything from SuperKaramba to the new Kiosk tool.

Gnomers Blog on Future of Gnome; Dropline Gnome 2.6 Released

Submitted by Witek Wasilewski 2004-04-09 Gnome 12 Comments

Red Hat, Ximian and Debian developers are discussing the future of Gnome and its place in the desktop marketplace at Planet Gnome (scroll to read all discussions taking place). In the meantime Dropline GNOME 2.6 became available for Slackware, while the Gnome bindings have reached RC status.

Is Linux a National Security Risk?

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-09 Linux 49 Comments

Proprietary OS vendor Green Hills and its CEO Dan O'Dowd have launched a broadside against the use of Linux in military and defense applications.

OpenBeOS: Networking Kit Milestone

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-09 Haiku 19 Comments

From OpenBeOS.org "We have reached a milestone toward self-hosting. The prolific Waldemar Kornewald checked in a file using our netstack and PPP code."

A Look on ICEwm; XOrg Vs XFree86

Submitted by Philipp Esselbach 2004-04-09 Wayland 17 Comments

Jim Farnsworth takes a look at the ICEwm under MEPIS. On other X11 news, with Release, X.Org seals the fate of XFree86 says InternetNews.

Mac OS X Panther Applications and Utilities

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-09 macOS 12 Comments

Mac OS X comes with dozens of utilities and applications—many of which can be easily cataloged, such as Internet and media tools. Many applications, however, can't easily be assigned a category. This chapter covers the useful Mac OS X applications and utilities that you're likely to use regularly.