Has Linux Eclipsed Open Source?
Linux's dominance "is not so much that it is better than BSD," Meta Group analyst Tom Murphy said. Indeed, there is a perception that in some ways, BSD is far stronger than Linux, NewsFactor reports.
TheSoftwareCorner: Lindows 4.0 Review
"Lindows is heading in the right direction when it is going towards the home user market. Lindows is by far the easiest distro of Linux I have tried to date, and yes I've tried Mandrake 8.x/9.x and RedHat 8. Some aspects of Lindows are a bit confusing like the network printer share and no network wizard to share your internet connection." Read the short review at TheSoftwareCorner.
Comments, Trolls, and Flamewars
You may have noticed that we've implemented a system that allows readers to report comments that abuse our forum rules, in an effort to improve the quality of the conversation and make the job of moderating the comments a little easier for OSNews volunteers. However, this reactive solution is only half of the effort that will be required to make OSNews a better place for reasoned debate. The proactive, and more important, effort is the responsibility of all those who use the comments system. It involves showing a little restraint before being lured into the fray and contributing to a negative atmosphere.
Mandrake Linux 9.2 RC-2 Released
Mandrake Linux 9.2 RC-2 bittorrent link is now available, ftp mirrors to be updated slowly. UPDATE: Texstar uploaded his screenshots from Mandrake 9.2 RC-2 while most FTP mirrors are now updated.
Eclipse 3.0 M3 Released
This is the third milestone release towards Eclipse 3.0. Check out the new and noteworthy improvements this version brings. The group in charge of the open-source Eclipse project approved a three month long restructuring process this week that should reduce IBM's dominant role in the effort and make the project more attractive to Java vendors such as Sun Microsystems and BEA Systems. Also, they are thinking of changing the name of the project.
Linux 2.6: A Breakthrough for Embedded Systems
Linux 2.6 introduces many new features that make it an excellent operating system for embedded computing. Among these new features are enhanced real-time performance, easier porting to new computers, support for large memory models, support for microcontrollers, and an improved I/O system. This whitepaper at LinuxDevices.com describes the new functions and features of the latest Linux kernel of special interest to embedded system developers. On other Linux kernel news, Linus Torvalds released Linux 2.6.0-test5 for general testing.
How KDE & GNOME Fought their War and Got Things All Backwards
What if FreeDesktop.org started to become the "free software desktop project" and GNOME and KDE slowly became "flavours aimed at different audiences", Seth Nickell wonders in his blog. Seth is having some good ideas about how the future of X11 DEs should feel like, while down that page there is an extra explanation of Storage, the technology we reported last week that Seth is developing.
Reversible Computers: Turning Back the CPU Clock
You're working into the wee hours trying to fix that bug. But by time the debugger catches it the original cause has long since passed. How are you going to figure out just what went wrong a billion instructions earlier? It's at times like these that you need a reversible computer. The idea is simple: a computer merely executes a sequence of elementary instructions. If we could just run through that list of instructions in reverse we could work backwards and find the original cause of our error. But of course things are never quite that simple.
SCO Warns Open Source Community
In an open letter, SCO Chief Executive Darl McBride tells open-source developers they need to do a better job of policing themselves and sets sights on SGI.
IBM Charges Forward with Power 5
IBM has previewed the designs for its upcoming 64-bit Power 5 processor, which the company states will augment total system performance by 40 percent over its predecessor. At last week's Hot Chips Conference in Palo Alto, Calif., IBM disclosed that it was incorporating simultaneous multi-threading into Power 5; the process takes chip multiprocessing to a new level where each chip tackles two threads as opposed to one.
New Windows Update to Cover More Products
The fifth revision of Windows Update is set to enter beta testing, as Microsoft continues efforts to improve its facility for keeping customers' systems up to date. Windows Update V5 is slated to be a significant upgrade, eventually extending the service's reach beyond Windows to all Microsoft products. The company will initially support updates to Office 2003, as well as SQL and Exchange.
Apple Releases Java 1.4.1-Update1
MacMinute reports that Apple today released Java 1.4.1 Update 1, a new version of its Java implementation for Mac OS X. The update adds the following enhancements: improved Java applet support for Safari and other Web browsers that support the Java Internet Plug-In; improved drawing correctness and performance; changes to Java 1.3.1 that provide support for Oracle11i client applications on Mac OS X; and improved stability, memory usage, and correctness. The update is available via the Mac OS X Software Update preference pane.
Epiphany 1.0 Released, Gnome 2.4 Release Imminent
Sun Gets Real with Mad Hatter
"The more interesting question is whether Apple's QuickTime will also be a part of Mad Hatter or other desktop Linux offerings," says Yankee Group analyst Dana Gardner. The end user ideally should be able to access content in any format with a minimum of hassles. Read the article at NewsFactor.
Symbian Vs Linux: Who Will Win in Wireless? First 2.6 Embedded Linux
From NewMobileComputing: Operating systems do make a difference in mobile phones, writes Wireless Center Editor Guy Kewney—and Linux is looking stronger every day, eWEEK says. On other embedded news, LynuxWork's BlueCat Linux 5.0, based on a 2.6-series Linux kernel, is now available for public beta testing, with a projected final release date set for November. LynuxWorks claims this to be the first public availability of embedded Linux based on the new kernel. Key new features include: improved kernel preemption; 0(1) scheduler; improved POSIX threading support.
Novell Eyes Role of Linux Champion
Novell will be the "catalyst" for desktop and enterprise Linux, according to its chairman and chief executive Jack Messman. VNUnet and TheRegister report. Should Red Hat start to worry?
Intel Unveils Budget Itaniums; Apple Announces New iMacs, iPods
Trolltech Gets 2D Graphics Hardware Acceleration for QTopia
SciTech Software, Inc. today announced a collaboration with Trolltech AS to provide desktop quality 2D graphics acceleration and great chip level compatibility for embedded Linux developers. As part of the announcement, SciTech has released SNAP Graphics IES for Qt/Embedded, Trolltech's embedded Linux GUI toolkit. Additionally, Trolltech now provides built-in support for SciTech SNAP.
Be-Microsoft Settlement Puts The Thumb Back On PC OEMs
"Should Be Inc. settle with Microsoft or should it hold out and wait for Massachusetts attorney general Tom Reilly to press for a fair settlement or penalty for the software giant? Assuming Massachusetts is sucessful, Be's task of being reinbursed for losses would be much easier. If Be settles, Microsoft would not have to admit wrongdoing." This means that Microsoft would be given a proverbial license to pressure PC OEMs to not install alternatives to Windows, the editorial states.
SkyOS Update and GUI Contest Round One Voting Open
SDL is now available for SkyOS. The popular cross-platform graphic/gaming library was ported to the operating system. Additionally, the complete TCP/IP stack was heavily bugfixed, resulting in much more reliable services like Web Browsing with SkyKruzer, domain name lookup and DHCP. Proxy support for SkyKruzer has been improved. Additionally, round one of the SkyOS GUI ReDesign Contest has begun. Over 30 entries were sent in, and the entries will be whittled down to 3 by way of an open community vote. Everyone is encouraged to view the designs and cast their votes.