ReactOS 0.1.5 released

ReactOS 0.1.5 has been released, featuring many improvements and fixes. The new release includes lots of work on the graphical DLLs, as well as all round work on the system. French and German keyboard layouts are now also available.

Beware the Desktop Quagmire; Home Users Leap to Linux

"Windows is the McDonald's of operating systems. You know it's not good for you, but you can't help but buy it at least once in a while. And it's the same everywhere you go, which is the real key to Microsoft's success." eCommerceTimes says. Elsewhere "Less than two years ago, Lynanne Fowle, a Holly Springs charter high school director and mother of five, made the switch. She said that security and costs were the two main reasons she jumped ship from Microsoft" the LinuxInsider says.

Bill Gates: Unplugged

For two decades, Bill Gates has used his Comdex keynote speech to mark out his vision for technologies from the Internet to XML. This year he used the bully pulpit to make it clear that the industry is at one of its perennial crossroads. CNET News.com caught up with the Microsoft co-founder and chairman earlier this week to talk about the leadup to his "seamless computing" speech.

A Switcher’s Story and his review of the new iBook G4

I had been keeping a watchful eye on the developments in the Apple world ever since Steve Jobs’ revamped company revealed the first fruity iMacs in the mid-90s. Mac OS 8 and 9 never really appealed to me, and Windows ran all my games and software, so I never thought about making a switch any time soon. Then one day I met Unix for the first time in my life.

Bill Joy on Linux, Apple, and Technology

Sun refugee Bill Joy talks about greedy markets, reckless science, and runaway technology. He goes on to describe his new love of Apple's OS X by stating that "For kids who are 20 years younger than me, Linux is a great way to cut your teeth. It's a cultural phenomenon and a business phenomenon. Mac OS X is a rock-solid system that's beautifully designed. I much prefer it to Linux."

Basic Concepts of Real-Time Operating Systems

This article by veteran real-time trainer David Kalinsky provides an introduction to real-time operating system (RTOS) kernel services. The paper is of particular interest to developers new to real-time concepts and vocabulary. Kalinsky begins by offering a comparison of RTOSs and general-purpose operating systems. He then covers real-time kernel services including task scheduling; fixed-time task switching; intertask communication and synchronization; determinism and high-speed message passing; and, dynamic memory allocation.

Why SCO will Soon be Going After BSD

"Since they cannot show infringement of SCO Unix code, SCO now plans to challenge the 9-year-old settlement between AT&T and BSD. If it can successfully do that, then its claims that Linux contains tainted code can be substantiated. If it can't, SCO is dead meat." Says NewsForge. *Updated*