OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Dreckig OS and the Megalithic Kernel

Guest post by Sean Haas 2011-12-28 OS News 29 Comments

There are two main kernel architectures for large operating systems; monolithic and micro. While these architectures are well thought out, well implemented (usually), and well understood, they have their faults. Mainly, the loading of modules and executables, management of memory, and interfacing between the kernel and software cause these architectures to be vastly complex. With this complexity comes a loss of speed and increased difficulty for the developer. There are other kernel architectures, such as the exokernel, that are vastly different from traditional architectures, but they still have performance issues caused by userland processes.

Why Hasn’t Windows Phone 7 Taken off?

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-27 Windows 161 Comments

Fascinating, this. As a Windows Phone 7 user, I can attest that it is every bit as good as iOS and Android - heck, in my experience, it is more polished, more consistent, smoother, and faster than either of those two. Yet, despite raving reviews and glowing user comments all over the web, Windows Phone 7 simply isn't selling. Former Windows Phone 7 general manager Charlie Kindel believes it's because neither carriers nor device makers like the control Microsoft exerts over the platform.

Interview with Adrian Chadd on 802.11n in FreeBSD

David Adams 2011-12-27 BSD & Darwin 4 Comments

Adrian Chadd is the current FreeBSD net80211/ath driver maintainer and developer. He's been working with a few others to get usable 802.11n support into FreeBSD. We thought we'd have a quick chat and ask how things are going.

Boxee 1.5 for Desktops Arrives, but the End Is Nigh

David Adams 2011-12-27 Multimedia, AV 21 Comments

Boxee released version 1.5 of its free multimedia streaming software for Mac, Windows, and Linux desktops today, but simultaneously announced that it will cease offering the Boxee desktop software after January 2012. Thereafter, the company will limit its focus to devices such as the D-Link Boxee Box.

Samsung Reconsidering Ice Cream Sandwich for Galaxy S, Tab

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-27 Wireless 25 Comments

And another case of the internet apparently wielding more influence than it seems to. To much dismay, Samsung announced last week that several of its popular smartphones, most notably the Samsung Galaxy S, would not be getting an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich. The internet backlash was palpable, and today, word on the street is that Samsung is reconsidering its position.

Android Device Makers: Take Note of These Two Articles

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-24 Wireless 104 Comments

"Earlier today, Samsung revealed that it won't update the Galaxy S, its most successful smartphone to date, to the latest version of Android. You might shrug and dismiss that as just more evidence of Android's inherent fragmentation or the need for buyers to beware, but I take grave issue with it. This is a decision based not on technical constraints, as Samsung would have you believe, but on hubris." This. A gazillion million thousand times this. Also: "It's simple: make a large high-end device, a smaller value device, and a QWERTY device. Maybe one or two other specialty form factors, tops. That's it. Update them once a year, and keep the names the same." It would make updating a hell of a lot easier. We don't need the Samsung Galaxy SII Epic 4G Touch Sensation.

Guest post by fran 2011-12-24 Linux 16 Comments

"Android drivers are returning to the Linux kernel. Kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman has retrieved the Android drivers removed from the staging area of Linux 2.6.33 in the spring of 2010 andput them back into his development branch for version 3.3 of the Linux kernel. The plan is for a Linux 3.3 kernel to be able to boot on an Android device without further patches."

Guest post by fran 2011-12-24 Windows 34 Comments

"The new Windows PowerShell is coming. Actually, Microsoft has just launched a Community Technology Preview of Windows PowerShell version 3, although the final version 3 probably won’t ship until it comes out with Windows 8. It also will be available for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The CTP will install on those OSes."

Guest post by lemur2 2011-12-24 Mozilla, Gecko 29 Comments

After much speculation over whether Mozilla, the non-profit foundation, and Google, the search and advertising company, would renew their default search provision deal, Mozilla has announced that a new multi-year deal has been made. The deal will see Google continue to be the default search provider in the Firefox browser for "at least three additional years".

Facing Boycott, GoDaddy Rescinds SOPA Support

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-23 Internet 47 Comments

Yesterday, it was revealed GoDaddy actively supported SOPA - to the point of arrogance and dedain towards those opposing the US censorship law. As a result, a boycott was instated on reddit, which was picked up all over the web. Today, the company rescinded its support for SOPA - but for some high-profile clients, it's too late. Behold, the power of the internet.

BGR: BlackBerry 10 Not Even as Good as iPhone OS 1.0

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-22 Wireless 39 Comments

I doubt Research In Motion really knew what hit them back when the iPhone launched. I doubt they really knew what hit them when Android steamrolled the smartphone market. And, today, I still doubt they really know what the heck they are supposed to do to turn their sinking ship around. Update: RIM contacted us with a statement on the matter - they state everything in the BGR article is wrong. Read on for the full statement.

Galaxy Tab 10.1N No Longer Violates Apple’s Design Patent

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-22 Legal 20 Comments

You really can't make this stuff up. I wish I could - I'd be a millionaire comedian with an annoying ventriloquist dummy whose unfunny show takes over "Comedy" Central every other month. In any case, the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, the slightly modified version of the Tab 10.1 Samsung introduced in Germany to circumvent the injunction from Apple, has been labelled okay by the German courts, even though Apple still contents that it looks too much like an iPad.

Cinnamon: GNOME Shell Fork with a GNOME2-Like Layout

Guest post by Anonymous 2011-12-21 Gnome 50 Comments

"Clement Lefebvre, the Linux Mint founder, has started working on a GNOME Shell fork called Cinnamon, which tries to offer a layout similar to GNOME 2, with emphasis on 'making users feel at home and providing them with an easy to use and comfortable desktop experience'. Among the features that we'll probably see in Cinnamon are GNOME2-like notifications and systray icons, option to change the panel position and other panel options like autohide, etc. Some of these features are already available through Mint GNOME Shell Extensions (MGSE), but their functionality is pretty limited."

Microsoft: Metro Doesn’t Necessarily Scale Well To Office

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-21 Windows 69 Comments

Windows 8 will be one of the most significant releases for Microsoft ever, since it pretty much rethinks the entire graphical user interface. One of the problems I personally see with Metro is that it doesn't appear to be particularly conducive to getting actual work done. In an interview with The Verge, Microsoft design director Steve Kaneko confirmed that it's hard to adapt applications like Office to use Metro.

More Free Online Technical Courses

jackson 2011-12-21 Editorial 24 Comments

M.I.T. has just announced it is expanding its list of free online courses anyone can take. Attendees earn completion certificates. M.I.T.'s OpenCourseWare project already offers 2,100 courses used by 100 million people. OpenCulture, Free Ed, E-learning Center, and Alison offer competing free online courses, including many on computing and IT certification.

Submitted by RichterKuato 2011-12-20 Desktop environments 44 Comments

Gtk+ has GNOME on the one hand, and Xfce on the other. Qt, on the other hand, only has KDE - there's no lightweight, less encompassing alternative if KDE doesn't float your boat, but you'd still want a Qt desktop. Luckily for you, there's now Razor-qt, a small, lightweight and simple Qt desktop environment.

Apple Sues Samsung Over 10 Phone, Tablet Case Patents

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-20 Legal 122 Comments

I'm guessing Apple is getting desperate, since its software patent lawsuits aren't doing particularly well. Moving on from software and design patents, the company is now suing Samsung over... Patents for mobile phone and tablet cases (more at The Verge). I think Apple has more offensive lawsuits than products now, so technically, "patent maker" is more accurate than "gadget maker" or "device maker". Fun times.

Galaxy SII, Note To Get ICS First Quarter 2012

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-20 Wireless 25 Comments

"Samsung Electronics plan to provide the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for GALAXY devices. The platform update for GALAXY S II and GALAXY Note will start in the first quarter 2012, and other GALAXY devices will soon follow. The ICS-upgradable devices are the GALAXY S II, GALAXY S II LTE, GALAXY Note, GALAXY R, GALAXY Tab 10.1, GALAXY Tab 8.9, GALAXY Tab 7.7, and GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus." Could be worse, I suppose.

Despite Variety, Android Tablets Didn’t Take Off in 2011

David Adams 2011-12-20 Wireless 41 Comments

2011 will go down in the history books as a great year for tablets mostly for Apple's iPad however, not all tablet vendors fared as well as Apple. It's not for lack of products that prevented Android tablets from taking any market share away from Apple this year. By our calculation, over 100 tablets were introduced since the iPad however, we defy even the most tech-savvy of you to name more than a few of them. What was so wrong with the competition that it failed to make any inroads in the tablet market, at least until the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook came along?

Apple Scores Meaningless Victory Against HTC

Thom Holwerda 2011-12-19 Legal 7 Comments

The ITC has ruled in the Apple vs. HTC software patent case, and it's pretty damning for the Cupertino software patent and gadget company. Out of the four asserted software patents, HTC was only found to infringe one (some nonsense about formatting phone numbers in emails or whatever) - and HTC has already stated an update to circumvent the software patent is ready. Update: A remarkable case of prior art was found - but probably too late.