OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

Linux 2.6.32 To Get R600 Kernel Mode Setting

Submitted by lemur2 2009-09-09 Linux 112 Comments

Open source 3D graphics drivers for ATI R600 garphics cards has been submitted to the kernel-next tree for possible inclusion in the Linux kernel 2.6.32. "David Airlie has pushed a horde of new code into his drm-next Git tree, which is what will get pulled into the Linux 2.6.32 kernel once the merge window is open. Most prominently, this new DRM code brings support for kernel mode-setting with R600 class hardware as well as 3D support."

Submitted by Moulinneuf 2009-09-09 Apple 51 Comments

After back and forth rumors about the health of Apple's revered Steve Jobs way back in last year and the beginning of 2009, it turned out that he really did have some health problems: complications with his liver requiring a transplant. It was supposed that he'd return to Apple by the end of June, and now he's finally made his first public appearance since he first took his medical leave of absence earlier this year.

Dreamcast Turns 10, New Game To Be Released in October

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-09 Games 25 Comments

It's time for a trip down memory lane. Exactly ten years ago today - 09-09-1999 - Sega released the Dreamcast on the North American market. Widely regarded as far, far ahead of its time, the Dreamcast pioneered several concepts which the competition only picked up on years and years later. Sadly, the Dreamcast would face an early grave.

iTunes 9 Breaks Pre Sync, Again

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-09 Wireless 14 Comments

iTunes 9 was released today, and the big question on everyone's mind (ahum) was: will it break webOS sync once again? Well, yes, it does. In other words, webOS devices can no longer sync with iTunes. Luckily, the webOS 1.2 update is right around the corner, so big chance it'll be fixed quickly.

Guest post by Yamin 2009-09-09 General Development 82 Comments

I've been developing software for quite a few years. One of the issues that seems to come up again and again in my work is this concept of design and implementation. I recall it being a significant part of my education at the University of Waterloo's Computer Engineering program as well. The message was always the same. Never write code first. First you must design software by writing a design document, flow charts, pseudo-code, timing charts... then it's merely a trivial matter of implementing it. Make note of the attitude here given towards implementing. The real work is in the design, and it's just a trivial matter of implementing it. It sounds so simple doesn't it? Now, how often does this work out in real life?

Palm Unveils Pixi webOS Phone, Forgets to Add Wifi

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-09 Wireless 34 Comments

In a move reminiscent of the Pre launch, Palm has unveiled its second webOS mobile phone today, ahead of Apple's music/iPod event. The Palm Pixi is a candybar incarnation of the Pre, but is clearly positioned below its big brother; smaller screen, and more worryingly, no wifi.

Troll Blockers Take Microsoft SGI Patents

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-08 Microsoft 7 Comments

"Microsoft has placed a clutch of Silicon Graphics patents in the hands of those trying to defend Linux and open-source against trolls. The Open Invention Network has taken ownership of 22 patents covering operating systems, desktop, and browsers applications, after they were bought from Microsoft by middleman Allied Security Trust."

Windows 7, Vista Suffer from Critical SMB 2.0 Flaw

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-08 Windows 23 Comments

We usually don't report on security flaws, unless they're on platforms that usually don't see such flaws, or when the flaw in question is pretty serious. Well, a new zero-day flaw has been discovered in Windows Vista and Windows 7 which will trigger a blue screen of death using the new SMB 2.0 protocol. Update: Windows 7 RTM and Windows Server 2008 R2 are not affected by the flaw. So, this is less of a problem than expected.

Snow Leopard Snubs Document Creator Codes

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-08 macOS 11 Comments

"When you double-click a document in the Finder, how does the system decide what application should open it? The relationship between a document and its owning application is called a preferred application binding. Since the very first day of the very first version of Mac OS X, there has been an uneasy detente between the Unix way of binding documents to applications and the former Mac way, inherited from the early days of the Mac OS. Now, in Snow Leopard, users and developers are complaining that the Unix way is being allowed to run roughshod over the Mac way."

Submitted by wakeupneo 2009-09-08 Microsoft 93 Comments

According to a leak from a BestBuy employee, Microsoft is initiating a sort of "Anti-Linux Training" course for the employees, and those who take part in the said training are rewarded with a copy of Windows 7 for only ten dollars. The leaked screenshots of the campaign show Microsoft's comparison of its own system with an obscure "Linux" and how Windows is better in every way including security, "free downloads", and software and hardware compatibility.

What Apple Can Learn from Palm

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-08 Wireless 58 Comments

Over the past few days, we've seen yet another rollercoaster ride in Apple's App Store. The fully licensed Commodore 64 emulator, which was rejected earlier this year, was admitted into the App Store yesterday, only to be removed this morning. This tug of war between Apple and its 3rd party developers is getting a bit old, so let's take a look at a company that treats its 3rd party developers right: Palm.

Shiller Discovery Dispute Resolved, Cases Not Combined

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-07 Legal 22 Comments

Late last week, we discussed the Apple vs. Psystar case (again), and in that article several points were raised which would be handled during a hearing Friday morning. Right after publishing said article, the law firm working for Psystar sent a general email to members of the press (including Groklaw and OSNews, among others) which contained the court order which resulted from this hearing. So to finalise these issues, let's walk through them so we can put the lid on this case for a while.

C64 Emulator for iPhone Approved by Apple, Now Available

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-07 Games 16 Comments

"Manomio's Commodore 64 emulator has finally been approved by Apple. We first reported on the project back in June, after Manomio had received their first rejection from Apple. The rejection was particularly disappointing considering the efforts that Manomio had made in making sure their emulator fully licensed and legal." Update by Kroc: The app has been pulled, after Apple caught wind of the much publicised trick to enable BASIC in the emulator. Tsk, tsk; if you're going to put in easter eggs, the point is to keep them a secret, umm'kay.

Debian: ‘Oh What Tangled Webs We Weave’

Submitted by EvilWells 2009-09-07 Debian 97 Comments

Developer Frans Pop, author of debtree, posted an article showing the evolution in size of the GNOME desktop environment in recent Debian releases. The picture he paints isn't particularly pretty: the default GNOME install has increased drastically in size over the years.

Submitted by Moulinneuf 2009-09-07 macOS 11 Comments

"If you're a Web designer, expect your CSS colors & your untagged/unmanaged images to look darker on Snow Leopard than on previous versions of the Mac OS. You'll also see less of a visible color shift when going from Photoshop to Flash or other unmanaged environments (e.g. Internet Explorer). Why is that? Apple has switched to a default gamma of 2.2, which is what Windows has used for years. Colors that aren't color-managed are going to look darker on the whole. Your whole display will now be closer to what Windows users see."

Comparing Windows 7 & Snow Leopard Icons

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-07 Graphics 66 Comments

Last week, Culf of Mac published an article showing off some of Snow Leopard's beautiful 512x512 icons, revealing some interesting tidbits about them you could only see when the icons are fully maximised. In this article, I compare some of Snow Leopard's icons to those of Windows 7, and you'll see while both operating systems have beautiful icons, there are some key differences between the styles of these icons. Note that this article contains some large images, so if you're on dial-up, you've been warned.

Episode 23.5: The Meta Show

Kroc 2009-09-07 Podcasts 13 Comments

This is a filler show dedicated to discussing OSnews itself. We discuss the dreaded moderation system, user participation (that's you, you wonderful people!), what goes on behind the scenes and plans for the future of the site.

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Opera, MySQL, Kubuntu

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-06 OS News 7 Comments

This was a bit of a weird week for OSNews. Monday and Tuesday I was unable to reach OSNews and its related domains from home; we still don't know why, but the end result was that I could not work on OSNews, meaning very few items. For the rest, it was a very quiet and relaxed week, with little going on.

Episode 23: Uh, What Were We Talking About Again?

Kroc 2009-09-06 Podcasts 16 Comments

I apologise for the show arriving so late, Britain decided to come back from holiday and break their computers so I was busy all week. Said holiday period also meant that news was thin so Me, Thom, Tess and David discuss Snow Leopard, the EULA issue and then proceed to the issue of cloud computing, what constitutes 'user-friendly' and whether Linux really is easier or more difficult to use than Windows or Mac. Due to some recording issues, sound levels are not perfect and I hope to resolve that next week.