OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

The C# Design Process: A Conversation with Anders Hejlsberg

Submitted by kenny 2004-02-07 General Development 12 Comments

After 13 years with Borland, Hejlsberg joined Microsoft in 1996, where he initially worked as an architect of Visual J++ and the Windows Foundation Classes (WFC). Then, Hejlsberg was chief designer of C# and a key participant in the creation of the Microsoft .NET Framework. Today, he leads the ongoing development of the C# programming language. On July 30, 2003, Bruce Eckel, author of Thinking in C++ and Thinking in Java, and Bill Venners, editor-in-chief of Artima.com, met with Anders Hejlsberg in his office at Microsoft. Check out the entire eight-part interview here.

Linux In Dubai: How Does it Compare?

Submitted by Haider Tuaima 2004-02-07 Linux 7 Comments

"This whole article was written as a result of my own as well as my family and friends experiences with Linux, given that, I don't think Linux is a good choice is for everybody. Just like I would also say Windows is not for everybody either! The truth is you need to evaluate your needs first, do some homework, and then decide if you want to spend too much money on software and hardware." Read the shootout review at JiniComputer.com.

Introduction to the Firebird Database

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-07 Databases 19 Comments

Reasons why the Firebird database is a viable option for your next project. In the open-source world, much has been made about the need for a full-featured, robust and reliable database that can handle substantial loads and yet be able to play well with such open-source tools as Perl and PHP. The two main contenders are PostgreSQL and MySQL, but a new arrival in this arena is the Firebird RDBMS.

Software Innovation is Dead

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-07 Editorial 43 Comments

"Software innovation is dead. All that's left is compatibility fixes, security patches, and minor-version-number incremental improvements. The problem isn't a lack of ideas; it's a lack of motivated developers. The next generation of software engineers, who will be producing software in the next twenty-odd years, are simply not able to produce innovative software. Thirty years ago, programming was a niche area, an art, under constant evolution and requiring intellect and ability. New software was really just that -- completely new." Read the editorial at NewsForge.

OpenGL Tools for Serious Graphics Development

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-07 3D 15 Comments

Apple's best-of-breed OpenGL tools help developers locate, analyze and debug graphics bottlenecks, making the Mac a uniquely powerful platform for OpenGL development. Read the article at the ADC site.

Virtual PC 2004 vs. VMWare 4: Benchmarking Part II

Submitted by Hernán Di Pietro 2004-02-07 Benchmarks 21 Comments

Following the previous benchmarking article between the two classic virtual machines, Hernán Di Pietro wrote the 2nd part of the article, where WinXP is used as a guest. Check out the new results.

Is There Room for Mandrake in the Enterprise?

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-07 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 31 Comments

One contributing factor to Mandrake's minimal presence in the enterprise is its unusual business model. After legions of Linux salespeople have educated corporate buyers into the open-source methodology -- buying low-cost software, but expecting to pay for services -- Mandrake persists in taking the opposite approach. Read the article at Enterprise-Linux-IT.

Xandros 2.0 Review at CahTech

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-07 Oracle and SUN 18 Comments

The intention of the Xandros team is to provide users a distribution that bridges the gap between Windows and Linux. Read the review at CahTech.

Configuring the 2.6 Linux kernel

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-07 Linux 23 Comments

LinuxDevices.com has published an article by veteran Linux author William von Hagen about changes to the configuration process in the 2.6 Linux kernel. The article is the first in a series of articles that will discuss using the Linux kernel and device drivers, etc., in embedded devices. However, the article is generally relevant to servers and desktops, too. Be aware, the author did not mention on the "migration from kernel 2.4" section of the article that you will need to download the latest module-init-tools (and the new 'udev', 'hotplug' packages if you were using these too) in order to fully & correctly migrate to 2.6.

A Guide to Writing Efficient C Programs

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-06 General Development 25 Comments

This guide mainly focuses prime issues that are involved in writing professional code, which is very efficient both in terms of space & time as well as be easily ported to other systems with small changes.

A Noobie Spends Quality Time With Linux (YDL 3.0 To Be Exact)

Submitted by Katherine Keller 2004-02-06 Linux 42 Comments

The goal of the project was to use YDL 3.0 and included software for about a month to do the more ordinary things the author does with her iBook and G4: write articles, edit html, surf the web, print, listen to music, play some QuickTime or Real Media files, and transfer some files to/from a server. Read the full review at GUILinux.

yellowTAB Expands Internationally

Kevin05 2004-02-06 Zeta 17 Comments

yellowTAB has announced that they are expanding internationally. They will be opening offices in Canada and Italy, in order to reach users and markets around the world. yellowTAB North America will be opening it's own store, Zelect.com. In other yellowTAB news, recently an educational edition of Zeta RC2 was released.

Sun Shows Off 3D Desktop

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-06 Oracle and SUN 61 Comments

Sun Microsystems is experimenting (as we have reported in the past) with a three-dimensional desktop interface that could alter the way users see their screens--without the dorky glasses. First demonstrated at LinuxWorld in January, the "Project Looking Glass" initiative is a 3D Java-based, open source desktop that runs on Linux.

Stupidest Moments in Tech: 2003

David Adams 2004-02-06 Humor 13 Comments

Business 2.0 has compiled a list of shameful shenanigans from last year that should give you a chuckle. Test your tech savvy. Do you remember: the iLoo, the Segway hype, the swastika font, Shift key "hacking" (and a weak attempt at using the DMCA to prevent Shift key use)?

Retail Software Sales Way Down

David Adams 2004-02-06 In the News 53 Comments

According to recently-released market data, retail software sales have decreased by 4%, or by 10% by units sold. That difference in numbers is a telling fact. Though demand is slackening, prices are rising. And this does not include mail order or download sales. Should it be any surprise that people are not buying software at their local Wal-Marts anymore? And the growing disaffection with the upgrade treadmill and the increasing availablity of free alternatives may be having an effect too.

Introducing the Robotic Operating System

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-06 OS News 5 Comments

The Robotic Operating System, or ROS (download), is intended to operate at the center of behavior-based robotics systems. ROS is an operating system within an operating system, running as a normal program on UNIX-like systems and acting as an operating system for a set of other normal UNIX programs and scripts. ROS is used only to start, stop, and provide other services to behaviors, but without behaviors would perform no function. While a behavior might, technically, run without ROS, it would not fit into a system of behaviors and so would not be useful.

Review: A Slackware User Looks at LindowsOS

Guest post by Tarmo Hyvärinen 2004-02-05 Linspire 50 Comments

Lindows.com offered LindowsOS Developer Edition free for one day, GoogleDay (Whatever that is, I don't know, google's birthday perhaps?) so I decided to test it. My favorite distribution this far has been (and still is) Slackware Linux, which has always, well, just worked. I've been using Linux for some years now, I use Solaris at work (I work as software designer). Trying out Lindows after Slackware was totally different world, and here's some of my toughts after trying out Lindows.

First Alpha Release of WebCore for GNUstep

Submitted by Andrew Munkres 2004-02-05 OpenStep, GNUstep 20 Comments

Stefan has released an alpha version of his GNUstep port of WebCore, the KHTML-based renderer used by Apple's Safari web browser. The code includes a simple browser program.

Mandrake Set to Emerge from Bankruptcy Protection

Submitted by Matt Whipp 2004-02-05 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 25 Comments

Mandrake has applied to come out of the French equivalent of bankruptcy protection: 'declaration de cessation des paiements'. Some of the new features of Mandrake 10 that MandrakeSoft will be pinning their hopes on to make succeeding quarters more profitable. "There will be many new features in Mandrake 10.0, but it's a bit early to say more. There will be new improvements on the ergonomy side, the integration of a groupware solution, and of course the inclusion of Linux 2.6.x kernel as default which provides better performance."

An Introduction to Virtualization

Eugenia Loli 2004-02-05 OS News 5 Comments

The purpose of this document can be informally stated as follows: if you were to use virtualization in a an endeavor (research or otherwise), here are some things to look at.