ReactOS 0.3.3 RC1 Released

The ReactOS project has released the first release candidate for version 0.3.3 of their Windows NT-inspired operating system. "We just released the first pre-release (RC1) of the upcoming 0.3.3. Certainly, it contains even more bugs than the alpha-quality software could contain, but we are still doing our best to reduce amount of certain glitches and misbehaviour."

Next Version of Windows: Call it 7

Microsoft is planning to ship its next major version of Windows - known internally as version '7' - within roughly three years, CNET News.com has learned. The company discussed Windows 7 on Thursday at a conference for its field sales force in Orlando, Fla., according to sources close to the company. While the company provided few details, Windows 7, the next client version of the operating system, will be among the steps taken by Microsoft to establish a more predictable release schedule, according to sources. The company plans a more 'iterative' process of information disclosure to business customers and partners, sources said.

The Road to CoreObject Part 1: EtoileSerialise

CoreObject is intended to be one of the foundation pieces of Etoile. The current roadmap calls for an experimental version in 0.3, a stable interface in 0.4, and a completely stable version in 0.5. "What is CoreObject? Basically, it's a replacement for a filesystem as a programmer and user interface. Files (in the UNIX sense of the word) never were a good abstraction; an untyped series of bytes is no use to anyone. The operating system needs to deal with things like this, but programmers shouldn't have to. We already have a much nicer abstraction than a file; the object. Unlike files, objects have all of the structure and introspection that we want in order to be able to interact with them programatically. In EtoilE, we want to treat everything as an object, and objects as first-class citizens."

RISC OS Open: One Year on

"It occurred to me this week that RISC OS Open is one year old this month. I checked by searching back through the news archives. Yes, there it is: the first proper mention of ROOL popped up on July 9 2006. That was an exciting moment. Unexpected too. Castle had taken the brave decision to begin the release of the RISC OS source code. ROOL, a new company founded by five experienced RISC OS enthusiasts, was the vehicle through which RISC OS source code would be made available to those who could handle it."

Linux Kernel 2.6.23 To Have Stable Userspace Driver API

Linus Torvalds included patches into the mainline tree which implement a stable userspace driver API into the Linux kernel. The stable driver API was already announced a year ago by Greg Kroah-Hartman. Now the last patches were uploaded and the API was included in Linus' tree. The idea of the API is to make life easier for driver developers: "This interface allows the ability to write the majority of a driver in userspace with only a very small shell of a driver in the kernel itself. It uses a char device and sysfs to interact with a userspace process to process interrupts and control memory accesses."

Copyright vs. Community in the Age of Computer Networks

"Copyright developed in the age of the printing press, and was designed to fit with the system of centralized copying imposed by the printing press. But the copyright system does not fit well with computer networks, and only draconian punishments can enforce it. The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying for draconian punishments, and to increase their copyright powers, while suppressing public access to technology. But if we seriously hope to serve the only legitimate purpose of copyright - to promote progress, for the benefit of the public - then we must make changes in the other direction. This talk by Richard M. Stallman is broken into two parts: the main talk and the question and answer sessions following the talk. Both are available in only OGG/Theora format in keeping with Stallman's wishes."

Leaving Redmond, WA in 24 Hours

This is the first install of what will be a periodic, ongoing series on how migrate from Microsoft's Windows to other Operating systems. This first article provides insight in the much discussed Ubuntu Linux. "Were it not for Ubuntu being so easy to use in practically every way, I would not have written this article. But, as I've moved forward with it I've discovered a whole new world outside of a strict Windows environment. I think there are probably hundreds of thousands of users out there who are where I was: right on the verge of taking the plunge, wanting something more but not sure how to get it."

New Syllable Build System for Linux

The Syllable project has released a new package of Builder, the system that builds Syllable, its native applications, and ported applications. Builder can also be installed on Linux. This release matches the Syllable 0.6.4 source code. It also contains the beginnings of a branch for the upcoming Syllable Server based on the Linux kernel. Part of the documentation for Builder was just integrated in the new Syllable documentation set. The full manual is in Builder/README. Further, the development version for the next Syllable release already has a new gigabit ethernet driver, for the D-Link DL2000.

Review: PCLinuxOS 2007

PolishLinux reviews PCLinuxOS 2007. "I must admit I am impressed by PCLinuxOS. And according to the distro slogan, which includes the two words 'radically simple', installation and configuration of the system is really easy, and the system is very friendly in everyday usage. Some of this 'radical simplicity' should be credited to hammered out details, and the system's elegant appearance (although this is a matter of individual taste). Regular users will find in PCLinuxOS everything they need 'out of the box'. Thanks to the consistency and the possibilities to configure the system with graphical tools (e.g. PCLinuxOS Control Center) this distro is close to ideal for those starting their adventure with Linux systems and migrating from Microsoft Windows systems."

Microsoft Grows Despite Windows Vista

"Microsoft told Wall St it's reconciled to the fact the seven-year-old Windows XP will occupy more of the client revenue mix than Microsoft would have preferred, while revenue for the full year will grow less than the year just closed. With the 'wow' clearly failing to materialize in fiscal 2007, Microsoft was left to pronounce itself 'broadly happy' - not blown away - with Windows Vista sales."

An Idea Rooted in Open Source Culture

"Last month, Novell decided to push the limits of developer empowerment and perform an elaborate experiment in innovation by liberating the company's entire Linux engineering team for one full week of free hacking. During Novell Hack Week, hundreds of skilled developers employed by Novell at various facilities around the world worked together on open-source projects of their choice. Driven by creativity and passion instead of deadlines, instructions, and executive decisions, Novell's best and brightest created impressive new software and added innovative improvements to existing programs."

Ubuntu Gutsy Tribe Alpha 3 Released

Ubuntu Gutsy Tribe Alpha 3 has been released. "The Ubuntu developers are moving very quickly to bring you the absolute latest and greatest software the Open Source Community has to offer. Gutsy Gibbon Tribe 3 is the third alpha release of Ubuntu 7.10, and with this new alpha release comes a whole host of excellent new features."

Matthew Szulik on Red Hat Culture, the Power of Open Source

"I spent an hour with Matthew Szulik this morning, wanting to get his input for my Open Source CEO Series. Matthew isn't the sort of person to seek the limelight for himself, so it was actually hard to convince him to answer questions. As became evident in his answers, though, Matthew firmly believes in the open-source model and the culture of personal excellence that makes it fruitful."