Mandrake, SuSE Lift Linux
eWEEK Labs tested two such well-crafted Linux distributions: SuSE Inc.'s SuSE Linux 8.2 and MandrakeSoft S.A.'s Mandrake Linux 9.1. These distributions would be as good as Mac OS X as alternatives to Windows.
Review at IMAFish: SuSE Linux 8.2
"I have read quite a few reviews on SuSEs latest product with different people giving their opinions so here are mine. SuSE in my opinion has made the biggest improvements to its distribution in recent years but will SuSE Linux 8.2 carry on with this trend or not?" Read the article at IMAFish.
Multitasking on Tap for Palm OS
The next version of PalmSource Inc.'s handheld operating system will support true multitasking, bringing Palm OS 6.0 up to the level of its competitors and delighting developers who had been expecting it in the previous version.
x86 Opendarwin Box Available Online for Developers
For software developers who wish to test/port applications to Darwin, a new box running x86 Darwin has been made available by the Opendarwin project.
Understanding Mac OS X: In Depth
There are multiple ways to look at Mac OS X and take it apart. Each way makes its own contribution to your understanding of the OS. In this long and interesting sample chapter of the "Mac OS X Disaster Relief" (updated edition) book, Ted Landau looks at the major ways to "take apart" Mac OS X.
Apple Wins Big with iTunes
"It's too bad 97 percent of you will have to wait until the end of the year to check out Apple's new iTunes Music Store. It flat out rocks!" Read the article at KnoxNews.
The Spirit of Unix
"Several readers took me to task for referring to Linux, BSD, and OS X as Unix. Lighten up, folks -- I'm on your side. No one feels more protective of Unix's heritage than I. Unix has a rich legacy that deserves to be preserved and accurately conveyed to new generations of computer scientists. It rattles many of us to see that the operating systems that best exemplify Unix traditions today aren't Unix at all." Read the editorial at InfoWorld by Tom Yager.
Lots of Interest Reported for New Amiga Solutions in Italy & Germany
Quantum Leap has written a small report regarding VirtualWorks and Soft3's presence at the Italian Webb.it show. The report includes some pictures of the AmigaOne and AmigaOS4 modules running with classic hardware. A lot of Amiga interest in Italy is being reported and PPCNUX.de recently reported that the AmigaOne is selling very well in Germany. And this week’s Q&A session with Amiga’s CTO covers various topics at the AmigaWorld community portal.
FreeBSD 5.1 Beta Available
Mono+Ikvm Runs Eclipse
From the Mono homepage: "Today Zoltan Varga announced that he got the Eclipse IDE running on top of Mono+IKVM. A screenshot of Eclipse running with Mono can be found here".
Apple’s First Unix, A/UX
Old article, but nevertheless, interesting retro reading for the weekend. The first Unix from Apple, A/UX.
Editorial: Company or community?
"I was all set to run a column this week about the deplorable lack of even marginally acceptable word processors for Linux -- I even had it all written -- when along came TextMaker and blew that plan out of the water. (I still like the product, even though it has now made more work for me.) But the newfound existence of TextMaker suggests another, similar but broader, question: Why can't the community write something that good?" Read the editorial at LinuxAndMain by Dennis E. Powell.
MySQL Creator Contemplates RAM-only Databases
"When will RAM prices make disk drives obsolete for database developers? I first came across this question when talking with Michael "Monty" Widenius, one of the visonaries behind the MySQL database. For some applications, running entirely in RAM is not news at all. One major platform, the Palm Pilot, relies entirely on battery-powered RAM. Disks are used only occassionally for remote backups." Read the article at DevChannel by Peter Wayner.
GNOME Development Series Snapshot 2.3.1
The GNOME Development Series Snapshot 2.3.1 "Daddy Walrus", is available for immediate download on ftp.gnome.org and mirrors. Full details and changelog here.
Introduction and Longhorn Overview
NeoWin features an article, an introduction and overview of the Longhorn OS.
Palm OS 6: the Evolution
PalmSource said this week that Palm OS 6.0 is expected by the end of the year with products shipping as early as 2004. "OS 6 is the evolutionary path to the future," PalmSouce CEO David Nagel said.
Unix Reclaims Server Speed Crown
Just weeks after a Windows server took top spot in a key speed test for the first time, a new IBM computer has won the crown back for Unix.
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.
Win4Lin 5.0 Out Soon
NeTraverse informed us that they will be releasing Win4Lin 5.0 later this month. New features include: