OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Thoughts on Mac OS X 10.3: Counting the Bits of a Panther

Guest post by Jeremy T. Fox 2003-07-11 macOS 152 Comments

A recent article by Tony Smith from The Register titled "Mac OS X 10.3 Panther will not be a 64-bit OS" caused a good deal of confusion with many people, including me. It is also caused a heated argument here on OSNews. The basic point of the article is that Mac OS 10.2.7 and 10.3 are not "true" 64-bit OSes, but the article does not clearly explain what a "true" 64-bit OS is. This had led to a lot of claims that the article is false or misinformed, rather than just unclear, which is certainly is.

Importing Data into MySQL

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-11 Databases 10 Comments

In this third installment of Russell's MySQL series, he introduces some methods and tools for bulk importing of data into MySQL. This isn't an overly difficult task, but processing large amounts of data can be intimidating for newcomers, and as a result it can be a barrier to getting started with MySQL.

GNOME 2.2.2 Released

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-11 Gnome 28 Comments

The GNOME Project announced the availability of the GNOME 2.2.2 Desktop and Developer Platform. The 2.2.x series is devoted to bugfixes, translations, and general polish of our major 2.2 stable release. The project strongly recommends upgrading to 2.2.2, as it contains large amounts of improvements.

Sun Expands UNIX Deal with SCO

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-10 Oracle and SUN 83 Comments

A previously secret licensee of SCO Group's Unix intellectual property has revealed its identity: UNIX leader Sun Microsystems. Sun, the No. 1 seller of UNIX servers, licenses broader rights to Unix and gets the option to buy a stake in the company that owns those rights.

ReactOS 0.1.2 Released

Submitted by Jason Filby 2003-07-10 ReactOS 21 Comments

ReactOS 0.1.2 has been released and features many improvements. Basic Java (console and AWT)/Mono (console) apps can run, several 3rd party video drivers for Windows NT 4 can be loaded - and there are many other improvements.

Netcraft: Top Five Reliable/Speedy ISPs Are Running FreeBSD

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-10 FreeBSD 33 Comments

TheAge reports: The Top five of the top 10 hosting providers for the month of June, measured in terms of those whose sites experienced the fewest failed requests and provided the fastest connection times, are all running the FreeBSD operating system, data from Netcraft shows.

Microsoft Unveils New Speech Software; Why IT Still Matters

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-10 Microsoft 9 Comments

Microsoft released a test version of its new speech-recognition server software, hoping to stake a claim in the market for companies wanting to automate customer service and other functions. Elsewhere, Wading into a debate triggered by a recent Harvard Business Review article, Microsoft's Paul Flessner says the proffered policy prescription won't cure what's really ailing the computer industry.

Inside Panther: A look at the Finder and System, Part III

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-10 macOS 28 Comments

This is the third installment of ThinkSecret's "Inside Panther" series, covering Mac OS X Version 10.3. Elsewhere, TheAge has a Panther article too, titled "Panther makes things purr".

Lindows Offers Easier-to-Install Linux

Submitted by tooaru 2003-07-10 Linspire 52 Comments

Lindows.com, which tries to make the Linux operating system more consumer-friendly, has introduced a version of the OS that runs directly from a CD-ROM, for $30 USD.

Python: Using Combinatorial Functions in the Itertools Module

Submitted by Shellie 2003-07-10 General Development 23 Comments

This article explores the new Python 2.3 itertools module, and gives you a sense of the new expressive power available with combinatorial iterators and how iterators -- conceived as lazy sequences -- are a powerful concept that opens new styles of Python programming.

Chip Details Leak Out of Intel; 3.6 GHz Early Next Year

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-10 Intel 89 Comments

Prescott, the next big desktop chip from Intel, is slated to come out at 3.4GHz, while Dothan, an energy-efficient chip for slim notebooks, will have a server-size cache and is expected to debut at 1.8GHz, according to computer industry sources. Read the report at C|Net News.com.

Analysis: x86 Vs PPC

Guest post by Nicholas Blachford 2003-07-09 Rumors 221 Comments

This article started life when I was asked to write a comparison of x86 and PowerPC CPUs for work. We produce PowerPC based systems and are often asked why we use PowerPC CPUs instead of x86 so a comparison is rather useful. While I have had an interest in CPUs for quite some time but I have never explored this issue in any detail so writing the document proved an interesting exercise. I thought my conclusions would be of interest to OSNews readers so I've done more research and written this new, rather more detailed article. This article is concerned with the technical differences between the families not the market differences.

A Linux Mystery: Configuring for Virtual Processors

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-09 Linux 10 Comments

Until Red Hat's improvements make it into the Linux kernel, sysadmins are going to have to decide whether hyperthreading benefits their user setups. That may be a hassle, but it beats taking a performance hit from a feature that is supposed to do just the opposite. Read the article at NewsFactor.

Responses to RISC OS buyout

Submitted by Anonymous 2003-07-09 RISC OS 11 Comments

The Icon Bar currently has a few responses to the recent buyout of RISC OS from Pace by Castle Tech.

SuSE Linux: Standard Server 8 to Ship in September

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-09 SuSE, openSUSE 14 Comments

SuSE Linux plans to start shipping its Linux-based Standard Server 8 software worldwide in September. Beta version will be available next week.

Videos About MorphOS Available for Download

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-09 Morphos 33 Comments

Magnetic Systems put together seven MorphOS-related mpeg videos, included two MorphOS-specific ones and a Mac-On-Linux one.

OpenOffice.org Ported to SGI IRIX

Submitted by Victor A. Riley 2003-07-09 SGI and IRIX 29 Comments

SGI recently completed its port of OpenOffice.org 1.0.3.1 to IRIX. It's available in tarball format here or with IRIX desktop integration and in inst format here.

Interview with Christophe de Dinechin, HP-UX Engineer

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-08 Original OSNews Interviews 40 Comments

Today we host an interview with Christophe de Dinechin, Software Architect in HP-UX (Software business unit, Infrastructure Solutions). Most of you already know HP-UX, the leading "traditional" UNIX today feature-wise (second only to Solaris in Unix market-share, mostly competing with AIX). With Christophe we discuss HP-UX's competition, the other... 5 OSes HP supports with its various products, the Itanium platform and more.

Microsoft Girds Public Sector Unit to Combat Linux

Eugenia Loli 2003-07-08 Microsoft 18 Comments

Redmond is making waves with plans to take on Linux in government and education even as it beats the drum for new .Net conquests. It's also shaking up its own incentive program with a scheme that replaces options with shares.

HP Announces OpenVMS Evaluation Release Version 8.0 for Itanium

Submitted by Sagres 2003-07-08 OS News 26 Comments

HP announced the evaluation release of OpenVMS version 8.0 for Itanium-based HP Integrity servers. This release is for selected ISVs including BEA, Cerner, Computer Associates, Brooks Automation, Attunity, Synergex, Legato and TECSys. These partners have begun porting their applications to the OpenVMS Industry Standard 64 (OpenVMS I64) operating system, utilizing the HP rx2600 server. In addition, HP partners have committed porting over 450 applications to this new version to date.