Operating System Comparisons by ESR
Older document, but interesting read. ESR is comparing VMS, MacOS, OS/2, WinNT, BeOS & Linux.
Putting Microsoft Brand on a New Breed: Longhorn
"The new operating system is expected to be a key weapon in Microsoft's battle against low-cost software based on freely shared code. Although various versions of Windows run more than 90 percent of the world's computers, software developers are increasingly drawn to open-source software such as the Linux operating system". Read the article at SeattleTimes by Brier Dudley.
Gentoo Linux 1.4 RC-3 Released
Time to heat up those CPUs, Gentoo Linux 1.4_rc3 has been released. You can find LiveCDs, and stage tarballs at the Gentoo master mirror. At this time, the release includes basic x86 builds, PowerPC support for generic PowerPC, G3 and G4 systems, and Sparc and UltraSparc support.
Novell: Getting its Story Straight
"Nearly every IT director is familiar with Novell's NetWare operating system and its strong network directory. But despite a string of reorganizations and refocused marketing messages, Novell's fortunes remain tightly hewed to its base of NetWare customers, which has shrunk substantially at the expense of Windows. Chris Stone is out to change that. Stone rejoined Novell nearly one year ago as vice chairman after a three-year hiatus. His mission: explain how Novell's trove of slick networking technology solves thorny business problems, like security and identity management." Read the interview at C|Net News by Martin LaMonica.
Linux: Where The Anticipatory Scheduler Shines
Andrew Morton recently posted some interesting benchmarks comparing the current 2.4 IO scheduler, a "hacked" version of the deadline IO scheduler in 2.5.61, the CFQ scheduler, and the anticipatory scheduler. Offering a succinct "executive summary" of his results, Andrew said, "the anticipatory scheduler is wiping the others off the map, and 2.4 is a disaster." Indeed, in many of the tests the other IO schedulers were measured in minutes, whereas the anticipatory IO scheduler was measured in mere seconds. Read the report at KernelTrap by Jeremy Andrews.
A Strategic Comparison of Windows vs. Unix, Version 2.0
Murphy's October 2001 TCO analysis generated much reader comment. In this article, the first installment in a two-part series, he revisits the Linux-versus-Windows decision for the faculty of a small college or university.
The Creative Penguin: The GNOME Art Duo Speak
After spending time with Torsten Rahn and Everaldo Coelho earlier this year, we continue our Creative Penguin series in a discussion with Tuomas "Tigert" Kuosmanen and Jakub "Jimmac" Steiner of Ximian. If you've ever admired the beautiful artwork of GNOME, these are the gentlemen responsible for it. How did they get involved? Why should you be interested in desktop artwork? They now discuss all of this and more with Open for Business' Timothy R. Butler.
Before Linux Is on Every Desktop…
It's more likely to keep making greater strides in single-use areas, such as cash registers, than in consumers' PCs says BusinessWeek. However, the future of Linux probably rests with corporate IT departments says Will Harvie in his talks to Kiwi organisations about using open-source operating systems and software.
Media Gone Mad – “Windows XP Kills Dog, Steals Toaster”
Columnist Tim Mullen from SecurityFocus wrote an interesting editorial about how the media are overeacting on some thought exploits/holes found on Windows 2k/XP, while in his opinion, other platforms/apps are also as vulnerable but they don't get as agressive reporting: "This kind of thing damages overall security. It clouds the issue, and rains on the wrong parade. The media should give its readers all the information-- not slant it in an effort to make Microsoft look like the bad guy every time."
ThinkSecret: Apple Knew New 17″ PBs to be Months Late in January
Despite publicly saying that the top-line 17" PowerBook would be available in February, Apple executives privately told dealers in a meeting at Macworld Expo on January 8 not to expect the product until mid-March, if not later into April -- Apple's fiscal third-quarter. Customers only in the last 10 days are now being told the same information. In an official press release dated January 7, Apple clearly states, "The new 17-inch PowerBook G4 is expected to be available in February..." This is a blow to many customers who have ordered the 17" model 1,5 moths ago already, because the 17" is intended mostly as a desktop replacement, so it is kind of urgent for most customers to have it on time.
Linux Seen Grabbing 10% of Desktop OS Segment in India
"Linux, the cash-saving open source option to costly proprietary operating system (OS) such as Microsoft’s Windows operating system, is now seen to be gaining ground in the desktop market in India. Thus far, Linux has been a dominant force only in the worldwide server market and has grabbed impressive market share from Microsoft and Sun Microsystems." Read more at
Business Standard.
Microsoft Tunes P2P for Windows
"Microsoft introduced additions to Windows XP designed to make the operating system better tuned for peer-to-peer applications. The software giant on Wednesday unveiled a beta, or testing version, of the Windows XP Peer-to-Peer Software Development Kit. The programming tools are designed to let software providers or corporate developers more easily build peer-to-peer applications on top of Windows XP." Read more at ZDNet.
Maker of Lindows Laughs at Face of Danger (and Microsoft)
"Michael Robertson has a software glitch in his belfry. He's a crazy man. Certifiable. And God bless him for it. Maybe he'll finally give the technology industry some spine when it comes to going up against Microsoft. That, or he is tech's Chuck "The Bayonne Bleeder" Wepner, about to get turned into goulash by the Muhammad Ali of software. Either way, this bout should be entertaining." Read the article at USA Today, by Kevin Maney.
How Linux Could Trump Unix
"Our CEO has said that the path to Redmond is through Mountain View," Red Hat's Mark de Visser said. "We focus on Unix now, and once we gain the upper hand... we believe we can ultimately displace Microsoft, even on the desktop." Can Linux replace Unix? This question would have seemed ridiculous just a few years ago, even as Linux vendor Red Hat's stock shot toward the stratosphere. Read the article at NewsFactor by Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier.
An Open-Source Opening for Apple
With Microsoft buying Virtual PC, which lets Macs run Windows wares, Apple's independence may well rest with programs such as Bochs. Read the article at BusinessWeek. OSCast has a similar editorial as well, in Mpeg4 audio format.
Announcing the Launch of “New Mobile Computing”
We are pleased the announce the birth of a new addition to the family: New Mobile Computing, a daily news site dedicated to examining the leading edge of technology that you carry around with you. If there are OSNews readers who are interested in this topic, pay us a visit. We need lots of help with news submissions, commentary, and giving the mobile computing forums a jump-start. We are also looking for volunteer editors. If you'd like to help, pay the site a visit, or email the NMC staff.
Sun Executive Details New Utility-Based Pricing Model For Solaris
Sun Microsystems' software chief on Tuesday unveiled details of Project Orion, the company's utility-based pricing model for its Solaris operating system. Slated for rollout in June, Orion will build all of Sun's software into the Solaris OS and offer a yearly subscription for Solaris, Jonathan Schwartz, Sun's executive vice president of software, said at the vendor's Worldwide Analyst Conference.
XFCE 4.0 a Step Closer to Final Release
The popular X11 desktop environment XFCE, which originally created to offer a free CDE-like DE for Unix/Linux, is closer on releasing the next big version, 4.0. XFce 4 has a radically different architecture from XFce 3. It embodies the traditional UNIX philosophy of modularity and re-usability. All of XFce 4's core components have been written from scratch in order to fit into the new architecture. Another priority of XFce 4 is adhereance to standards, specifically those defined at freedesktop.org (new screenshots, the first one in that list is the newest and most relevant one, showing the components of the DE). You can visit the CVS, or you can download a daily CVS snapshot and compile it. XFce 4 is under active development and should be considered alpha quality.
Vector Linux SOHO 3.0-beta1 Available
The first beta version of Vector Linux SOHO 3.0 is now available for download. Some quick features: vlautosetup tool has been integrated to the install routine so all hardware can be configured, namely the mouse, the network card, XFree86 4.2.1, cdroms, and sound are automatically setup and ready to be used upon first boot. KDE 3.1, IceWM, and XFCE are the available window managers/Desktops and OpenOffice.org 1.0.2 Koffice 1.2.1 are included. Screenshots here.
‘It’s the PCs that got small’: SGI Wants Another Shot at Showbiz
"A long time ago, in an economy far, far away, computer manufacturer Silicon Graphics Inc. was a powerful force.
Hollywood studios courted its executives. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the company's colorful and whimsically named machines - "Indigo," "Crimson" and "Onyx," among others. Not anymore. Consumed by its own ambition and wounded by the surging popularity of the free Linux operating system, SGI has lost its star power in Hollywood." Read the article at NewsObserver by P.J. Huffstutter.