Microsoft Request in i4i Case Rejected by Court

Legal 4 Comments
"Microsoft found its latest request for a multiple-judge review, in a long-running patent-infringement suit with Canadian tech firm i4i, rejected by a federal appeals court. Microsoft had asked for a panel of 11 judges to review its arguments in the case, in which i4i alleges that Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007 violate its custom XML-related patents. In August 2009, a federal judge in a U.S. District Court ordered Microsoft to pay $300 million and pull copies of Word 2003 and 2007 from store shelves within 90 days, a ruling that set off months of legal maneuvering."
Read More

Idealistic, Pragmatic and H.264 Debate

Multimedia, AV 89 Comments
In line with the current torrent of articles on the H.264 and Theora debate, I feel that is it unfair for the "pragmatists" to talk about Theora as if it is a stupid ideal that is useless to consumers. This article will focus on defining the terms of the debate used and make the case that Theora has a reason, if not a chance.
Read More

Early iPad Reviews Extremely Positive

Apple 104 Comments
With the release day of the iPad fast approaching, it's time for the usual lucky few to shine their lights on Apple's new device. As usual, these first-hand reviews by blogging heavyweights are incredibly positive (with a few notable exceptions), and if they are correct in their predictions, then the iPad will change everything in computing.
Read More

GNOME 2.30 Released

  Submitted by aaron Gnome 47 Comments
The GNOME team has released version 2.30 of their open source desktop environment. "The GNOME Project's focus on users and usability continues in GNOME 2.30 with its hundreds of bug fixes and user-requested improvements. The sheer number of enhancements makes it impossible to list every change and improvement made."
Read More

ScaraOS 0.0.4 Released

  Submitted by poundsmack OS News 6 Comments
"ScaraOS is a 32bit mutiboot OS kernel for IA32 (PC/AT) systems. I wrote it to teach myself OS fundamentals and just to have a bit of fun. It already has PCI support, the beginnings of a paged memory management system, and the start of a VFS layer. It supports the basic PC/AT stuff such as timer, PIC, keyboard, floppy."
Read More

64% of MS Vulnerabilities Mitigated by Removing Admin Rights

Windows 65 Comments
As geeks, we're well aware of the importance of running as a normal user instead of as root (UNIX/Linux/BSD) or administrator (Windows). However, while this should be common knowledge to anyone reading OSNews, it's often hard to illustrate just how important it is - until now, that is. A report by BeyondTrust looked at how many security bulletins issused by Microsoft are mitigated by simply... Not running as administrator.
Read More

USPTO Fail: Apple Patents Steel Bezel iPhone

Humor 10 Comments
"Apple has won one of its USPTO patent claims for the iPhone, specifically covering the device's iconic steel bezel. While appearing superficial, Apple claims that the bezel is actually essential to impact resistance, and innovative in part because it merges utility with aesthetics. The part is flush with an iPhone's housing, inserted into a brace and held with a spring. It is also manufactured with cold worked steel, said to better accommodate design limits while reducing the need for machining." I put this story in the humour category because that's the only place I could put it without wanting to slit my own throat.
Read More

KDE Software Compilation 4.4.2 Released

  Submitted by poundsmack KDE 20 Comments
"KDE has released a new version of the KDE Software Compilation. This month's edition of KDE SC is a bugfix and translation update to KDE SC 4.4. KDE SC 4.4.2 is a recommended upgrade for everyone running KDE SC 4.4.1 or earlier versions. As the release only contains bugfixes and translation updates, it will be a safe and pleasant update for everyone. Users around the world will appreciate that KDE SC 4.4.2 multi-language support is more complete. KDE SC 4 is already translated into more than 50 languages, with more to come." Impromptu poll: Windows Phone 7 Series or KDE Software Compilation 4.4: which of the two rolls off the tongue the worst?
Read More

George Hotz Working to Restore PS3 Other OS Support

Games 41 Comments
That Sony is a company known for its rather... Unfortunate stance towards DRM and copyright infringement should come as no surprise to anyone, after they more or less crippled the MiniDisc format with DRM, installed rootkits on users' machines, and started removing features from the PlayStation 3. That last one doesn't seem to end well: George Hotz, the famous iPhone hacker and the first to crack the PS3's security, has vowed to bring Linux support back to the PS3.
Read More

Google To Bundle Flash with Chrome? Yup

Google 76 Comments
It's no secret that the relationship between Apple and Adobe isn't particularly healthy at this point, and despite the nicely staged coffee moment, nor is the relationship between Apple and Google. It seems like this is bringing together Google and Adobe: rumour has it that Flash will be bundled with the Chrome web browser and/or the upcoming Chrome operating system. Update: It's official: "When users download Chrome, they will also receive the latest version of Adobe Flash Player. There will be no need to install Flash Player separately. Users will automatically receive updates related to Flash Player using Google Chrome's auto-update mechanism."
Read More

Evony: Investigating the Game Everyone Loves to Hate

Games 12 Comments
"One game on the Web has been accused of being little more than an elaborate scam designed to bilk gamers out of their money. The game, Evony, has an extensive Web presence that has gained a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons, and that's just the beginning of the bad press surrounding the title. Accusations of shady business practices, legal bullying, and physical intimidation surround the game; some of these claims are easy enough to parse, while others are practically impossible to figure out because the real story has become so convoluted that it's a Gordian Knot of facts."
Read More