Journaling Filesystems for Linux

"This sample chapter from 'Linux Filesystems' begins by providing a detailed overview of how Linux identifies filesystems, verifies that they are usable, and makes them available to users. The remainder of the chapter explains the differences between journaling and non-journaling local filesystems, shows how journaling filesystems track filesystem changes, and highlights the major reasons why these types of filesystems are becoming more common on today's computer systems." The Part I, available at InformIT (free reg. req'd). "How is data storage organized and allocated on Linux and Unix systems? This article discusses the basics of Linux and Unix filesystem organization, highlighting some of the more modern approaches used to improve performance, deal with larger files, and solve other problems." Part II. "Minimizing system restart time is the primary advantage of using a journaling filesystem, but there are many others. As "newer" filesystems, journaling filesystems can take advantage of newer techniques for enhancing filesystem performance." PartIII.

Xserve Outside the Reality Distortion Field

The release of Apple's latest hardware offerings this month has caused quite a stir among Apple loyalists. This is only Apple's second foray into creating a truly dedicated server machine, the first of which being the "Network Server 500/700", which Apple sold in 1995 running AIX. The question on everyone's mind now is going to be what this means for Apple's prospects as a server platform. Certainly everyone agrees that the new machine looks nice, but how will it on the duties it will be required to perform. Furthermore, what kind of price/performance ratio is Apple offering when compared to the current group of servers.

GNOME 2.0 Desktop Beta 5 Released

"The GNOME 2.0 Desktop Beta 5 release, "Reciprocity", is ready for your bug-busting and testing pleasure! It is now available for immediate download. The GNOME 2.0 Desktop is a greatly improved user environment for existing GNOME applications. Enhancements include anti-aliased text and first class internationalisation support, new accessibility features for disabled users, and many improvements throughout GNOME's highly regarded user interface." Read more at LinuxToday.

A Line on Linux

"Far from bringing openness and cooperation to the world of IT, Linux enthusiasts want to keep it as closed as possible - while collecting lavish praise from half-baked anti-capitalists - so they can carry on feeling self-important. After all, if these geeks could write real software, they'd be working for a proper company. Like Microsoft." Read the editorial at Spiked. IMNSHO: Some of the author's points are valid. But for the most part, speaking as a woman to woman, she just needs a good spanking.

Develop Your Own Robotic Applications for the Real World

"As children, many of us watched TV shows like The Jetsons and dreamed about the day we might have our own robot maids, mechanics, and assistants. Evolution Robotics says it's making this happen. The Pasadena, Calif., company has released an operating system designed for the personal-robotics industry and says it hopes to do for that industry what Windows did for the PC. The Evolution Robotics Software Platform contains everything a company needs to develop and program robots, says Jennifer McNally, the company's senior director of marketing. It consists of a robot-control architecture, core software modules, and a set of developer's tools, she says." Read the story at InformationWeek.

Lycoris Desktop/LX Update 2 on the Way

The Lycoris Development Team is hard at work finishing Desktop/LX Update 2, a very exciting enhancement to the popular desktop operating system. Included, is a new Desktop/LX Control Center that makes it easier to accomplish configuration tasks in a simple, plain language way (screenshot). A new Desktop/LX Software Wizard allows you to install software from local media or right from the Internet using Iris, the Internet Rapid Installer for Software (IRIS). Lycoris also put work into the Desktop/LX Installer and some cosmetic changes are readily apparent (screenshot). "Fry's Electronics will be carrying Desktop/LX on the west coast. More to follow for sure. We are hard at work finishing Update 2 and dealing with our explosive growth." Jason Spisak of Lycoris told OSNews.

Sun to Include Solaris API’s in Linux

In an article posted at C|Net News.com sun has announced their intentions of expanding linux with Solaris features (and continuing to expand Solaris with Linux features) to make the two "similar". Perhaps this is seriously the next step in the Intel Unix market for Sun, if they have, in the end, chosen to do without Solaris/x86. In other news, according to the article, Solaris 9 will be released May 22nd.

Kode KDE Kindly, Kan You?

"There are many toolkits to choose from for building Linux desktop applications. Some say this is Linux's downfall; others say it is its greatest feature. I'll stand somewhere in the middle and say choice is good if you choose what meets your needs. Most graphical user interfaces (GUIs) on Linux are based on X, a client/server architecture that allows for networked computers to share GUI applications." LinuxJournal has the tutorial.