OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Mandrake Linux 8.2 for PPC Beta 2 Available

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-28 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 2 Comments

"In a long awaited move, a beta version of the 8.2/PPC has joined the i586 version of the upcoming Mandrake Linux 8.2 distribution. This beta has a bit different schedule from the i586 version, but it should be roughly equivalent to beta2, with a few bug-fixes, and some PPC-specific features." Read about the new PPC features at Linux Mandrake. In related PPC news, Yellow Dog Linux 2.2 is now available for purchase.

Does Open Source Software Really Work?

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-28 Open Source 64 Comments

"Sheila Harnett, an engineer at IBM's Linux Tech Center, told NewsFactor that what holds Linux back the most is the scalability issue. In the ongoing debate between open source advocates and proprietary software makers and users, it turns out that -- to at least some extent -- both sides are right: Open source does work, but only in some cases. With respect to enterprise computing, analysts agree that for smaller projects that do not involve mission-critical elements, there is room for open source software, such as Linux." Read the rest of the article at OSOpinion.

Office Suite Review Galore

Adam Scheinberg 2002-03-28 Office 3 Comments

For those of us who still mourn the BeOS, watching gobe software expand is like watching a little brother grow up; we're all rooting for them. That's why it's that much more exciting to see reviews like the one at arstechnica.com that gives gobeProductive 3.03 a solid 8/10 score, with the author commenting "I encourage everyone to pick up a copy." Read the rest of the review at ArsTechnica.com. NewsForge reviews OpenOffice 6.0 while they also report on a new crossover plugin for Linux which allows Microsoft Office to run under Linux.

Palm, Handspring Doomed by Wireless?

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-28 Wireless 8 Comments

"Palm may be on the way back to profitability, but it has serious challenges ahead as wireless convergence looms, according to a new report. In the report, Strategic Challenges In The Future Market For Handheld Devices, Denmark-based analyst firm Strand Consult predicts that Palm and Handspring will be crushed between the financial clout of Microsoft and the entrenched distribution networks of mobile phone manufacturers, once the focus in the PDA market shifts to wireless-enabled devices." Read the rest of the story at ZDNews.

Java Antipatterns – A Taste of “Bitter Java”

Submitted by Jeff 2002-03-28 Java No Comments

In this developerWorks article, antipatterns expert and author of Bitter Java, Bruce Tate, demonstrates how and why antipatterns are a necessary and complementary companion to design patterns. Antipatterns describe a commonly occurring solution to a problem that generates decidedly negative consequences. In another new developerWorks article over at IBM, the second of two comparing SSH, remote X, VNC, and other technologies as ways of remotely running applications. In this part, David takes a look at some VNC configuration issues, glances at IBM's Desktop On-Call, introduces remote X, and talks a bit about security.

Amiga Status Announcement

Guest post by Mike Bouma 2002-03-27 Amiga & AROS 32 Comments

In Amiga's latest executive update, Amiga Inc's CEO concentrates on the development of the AmigaOS4 desktop operating system. Initially the new PPC based AmigaOS is being targeted at Eyetech's new AmigaOne ATX motherboard (an A1200/PCI bridge will become available later on, which will allow AGA chipset compatibility, but this is not needed if you don`t want it), bplan's new multi-processor supporting PEGASOS microATX motherboard, Elbox' new G3/G4 Accelerator cards and even old Cyberstorm/Blizzard PPC accelerators for classic Amigas. Merlancia Industries, with legend Amiga hardware designer Dave Haynie as their CTO are even developing new PPC laptops. New PPC native versions of popular Amiga software including MUI and IBrowse are under development, as announced in this executive update.

Microsoft Releases Shared Source CLI and C# for XP & FreeBSD

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-27 .NET 31 Comments

"Availability of Over 1 Million Lines of Source Code for FreeBSD and Windows Underscores Microsoft’s Commitment to Open Standards, Academia and Developers," the press release reads. Microsoft today announced the availability of source code for its Shared Source CLI implementation. The Shared Source CLI source code implements the ECMA Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) and C# standards.

Java: Sun Stirs it up While Seeks Common Ground With IBM

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-27 Java 1 Comment

Many articles regarding Java on ZDNews today. "As Sun enters its 20th year, the Silicon Valley stalwart is trying to redefine Java's place in high-tech history--and finally make its prized technology pay off in a major way. Plus, keep track of the annual JavaOne conference to see Sun's determination to change its fortunes." and IBM and Sun seek common ground: "Rival open-source efforts to simplify development of Java software are inching closer together to battle a common enemy: Microsoft."

IE 6 Garners One-Third of Browser Market & IPv6

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-27 Internet Explorer 10 Comments

"The latest version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser has grabbed nearly one-third of the worldwide browser market, according to a new study. IE 6 was released last August, and in its first week on the market grabbed a 2.4 percent share, according to StatMarket, a division of audience measurement service WebSideStory. StatMarket said Wednesday that that figure has risen to 30.4 percent, making it the second most popular browser behind its predecessor, Microsoft's IE 5." What the article fails to mention is that, overall, the IE browsers gather more than 82% of the market. In other Internet news, ExtremeTech has a very interesting article regarding IPv6: "The Promise, The Problems, The Protocol".

Novell: Microsoft Bullies Server Market

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-27 Novell and Ximian 1 Comment

"An executive of network computing company Novell Inc. on Wednesday accused Microsoft Corp. of using anti-competitive tactics to dominate the market for Internet server software. Novell Chief Technology Officer Carl Ledbetter, in testimony in the ongoing Microsoft antitrust case, said that Microsoft withheld critical information that competitors needed to make their server software work well with Microsoft's Windows, which virtually holds a monopoly position in personal computer operating systems." Read the news story at Yahoo!News.

AtheOS Fork Breathes Life to BeOS

Submitted by Jean-Baptiste Queru 2002-03-26 Syllable, AtheOS 109 Comments

Bill Hayden did the obvious: He forked AtheOS (which is technically similar to BeOS) and used its app_server and Interface Kit (without the use of X11) and rest of its kits on top of the 2.4.x Linux kernel. While the AtheOS kernel has some very nice features, by being modular, semi-microkernel, with good preemptive/multithreading support etc., it lacks a solid VM and swap support and of course, it lacks a good driver support, things that the Linux kernel provides. Bill Hayden accounced his fork on the AtheOS mailing list and made known that the "Atheos API has been merged with the BeOS API, there is PowerPC support, gcc 3.0.X compatiblity and OpenTracker/Deskbar as the desktop manager".

What’s New and What’s Improved in Windows .NET Server?

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-26 Windows 15 Comments

"You might still be wrestling with your Windows 2000 deployment. You don't have the time or inclination to consider a migration to Windows .NET Server (Win.NET Server). But you might want to take a moment to see what Win.NET Server has to offer: Although Win.NET Server isn't a momentous release, as Win2K was, it offers some serious new features and significant improvements that smooth out some of Win2K's rough edges. The complete list of Win.NET Server's new and improved features is long, but the product's key infrastructure improvements—such as Active Directory (AD) modifications—can present compelling business reasons to consider the new platform." Read the exclusive report on the next major Widnows version at WinNetMag.

Lord of the Robots & Augmented Reality: A New Way of Seeing

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-26 Geek stuff 1 Comment

What the future holds? "The director of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab says the age of smart, mobile machines is already beginning. You just have to know where to find them—say, in oil wells." Read the Q&A with Rodney Brooks at TechReview. "Computer scientists are developing systems that can enhance and enrich a user's view of the world. What will computer user interfaces look like 10 years from now?" Read the interesting analysis at ScientificAmerican.

Red Hat Targets the Enterprise

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-26 Red Hat 2 Comments

"Trying to hasten its acceptance among enterprise users, Red Hat on Tuesday will roll out its first series of Linux-based operating environment products aimed specifically at corporations that plan to migrate away from Unix. The first product to be available as part of the company's Enterprise Platform Series is the Red Hat Advanced Server, which will feature improved management capabilities along with better performance, availability, and scalability features. Pricing on the Advanced Server starts at $800 per server." Read the rest of the article at InfoWorld.

Wooing Away Java Developers – Self-Inflicted Wounds May Scar Java

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-26 Java 4 Comments

"As thousands of programmers converge on San Francisco to attend Sun Microsystems' JavaOne conference, which opens Monday, Microsoft is working in parallel to convince some of the flock to switch banners. That job falls to John Montgomery, who has the chore of trying to convince millions of Java developers to embrace Microsoft's .Net technology." Read the interview at News.com. "Java is drawing a rising number of businesses and software developers but still must overcome major obstacles before its long-term success is assured--including roadblocks from the very people who support the programming language." Read the story at ZDNews.

Some Things I’d Like to See From Apple

Guest post by Steve Klingsporn 2002-03-26 Editorial 67 Comments

Just some days ago Apple requested input from PC users or from Mac users coming from the PC world. They asked for some input regarding what a PC user would like to see on Apple's products. While I am already a Mac user, I would like to see the following. If it doesn't happen (as it hasn't), I intend to do it myself with some smart friends.

Creating and Consuming Web Services

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-26 .NET No Comments

"Web Services signal a new era of lightweight distributed application development. While Web Services are not intended nor do they have the power to solve every distributed application problem, they are an easy way to create and consume services over the Internet. One of the design goals for Web Services is to allow companies and developers to share services with other companies in a simple way over the Internet." Read the rest of the article at ExtremeTech.

Trolltech Unveils Qtopia

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-26 Qt 3 Comments

From the press release: "Trolltech, the leader in multi-platform development frameworks, today unveiled Qtopia, a Linux-based application environment that brings the power of desktop computing to mobile embedded devices. Trolltech is the creator of Qt, the application framework that lets developers create cross platform, single-source applications that run natively. Qtopia is already being used to power the new Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 PDA, with several additional design wins bringing products to market in 2002."

Microsoft Grills Red Hat Exec in Court

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-25 Legal 24 Comments

"An attorney for Microsoft argued in court on Monday that Red Hat Inc. had failed to popularize the Linux computer operating system because of its own shortcomings, not because of any interference from Microsoft. Cross-examining Red Hat Chief Technology Officer Michael Tiemann, Microsoft attorney Stephanie Wheeler said Red Hat had spent little money on research and development, and dedicated few of its employees to winning over software developers to write programs for Linux." Read the report at ZDNews.

My PC Doesn’t Understand Me

Eugenia Loli 2002-03-25 Editorial 7 Comments

"To speech recognition is the way of the future. To imagine a world where you can simply capture devices, write him the males and messages to friends, and receive your fingers from the syndrome site carpal tunnel syndrome. Unfortunately, it's not perfect. Obviously, the paragraph above was "written" using speech recognition, and clearly either I, or the software, has a ways to go. It's not even clear what I was trying to say, which was: "Speech recognition is the wave of the future. Imagine a world where you can simply talk to devices, write emails or messages to friends, and relieve your fingers from carpal tunnel syndrome". Read the article at ExtremeTech.