OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

JNode 0.1.6 Released

Submitted by Valentin Chira 2004-02-29 Java 7 Comments

JNode just released a new version, 1.6. Some of the new features are listed below:

Preliminary Work on a new KControl for KDE

Submitted by Eike 2004-02-28 KDE 116 Comments

The KDE project started an effort to redesign its Kcontrol panel and here is the outcome so far (in CVS). Update: A developer's article, how to build a KDE plugin structure.

Indigo, Avalon GUI, .NET Coding Articles

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-28 .NET 21 Comments

Some interesting Longhorn and .NET articles for developers appeared on MSDN:

A Brief Look at Solaris 10 build 51 Zones

Submitted by Bruno Saverio Delbono 2004-02-28 Solaris 20 Comments

Here is an article that describes a user's experience with Solaris' new feature called "Zones".

OSNews Mobile Version 2 Now Online

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-28 Internet 25 Comments

The second generation of OSNews' mobile web site is now up and running. The new version has an even simpler design than before which makes it much easier to render on under-featured HTML browsers, usually found on phones, PDAs or other embedded devices. The new design does not display any ads or a sidebar, but goes directly to the "meat" of the information. Read more for info & screenshots.

XBox 2 SDK for Apple G5’s with cutom NT kernel

Submitted by Harj 2004-02-28 Games 41 Comments

The Inquirer reports that Microsoft released the Xbox 2 SDK for the Apple Power Mac G5s, but no one knows as of yet if it runs natively or via VirtualPC or if it is 64bit or not.

Nmap Refuses Usage by SCO

Submitted by h0ba 2004-02-28 SCO 125 Comments

The recent released new version of Nmap (a security scanner) refuses, despite the usage of GPL, any usage by SCO. This is valid for all nmap versions: "we hereby terminate SCO's rights to redistribute any versions of Nmap in any of their products".

Editorial: Desktop Functionality I’d Like to See

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-28 Graphics 21 Comments

"Windowing environments are in their third decade, and they still do little more than open and close. There's no reason windows can't be more sophisticated", Daryl Blakeslee writes on NewsForge.

Creating a CVS Repository using FreeBSD

Submitted by Mindwarp 2004-02-28 General Development 4 Comments

Mindwarp wrote a quick guide which shows step-by-step how to setup a CVS pserver in FreeBSD over at mindwarp.net: "CVS stands for Concurrent Versions System. You can check out the official homepage at cvshome.org. Basically what it comes down to is tons of projects, open source, free software, and commercial use CVS to manage their code. It lets you go back to previous versions."

Microsoft Exec Says Marketing Effort Faltered with Windows XP

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-27 Windows 108 Comments

People who use Microsoft's Windows XP operating system aren't taking advantage of many of the systems best features, a top executive said - and the world's largest software maker has only itself to blame. Jim Allchin, Microsoft's group vice president for software platforms, including Windows, said he thinks customers aren't using gadgets like Windows Messenger and Movie Maker because Microsoft hasn't done a good enough job telling people about them.

Head to Head: Red Hat vs. SuSE

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-27 Rumors 35 Comments

Red Hat has maintained the pure open-source approach, making open-source software available to users, says Gartner analyst George Weiss. "For the end-user, the software may be open source, but the question is, 'How much do I have to pay to enable the software with a subscription?'"

Kaffe 1.1.4 Released

Submitted by Dalibor Topic 2004-02-27 Java 14 Comments

A new version of Kaffe has been released. Kaffe is a free software runtime environment for programs written in Java. Among many bug fixes, and code cleanups, the new release added support for policy files, and improved posix threads, crypto, SSL and sound support.

The Linux Booting Process

Submitted by Roberto Alsina 2004-02-27 Linux 20 Comments

This article describes how Linux boots. Who loads what, who starts which program, and what services do and act like.

Java: When segments collide

Submitted by Frank 2004-02-27 Java 3 Comments

While sizing the heap for 32-bit Java applications on AIX, you can sometimes run into situations where a segment is claimed by two or more parts of the process simultaneously. This article shows how to detect this situation by using a well-established set of applications as examples, and we also show the reasoning behind the configuration changes suggested to avoid this situation.

Review: theKompany Black Adder Python IDE

Guest post by Clinton De Young 2004-02-27 General Development 19 Comments

Before beginning, I must offer my profuse apologies to Shawn Gordon and the rest of theKompany crew. Shawn sent me the Black Adder software several months ago; however, my schedule ballooned beyond all believable bounds and has stubbornly maintained that ludicrous pace; unfortunately. I have not had an opportunity to write this review until recently, so I am sorry for my tardiness. And now to answer the most obvious question; what is Black Adder?

Test Driving Virtual PC 2004

Submitted by Gsurface 2004-02-27 Benchmarks 10 Comments

Here is a look at Virtual PC 2004's performace. It's put to the test by using the PassMark benchmark.

GTK# 0.17 Released

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-27 Mono 32 Comments

Ximian released today GTK# 0.17 while MonoDevelop is also under way (new screenshot).

Commodore 64 is Alive and Well

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-27 OS News 38 Comments

Believe it or not, Commodore 64 is still being used for commercial purposes. Analogik has discovered this truly rare occurrence at MYER Centre main bus station terminal - Brisbane, Australia. How reliable C64 is proves the fact that it is still being used to inform travelling people of 21st century.

Eric Raymond on UI design in OSS

Submitted by Eike Hein 2004-02-27 Graphics 88 Comments

Quality rant by Eric Raymond on the topic of bad user interface design in open source software, making some good points. The editorial was inspired by ESR's experience with CUPS.

Sun to Meet IBM Over Freeing Java

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-27 Java 54 Comments

In response to an open letter from IBM asking Sun to join the company in developing an open-source version of Java, Sun plans to meet with IBM to discuss the issue, Sun sources said. Sun officials planned to meet with IBM as early as Thursday to discuss the merits of whether the company should work with IBM on an independent project to create an open-source implementation of Java.