OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Apple, IBM Team on 64-Bit CPU

Submitted by david choi 2002-09-19 Apple 80 Comments

"Apple Computer is looking toward a 64-bit future for the Mac -- courtesy of PowerPC partner IBM. According to sources, IBM Microelectronics, a division of IBM, is working with Apple on a 64-bit PowerPC processor for use in the latter's high-end desktops and servers. Sources said Apple is testing the CPU, dubbed the GigaProcessor Ultralite (GPUL) on Mac OS X-based hardware at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, and making sure that the processor complies with a new bus architecture on tap for future Macs. In addition, IBM plans to offer the processor as the centerpiece of future Linux-based systems, the sources said." Read the interesting article at eWeek. Also from eWeek recently, they reported that Apple is backporting to the x86 as a fallback plan.

Press Responds in the Idea of Linux on the Desktop

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-19 Linux 33 Comments

The first article from ZDNet.co.uk is titled "Red Hat broadens desktop push". ITDirectory holds an article titled "Is Linux Coming to a Desktop Near You?", while TheAge discusses Red Hat's decision to unify the two major desktop environments, with an article titled "Unified Linux desktop: good, bad or ugly?".

UnitedLinux: New Leadership, Open Beta and GPL Headaches

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-19 Linux 7 Comments

On September 18th, UnitedLinux, the consortium of Conectiva, The SCO Group (formerly Caldera), SuSE, and Turbolinux, announced that Paula Hunter, an "experienced technology executive and consortium leader," would be its worldwide general manager. The beta will be available on September 23rd, but not from the UnitedLinux site. Users, who want to give it a test drive, should go to one of the partners' sites to download copies of the binaries, ISO images or source code. Gregory said that the open beta would satisfy the needs of both the UnitedLinux industry partners and the open source community." In the meantime, the FSF sent an open letter to UnitedLinux, regarding the GPL violations that might be already in place or to be introduced by its license scheme.

The Two Schools of Linux

Adam Scheinberg 2002-09-18 Editorial 79 Comments

There's so much going through my head right now, my first article since a fairly controversial article I wrote that got emotional for many on this website as well as many others. One thing is for sure: many have gotten a crash course on some things perceived as "wrong with Linux" and what is collectively agreed is right.

MacOSX 10.2.1 Now Available

Submitted by Prognathus and Sebastian 2002-09-18 macOS 33 Comments

The MacOSX 10.2.1 Update (via OSX's Software Update) delivers enhancements and improvements to the following applications, technologies and components: Mail, Image Capture, Help Viewer, graphics, printing, networking, Rendezvous, Kerberos, USB, FireWire, SCSI device compatibility and includes additional Digital Hub peripheral device support. Also, iTunes 3.0.1 was released today, while in related news, here is a review of MacOSX 10.2 along with the availability of the high end PowerMac.

Mandrake 9.0 RC-3 Released

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-18 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 39 Comments

Get Mandrake 9.0 RC-3, the last beta before the final version, and report bugs back to Mandrake. For screenshots of the new RC-3 Mandrake, check here and here (thanks goes to Gaël Duval from MandrakeSoft for sending us the screenshots). Update: Here is a third shot too.

Lindows 2.0 Released to Insiders

Adam Scheinberg 2002-09-18 Linspire 35 Comments

Lindows.com, Inc., maker of the low-cost, Linux-based operating system LindowsOS , announced today the release of LindowsOS 2.0 available now to Lindows.com Insiders. Michael Robertson also writes about it in his column. LindowOS 2.0 uses the Keramik KDE theme (and possibly KDE 3.x), and it includes many new tools like wireless configuration, laptop support, printer network scanning and more.

New SuSE Linux 8.1 Available on October 7th; Drops StarOffice

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-18 SuSE, openSUSE 17 Comments

Today, SuSE Linux has announced the availability of the latest version of SuSE Linux for October 7th. Blending operating system and applications, SuSE's system assistant, YaST2 (Yet another Setup Tool), is the core element and administration center of this comprehensive package for first-time and experienced Linux users. Read the whole press release explaining all the new features. Also, SuSE Linux is the latest vendor to drop Sun Microsystems Inc.'s branded StarOffice 6.0 desktop productivity suite in favor of the free OpenOffice alternative. SuSE on Tuesday confirmed to eWEEK that it had decided not to include StarOffice 6.0 in SuSE Linux 8.1.

Sun to Develop Low-Cost Linux PC

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-18 Oracle and SUN 30 Comments

Sun on Wednesday will announce plans for inexpensive desktop computers based on the free Linux operating system in a bid to undermine archrival Microsoft (related article at NYTimes). The OS is based on Red Hat Linux, but with many touches by Sun. Red Hat's version 8 adds a "personal desktop" option that will "create a system ideal for home or desktop use," according to the software maker.

Allchin’s Eye on Longhorn

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-18 Windows 21 Comments

As Microsoft Corp. prepares to unleash new software over the next year, including the Windows .Net Server 2003 family, the next version of its Office productivity suite and three server infrastructure applications, Jim Allchin, group vice president for platforms at the Redmond, Wash., company, sat down with eWeek Senior Editor Peter Galli in San Jose, Calif., to discuss this next round of software releases.

EXCLUSIVE: Xandros Beta 3 Preview

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-18 Oracle and SUN 105 Comments

These days, the big players in the Linux "purely-desktop market" are Lycoris, Lindows, ELX and the much awaited Xandros Desktop 1.0. OSNews got their hands to the latest version of Xandros (beta3b) and we are giving it a whirl. Read more for information and screenshots.

I Hate Windows – I am Afraid of Linux

Guest post by Robert Gering 2002-09-17 Editorial 143 Comments

First, a little background. I am a Windows user who has been using Windows since 3.1. I am not a programmer or a developer, I am a user. I process photos, use the internet, e-mail, write letters, play the ever important games and even use it to develop my comic strips. I am not computer illiterate and I use my computer with confidence and skill. Now with that said. I hate Windows.

Linus Merges XFS on Kernel 2.5.36

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-17 General Development 14 Comments

From LWN: "Linus has just merged the XFS filesystem into his BitKeeper tree; it will thus show up in the 2.5.36 kernel. XFS is a high-performance, journaling filesystem from SGI; it now becomes the fourth journaling filesystem (alongside ext3, ReiserFS, and JFS) supported by the Linux kernel. (Other stuff which has been merged, so far, for 2.5.36 includes an IEEE-1394 ("Firewire") update, the next big set of IDE patches, the "huge page" patch for i386 systems, and a number of other tweaks)."

Sun to Shed Light on Desktop Linux Plans

Eugenia Loli 2002-09-17 Oracle and SUN 15 Comments

"Sun is expected to unveil a Frankenstein-like desktop Linux strategy this week, combining various software elements developed in-house or by open-source community projects and third-party vendors. Sun's desktop Linux play, which will be spelled out Wednesday at the start of its SunNetwork conference here, marks another shift for the Santa Clara, Calif., company as its battles industry leader Microsoft for the hearts and minds of corporate users." Read the rest of the article at InfoWorld.

alphaWorks releases PortingManager tool for Linux

Submitted by Sam 2002-09-17 IBM 1 Comment

PortingManager is a free tool that provides assistance when porting C and C++ Solaris applications to zSeries Linux. PortingManager scans a source code tree, looks for Solaris APIs, flags them, and provides documentation that is useful when porting the API from a Solaris-specific function call to an equivalent Linux function call.

Amiga for Everyone

Guest post by Mike Bouma 2002-09-17 Amiga & AROS 10 Comments

In a new Amiga editorial for Suite101, John Chandler focusses on the Amiga solutions already available and what we can soon expect from Amiga Inc. Among this are AmigaDE enabled Zaurus PDAs and smartphones, AA availability in mainstream European shops and AmigaOS 4.0 scheduled for a pre-Christmas launch.

HP, Intel, and Red Hat Launch “Advanced Workstation”

David Adams 2002-09-17 Red Hat 6 Comments

Hewlett Packard has begun to sell Intel Itanium 2-based workstations running Red Hat Linux Advanced Workstation. Advanced Workstation is the desktop companion to Red Hat's Enterprise-oriented Advanced Server. HP also sells versions of these workstations running HP-UX, and will probably sell Windows versions eventually, following a future OS release my Microsoft. This is yet more evidence that Red Hat sees some opportunity for Linux on the corporate desktop, at least in the engineering workstation area, where high-priced Unix workstations have traditionally ruled but have been pushed out by NT/2000-on-Intel in recent years. Read more about it at Silicon.com.