Competition: Win a Linux-based Neuros OSD

A few days ago we published a review of the Linux-based Neuros OSD recorder and player. Now, you can win one of these devices! All you have to do is research on the product to find out its current capabilities, and then comment below with suggestions on how to make it better and with ideas for new applications and hacks. The Neuros Technology guys will pick the best idea in 3 days time and we will provide them with the winner's email address so they can send him/her a free Neuros OSD device (that info won't be used for other purposes). If you wish to comment but not to participate in the competition, please clearly state so on your comments. Update: The winner is FunkyELF for this post. Congrats!

Asus Eee PC a Win for Intel, Linux, at Microsoft’s Expense

"A little over a week ago, reviews of Asus's Eee PC 701 started to trickle out onto the Internet. Some of the larger publications, like CNet and LAPTOP Magazine got their hands on the unit first, but as it has become more widely available sites like HotHardware and PC Perspective have now put out their own reviews of the Eee PC. The overall verdict is fairly unanimous: the device's keyboard is a bit cramped, but in terms of price, performance, and features the Eee PC hits the trifecta. Indeed, Asus appears to have gotten so many things right with the Eee PC that it could be a game-changer in the mobile market, in terms of both hardware and software."

Nintendo Stops Support for NES

Nintendo has reportedly decided to stop all repairs of the original Nintendo after 24 years of support, Agence France Presse reported on Friday. A spokesperson said that the company has decided to end support due to increasingly short supplies of replacement parts. The iconic game system was sold as the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US and Europe, and as the Famicom in Japan. Nintendo's Ken Toyoda said that while the company is sad to turn its back on the NES, the company wanted its legions of loyal fans to focus on the Wii, currently the best selling next-generation console worldwide.

Press F4 to Bypass Windows with Fast-Boot Technology

There's absolutely no reason you should be waiting the three-plus minutes it takes your computer to boot up Windows, says Woody Hobbs, CEO of Phoenix Technologies. And indeed, if Hobbs has his way, you may not have to endure those waits much longer. Phoenix says its new technology, HyperSpace, will offer mobile PC users the ability to instantly fire up their most used apps - things like e-mail, web browsers and various media players - without using Windows, simply by pressing the F4 button.

FreeBSD 7 Beta 2 Released

The second beta of FreeBSD 7 has been released. "The 7.0-BETA2 builds have completed and are on many of the FreeBSD mirror sites. If you want to update an existing machine using cvsup use RELENG_7 as the branch tag. Instructions on using FreeBSD Update to perform a binary upgrade from FreeBSD 6.x to 7.0-BETA2 will be provided via the freebsd-stable list when available." Additionally, there's a discussion on supporting a subset of c++ in the FreeBSD kernel.

EyeOS 1.2 Released

EyeOS 1.2, a web-based operating system, has been released. "We are proud to announce that eyeOS 1.2 has just been released! It's not just a necessary update on eyeOS 1.x, but also a bunch of new features and applications needed by eyeOS to be really useful for the every day use. Need to send a mail? Well, just open eyeMail. Did your friend send a Microsoft Word file? No problem, eyeOS will open it and allow you to modify it. Want to have multiple groups for family and friends to share information between them? eyeControl 1.2 will let you do that and much more, visually."

Google Rallies Allies in Open Linux Phone Initiative

Google and 33 other companies have announced an ambitious industry alliance that will maintain a completely open source mobile phone stack. The Open Handset Alliance says phones based on its Linux-based 'Android' stack will reach market in as soon as eight months. The Android stack is based on 'open Linux kernel', the group says. It also includes a full set of mobile phone application software, in order to "significantly lower the cost of developing and distributing mobile devices and services", OHA said.

nVIDIA Introduces the ‘Enthusiast System Architecture’

"Today, with the coming introduction of the NVIDIA 780i chipset, NVIDIA is looking to make serious changes to what is possible with enthusiast systems by launching a new technology platform. The name of the new standard is ESA - Enthusiast System Architecture. Its goal is to provide information and control to enthusiasts not just for NVIDIA motherboards and video cards, but to provide that information and control for many other components in an ESA-enabled system. The actual protocol is OS independent. This is very important for the future of ESA, as it will eventually allow ESA to operate with any platform."

pt. III: Desk Accessories

This is the third article in a series on common usability and graphical user interface related terms . On the internet, and especially in forum discussions like we all have here on OSNews, it is almost certain that in any given discussion, someone will most likely bring up usability and GUI related terms - things like spatial memory, widgets, consistency, Fitts' Law, and more. The aim of this series is to explain these terms, learn something about their origins, and finally rate their importance in the field of usability and (graphical) user interface design. In part III today, we focus on the desk accessory, popularly known as the widget, applet, mini-app, gadget, or whatever the fashionable term is these days.

gOS: the Conceptual Google Operating System

"Earlier this week Everex launched the gPC TC2502, which is a sub-USD 200 PC sold at a major US retailer, but what makes this unique is that it runs the gOS. The gOS (GreenOS) is designed to be a conceptual Google Operating System that is based upon Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon. Though this is not the conventional GNOME desktop environment but an Enlightenment E17 desktop is used that is heavily modified and reflects a green Google theme. The gOS provides easy access to Google services such as YouTube, Google Product Search, Google Calendar, and Google Maps. Also a click away are other web services such as Wikipedia and Facebook. This isn't a pure Internet desktop but Xine, Skype, OpenOffice.org, and other applications are available for this Linux LiveCD. We've been trying the gOS out for a while and it's a rather nice slim desktop Linux distribution that would be perfect for Internet cafes and other public places." More screenshots.

OpenSUSE 10.3 Live Version Available

"The live version of openSUSE 10.3 is now available as a GNOME or KDE CD. Both contain the same software as the 1 CD installation versions would provide you with, but as a live version. The live system can be used as a productive system or rescue system. You can also use it to just check out how openSUSE 10.3 runs on your computer without touching your hard drive. The Live CDs are available as 32bit versions in US English only and also contain, for the first time, an install option on the desktop."

The New School of Videographers

At OSNews we are committed on being geeky. However, "being a geek" does not always constitute a person who just loves technology. There are geeks about literature (who do you think wrote "Shrek"?), and of course, art geeks. This last kind enjoys a new booming lately with the commoditization of HD camcorders. The following editorial includes suggestions on camera choices, video editors and delivery formats, and has HD video samples of hobbyist cameramen that many professionals could be jealous of.

Ubuntu 7.10 Pragmatic Visual and Behavioral Critique II

"Now let’s not get side-tracked from the primary topic. I’ve decided to focus less on making this an entertaining read and instead provide more brief and to the point examples. This being a sequel article, will certainly prove disappointing to many so I might as well not hold back even if this installment turns into more of a behavior and functional sanity check than a visual presentation critique." More here.

Leopard Server Virtualization on the Way

Apple has apparently changed the licensing for OS X Server 10.5. However, client licensing is still restricted to one instance of the OS per physical machine. According to Parallels and VMware, Apple's rewording of their EULA will allow them to update their respective products to run Leopard server inside a virtual machine. The ability to virtualize Apple's server OS bodes well for further expansion of OS X in the enterprise market.