"A well-illustrated technical paper comparing RTLinux, RTAI, and VRTXsa has been published by two Italian computer science students. Emanuele Mattei and Andrea Ludiciani conclude that the RTOSes offer comparable predictability, while RTLinux is the least variable and RTAI the most efficient."

DragonFly 1.8.0 has been released. The biggest kernel change in this release is the addition of virtual kernel support and a virtual kernel build target. The biggest user-visible changes include updates to third party applications included in the base system, a major rewrite of NULLFS which removes all directory recursion restrictions from mount_null and removes nearly all the kernel resource overhead when using such mounts, and a multi-ip feature for jails.

Ken Johnson, a Windows kernel mode and debugging guru, analyzes the Windows x64 Kernel Patch prevention system on his blog. From his perspective, PatchGuard is neither a security scheme nor a DRM measure due to the limited scope of the structures it protects. Instead, it is a tool to prevent vendors from destroying system security and stability. Johnson also forecasts a hypervisor-based PatchGuard mechanism for future revisions to this technology. Check out other posts on Nynaeve for a wealth of technical details on Windows mechanisms of interest to reverse-engineers.

"While defensive programming effectively guarantees the condition of a method's input, it becomes repetitive if it is pervasive across a series of methods. Andrew Glover shows you an easier way to add reusable validation constraints to your code using the power of AOP, design by contract, and a handy library called OVal."

"There still seems to be plenty of interest in building shared-source RISC OS for the Risc PC, but there is much confusion about what would be involved in doing so. First, understand that this is not top priority for ROOL - ROOL's policy is that it's more important to focus on releasing all the components needed to do an Iyonix ROM and disc build first. Only after this will the remaining components be vetted for release, although those components that relate to Risc PC hardware support are probably good candidates to be the next on the list."

"Yes, that's right, the Linux kernel community is offering all companies free Linux driver development. No longer do you have to suffer through all of the different examples in the Linux Device Driver Kit, or pick through the thousands of example drivers in the Linux kernel source tree trying to determine which one is the closest to what you need to do. All that is needed is some kind of specification that describes how your device works, or the email address of an engineer that is willing to answer questions every once in a while. A few sample devices might be good to have so that debugging doesn't have to be done by email, but if necessary, that can be done."

"In this interview, Jens talks about how he got interested in Linux, how he became the maintainer of the block layer and other block devices, and what's involved in being a maintainer. He describes his work on IO schedulers, offering an indepth look at the design and current status of the CFQ scheduler, including a peek at what's in store for the future. He conveys his excitement about the new splice IO model, explaining how it came about and how it works. And he discusses the current 2.6 kernel development process, the impact of git, and why the GPL is important to him."

Today, 00:00 CET, Vista will be on sale here in The Netherlands; some computer shops will even be open tonight to cater to the early adopters. In all honesty, I do not think we will see Windows 95-like craziness, but still, I think a simple poll is in order. What is the feature in Windows Vista you have been looking forward to the most? Read more to pass your vote.

"The introduction of Microsoft Windows Vista and its' many confusing and progressively expensive flavors has opened up a er, period of opportunity for Apple (formerly Apple Computer). Will Steve Jobs take a really bold chance to increase his market share or just play it safe with his little fiefdom of iPods, iTunes and forthcoming iTV?"

"It seems Microsoft is putting IE8 development into gear. Participants of the Windows Server 'Longhorn' beta program on Microsoft Connect have just received an email notifying them that a new survey for Internet Explorer 8 has been published on the program site. The survey contains a few questions on the current usability of IE7 and asks the users what new features they would like to see in IE8. The survey also asks users to rank the importance of several planned features. The email mentions that the survey should be completed before Thursday, March 1st, 2007; giving us a vague peak at the timeline for IE8."

Linux distributor Terra Soft, makers of the Fedora-based Yellow Dog Linux distribution for the PPC platform, recently announced plans to provide a complete Linux distribution for the TPPC64, a single-board computer developed by Themis. Terra Soft, which once specialized in Linux support for Apple computers, has found several new PPC Linux niches since Apple's unexpected transition to Intel processors.

A Microsoft representative confirmed that users may buy an OEM copy of Windows Vista at a substantial discount, provided they adhere to the terms of the license - which, incidentally, may mean providing support for family members. In addition, users should still be subject to the same familiar re-activation restrictions as users of a retail Vista license and Windows XP, a spokeswoman said. Users can alter the PC's hardware substantially, but they will be forced to reactivate - not repurchase the OEM software - if they do, she said. Elsewhere, AppScout wonders, is Vista relevant?

Create a working Linux cluster from many separate pieces of hardware and software. Part 1 of the series provides detailed instructions on setting up the hardware for the cluster. Part 2 describes configuring the management server and installing the nodes in the cluster. This provides an easy way to get started with large Linux clusters.

"Windows Vista is finally here for everyone and is soon to be made available on store shelves and pre-loaded on new PC's. Windows Vista has been five years in the making; throughout that time we have witnessed Microsoft reschedule the release of this 'major upgrade' over and over and over again. Microsoft, however, throughout that tumultuous time did manage to pick up the pieces and move forward." Read more of the multi-page review at ActiveWin.