OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

IBM Mulls Linux For Its PCs

Adam Scheinberg 2002-12-28 IBM 96 Comments

dabooty writes "International Business Machines (IBM) may soon start packing its PCs with the open-source Linux operating system (OS). IBM’s Linux initiative has so far been limited to its servers and workstations. Read it at Financial Express." Yes, we all know Linux isn't an OS - but a better comment would be 'Is this Yet Another Linux Distribution or the sound of the the first stone of the Microsoft empire crumbling?'

PHP 4.3 Released

Adam Scheinberg 2002-12-27 Internet 41 Comments

A new version of popular server-side scripting lanaguage PHP was released today. Stephen Smith writes "PHP 4.3 includes bug fixes from PHP 4.2.3, as well as enhanced command line mode for non-web scripting, a better GD library, and more." Changelog can be found at php.net.

The Comeback of a Classic OS

Submitted by George N 2002-12-27 Haiku 128 Comments

Nowadays, all you hear about is Windows, MacOS X, or GNU/Linux. However, what ever happened to the good old BeOS?

Creating a .NET Client that Uses DB2 DADX Web Services

Guest post by Kevin Adams 2002-12-26 .NET 20 Comments

Shell writers: "IBM recently shipped an enhancement to the DB2 Web services object runtime framework (WORF) to enable interoperability with .NET. This article showns you how to create a .NET C# client to consume a DB2 DADX Web service. The latest WORF improves the interoperability between DB2 DADX Web services and the Microsoft .NET platform."

A Lesson in Cyber-Security

Guest post by Kevin Adams 2002-12-26 Privacy, Security 22 Comments

"Reid Ellison is a 15-year-old high school hacker who, for a time, had complete control over his school's computer system. A hack attack from a smart kid is just about any school's worst nightmare. But Ellison got a pat on the back for his exploits, rather than a slap on the wrist. This is actually a good news story about a kid who used his hacking talents for good rather than evil." Read the full story at ABC News.

The Humane Environment

Guest post by Kevin Adams 2002-12-26 macOS 53 Comments

Pahtz writes: "A very alpha release of The Humane Environment (THE) for MacOS was made on Christmas Eve. Jef Raskin, creator Apple's Macintosh, and author of the book "The Humane Interface", is the leader of the open-source THE Development Team."

Bridging Unix And Windows At NASA

Eugenia Loli 2002-12-25 Rumors 75 Comments

A clash among engineers who want to use Unix apps and bureaucratic dictates that they use Windows is resolved.

Mandrake 9.0 & Xoops Revisited

Eugenia Loli 2002-12-24 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 32 Comments

Although Mandrake 9.0 is a breeze to install, there are a few important things that Debian does better. Nicholas Petreley lists the pros and cons of Mandrake when compared to Debian and sets the record straight about his first Xoops column and his opinion of Britney Spears.

Porting to Mac OS X from Windows Win32 API

Eugenia Loli 2002-12-24 macOS 16 Comments

Apple provides many programming resources for creating MacOSX applications, and which one you choose depends upon your needs, preferences, and constraints. If you are unfamiliar with the MacOSX platform, the process of choosing the right approach can be time-consuming and confusing. The purpose of this Guide is to get you started porting an existing procedural Win32 application written in C or C++ to MacOSX.

Judge Orders MS to Carry Java

Guest post by Mike Bouma 2002-12-24 Legal 186 Comments

The order to carry Java with Windows will remain in force pending the final outcome of Sun Microsystem's antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft. According to Sun, Microsoft tried to marginalise Java by unfair usage of its software monopoly position, making Windows incompatible with its platform independent programming language. More info at CBSNews.com and CNET News.com.

Red Hat Linux Offers 8.1 Beta “Phoebe”

Adam Scheinberg 2002-12-23 Red Hat 71 Comments

dave_sn alerted us to the news first reported by Distrowatch, "Just in time to interfere with our last-minute Christmas shopping - an unexpected new beta release from Red Hat, code-named "Phoebe" and numbered as 8.0.92 has hit the mirrors." Release notes can be found here.

Sendo Sues Microsoft for Alleged Attempt of Theft

Guest post by Mike Bouma 2002-12-23 Wireless 42 Comments

CNET News.com reports: "Mobile phone maker Sendo has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, alleging the attempted theft of technical expertise and proprietary technology, adding to the intrigue surrounding its recently terminated relationship with the software giant." Last month Sendo announced that the company decided to license Nokia's Symbian based Series 60 Platform for future Sendo smartphones instead of Microsoft's software. Update: Reuters.co.uk has some more information.

Syllable’s Project Leader, Vanders, Shapes the Future

Eugenia Loli 2002-12-23 Syllable, AtheOS 27 Comments

"I have a vision of an application which provides me with an idea of the sort of features I would like Syllable to have. Its time I wrote it down so that you can all see where I'm going with Syllable. If I compare my fantasy application with the current abilities of Syllable, then it gives me a set of features which we still need to implement, so it sort of serves as a roadmap and a high level design all in one." Read the article at Syllable's web site.

PostgreSQL 7.3.1 Released

Eugenia Loli 2002-12-23 Databases 3 Comments

The major PostgreSQL news this week is the upcoming release of 7.3.1, which will provide some fixes for early adopters of 7.3. In other SQL news, the Firebird team is pleased to announce the release of the Firebird v1.0.2 update for Win32 and Linux.

My Take on Knoppix Linux

Guest post by Stan Brone 2002-12-23 Linux 49 Comments

Have you ever been in situations which made you think "I wish I had Linux running right now", or are you a person who just would like to try Linux quickly? Knoppix Linux might just be your thing!

34 Papers on Real-time Linux

Eugenia Loli 2002-12-23 Linux No Comments

LinuxDevices.com is pleased to publish the proceedings from the Fourth Real-Time Linux Workshop held December 6-7, 2002 in Boston, MA at the Computer Science Department, Boston University. The conference was organized by the Real-Time Linux Foundation.

Whither the BeOS?

Adam Scheinberg 2002-12-23 Haiku 38 Comments

In an article for OSOpinion, Mike Berman has a thing or two to say about the past, present, and future of the BeOS. Although he makes some acute observations in an effort to generate discussion, he doesn't mention any of the developing BeOS replacements, Zeta, OpenBeOS, or BlueEyedOS. Read the article here.