The Unix Tree Rethought: an Introduction to GoboLinux

"Lately, there has been lots of discussion on the current state of Linux as a desktop system, and articles pop up here and there, occasionally with very good ideas. However, none have surprised me more than this one. It was all very hyphothetical, but had pretty radical ideas on how the author thought the Linux directory tree should be reorganized." Read more about GoboLinux, a Linux distro that uses a new style directory tree at Kuro5hin.org.

SuSE Linux 8.2 Available for Download

From DistroWatch: "SuSE Linux 8.2 has now been spotted on several mirrors. While SuSE does not provide easily install-able ISO images for download, their 8.2 directory has been uploaded to provide a method to install SuSE's Professional Edition directly from FTP servers. First, get the installation image: boot.iso (20MB), then boot from it and follow the instructions provided in this readme file." German and international mirrors. Here is the OSNews review of the 8.2 version.

Search Engine as OS

"If I asked you to name the internet's dominant operating system, you'd probably nominate Linux, Windows or possibly Solaris. My answer would be none of the above. Increasingly, our most value-adding interface layer is Google—and our industry's annals of operating system wars and browser wars are looking ever more like ancient history. It might seem odd to call a Web search engine an operating system, but look at the fundamentals." Read the story at eWeek by Peter Coffee.

ISV’s Test Drive IBM eServer Linux

Frank writes "IBM has a new eServer Linux Test Drive program. It enables ISV's the ability to test drive Linux on all IBM eServer platforms. It's no-charge access(14 to 30 days) to the eServer iSeries, pSeries, xSeries, or its mainframe zSeries. ISV's can choose Turbolinux, SuSE, or Red Hat to develop, port, and or test drive their solutions on IBM's eServers running IBM's middleware, and the e-business developers' toolkit based on Linux."

Windows Client Roadmap; Longhorn UI Videos, Shots; DVD Formats

Microsoft Corp. said it will act as a neutral arbiter in the ongoing battle between the competing recordable DVD standards, supporting all of them in the upcoming Longhorn release. Microsoft added support for DVD-R and DVD-RW into Longhorn, due in 2005. Longhorn already supports the DVD-RAM, DVD+RW and DVD+R formats. Also, here is a picture, showing the Windows Client roadmap: Windows XP Tablet PC Version 2 due 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition Version 2 due 2004. Beta 1 and Beta 2 of Longhorn due 2004. In the meantime, here are a few screenshots and videos of Longhorn.

SuSE 8.2 — Better than Mandrake for New Users?

"I have been using SuSE Linux 8.2 Professional for two weeks now, and it is as close to Linux desktop perfection as I have found so far. (I know I'm not the first to say this, but I figure saying it one more time can't hurt.) This doesn't mean it's totally perfect, and my experience is on one particular laptop and may not be duplicated on your hardware, but this is the first SuSE version I have actually liked -- and the first one I've kept on my "production" machine for any length of time." Read the review at NewsForge.

Use Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Architect Via Remote Display

Complete the sign-up form to experience Visual Studio .NET 2003 running on Windows Server 2003 in a completely hosted environment. No complex setup or installation needed. You will receive a three-hour trial to: Test drive and take a guided tour of Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Architect. Take a look at the new Windows Server 2003. Access 100+ code samples and other resources to quickly evaluate Visual Studio .NET.

Create a Window Manager Theme, Get a Free Tech Book

One old Sawfish theme I always admired is "Friday". I liked its concept of having its window manager buttons shaped after the purpose they served (the Min button was a triangle looking down, and the max button a triangle looking up). I modified the theme to my liking (undoubtly it could still be done better by a pro graphics person) and here is its mockup. Update: An alternative design, possibly much better.