CRUX PPC 2.5 Released

Linux 2 Comments
"CRUX PPC 2.5 is now available. Supports Apple 32bit "NewWorld" G3/G4 and Apple 64bit G5, Genesi PegasosII and Efika, Acube Sam440ep, IBM RS/6000 CHRP32 (604e), YDL Powerstation, IBM Intellistation POWER, and IBM pSeries RS64/POWERn. CRUX PPC 2.5 is released as two different installation ISO: 32bit and 64bit. The 32bit version is based on a single lib toolchain instead the 64bit one comes with a multilib toolchain. These two versions share the same ports tree. To increase CRUX PPC usability on pSeries, starting from 2.5 we do provide ports for some IBM utils."
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DesktopBSD Development Comes to a Halt

  Submitted by chuck BSD & Darwin 10 Comments
It seems like the DesktopBSD project's future is at stake due to a lack developers and time. "Hello everyone, sorry for not keeping in touch with you guys for quite a while," main developer Peter Hofer writes, "Truth is, I find myself having less and less time for DesktopBSD these days. In addition, my interests have shifted quite a bit since I started working on it in 2004 (thinking of it, that's almost 5 years ago now...). As a result, I don't really feel that I can make DesktopBSD progress steadily and significantly on my own. Unfortunately, there are no other active developers nor does it seem like there are any who would be interested in contributing." While the project is not dead yet, there will be no major changes or bugfixes for the upcoming 1.7 release, and it could very well be the project's last release.
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OWB 1.3 Released for MorphOS

  Submitted by Michal Bergseth Morphos 8 Comments
The MorphOS version of the Origyn web browser has been bumped to version 1.3. It comes with a long list of improvements and bug fixes. The OWB browser is used on a multitude of platforms, but recently it has been gaining a lot of popularity on AmigaOS4 and MorphOS because it's a small, fast, and modern WebKit-based browser. Since I'm currently borrowing a Sam440ep Flex machine with AmigAOS 4.1 from ACube so I can review the machine and the operating system for OSNews, I have access to OWB on Amiga and Amiga-like platforms, so read on for a few screenshots and some notes. Update: As commenters rightfully pointed out, I wasn't using the latest OWB version. The latest one does have tabbed browsing, as well as an updated interface. Check inside for a new screenshot.
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Set up a Linux Media Server Using Ubuntu 8.10

Ubuntu No Comments
This project attempts to show you how to make your own home media server from readily available PC components and open source software. The software components we'll be using in this feature are Ubuntu Linux 8.10, Firefly DAAP Server, and MediaTomb. Most newer TVs and game consoles (for example, the PS3) are UPnP capable and allow you to stream content from UPnP-enabled sources. iTunes (Windows) and Rhythmbox (Linux) can play media that is centrally hosted on this type of server - an excellent way to setup a centralized, on-demand audio/video library in your home.
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OSNews History: June 4, 2005

In the News 17 Comments
Five Four years ago today, OSNews published some interesting articles. Apple announced it was dropping PPC for x86 (that one was a bombshell). That news was met with fear, excitement, and a fair bit of skepticism. Five Four years later, that decision has gone down as one of the smartest, gutsiest moves in computing business history. Congratulations to Apple's engineers for making it go so smoothly. We also examined whether "soon" personal computers will have the ability to respond to stimuli from the outside world, by seeing and interpreting video or other signals. We're still waiting on that one. (And the project we linked to is now a dead link). Note: due to a back-end Snafu, this one didn't post until the fifth, but it's still an interesting date in OSNews history, so enjoy.
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Google Opens Chrome Developer Channels for Mac, Linux

Google 19 Comments
We barely ended the discussion on Chrome's sandboxing feature and how hard or easy it is to implement such functionality on Mac OS X and Linux, and we have the Chromium project releasing the first builds of Google Chrome for Linux and Mac OS X "officially". Nightly builds for these platforms have been available since earlier this year, but this is the first time the project puts out actual releases for Mac and Linux.
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Oracle’s Ellison Gambles with OpenOffice’s Future

  Submitted by poundsmack Oracle and SUN 26 Comments
Oracle was the first top-tier IT vendor to announce it was putting its key product - the database - on Linux. The logic was simple: Linux freed Oracle from depending on a single company for operating system - that company was Microsoft. Taking the baton from Sun Microsystems' co-founder and chairman Scott McNealy at JavaOne this week, Oracle's chief executive Larry Ellison has seen his opportunity for independence again. This time, however, he may struggle to get his way, and - in trying - actually hurt one of Sun's most prized and widely adopted open-source projects.
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Opera 10 Beta

Opera 85 Comments
Opera have announced the release of Opera 10 beta. New engine, new features, but I'm more concerned about where Opera 10 fits into Opera's history, and certainly their future. Opera have never made any massive strides in marketshare and is Opera 10 really going to change any of that? Read More to find out.
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Unix Turns 40: Past, Present, Future of a Revolutionary OS

  Submitted by snydeq Unix 29 Comments
Gary Anthes offers an overview history of Unix forty years since Ken Thompson banged out the first version in assembly language for a wimpy DEC PDP-7 minicomputer, spending one week each on the operating system, a shell, an editor, and an assembler. Also included in the package are a year-by-year time line of its evolution, and profiles of Unix giants David Korn, Rick Rashid, and Gordon Bell.
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The Return of the Kitchen Computer

Hardware 12 Comments
A while ago, I made a list of my ten most beautiful computers, which ignited some heavy debate since Cray wasn't mentioned. Anyway, one of the items on the list was the Honeywell Kitchen Computer, the H316. This was a very basic and incredibly difficult to handle machine which was supposed to store and display recipes, but its most awesome feature was a built-in cutting board. Despite its ridiculousness, I think it's a beautiful piece of design, a pre-cursor to a type of computer everyone in the '50s thought we would have now (get it?). Well, the idea of a kitchen computer is supposed to make a comeback. Update: Eugenia just pointed me to a photo her husband took of the H316 at the Computer History Museum in California, as well as a product photo of Be, Inc.'s take on the kitchen computer.
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Palm Pre Review: Hardware Could Be Better, WebOS Solid

Wireless 24 Comments
The Palm Pre will hit the stores on Saturday, June 6, and it has a very important task to fulfil. Contrary to what the sensationlist media want you to believe, that task is not to dethrone the iPhone, but to save a flailing company. Palm requires for its very survival that the Pre and its brand-new operating system webOS is a success. CNet has taken the Palm Pre through its paces, and despite some flaws, they were quite pleased, especially on the software front. Update: Another review, from Engadget: "To put it simply, the Pre is a great phone, and we don't feel any hesitation saying that."
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Opera 10 Beta Is Out

  Submitted by Liquidator Opera 83 Comments
Opera have announced the general availability of Opera 10 beta. Opera 10 includes an improved rendering engine Presto v2.2. The beta adds a new default skin and a couple of new features, notably "Turbo", a proxy compressor for dial-up users, and tab previews. The result? Complete fail. Read More for why and a quick screenshot tour. addendum: As an apology to the community for the reckless and inadequate review I will be doing it again, properly, taking into consideration your fine comments.
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