MacFUSE: Full Read-Write NTFS for Mac OS X, Among Others

Amit Singh has just announced that Google is releasing MacFUSE, a FUSE compliant file system implementation mechanism for Mac OS X, which makes a plethora of file systems already working on Linux easily available to Mac OS X users as well. Some of the tested file systems include full read-write NTFS by NTFS-3G, transparent encryptions by CryptoFS and EncFS, SSHFS, GmailFS, and more.

CodeWeavers Unveils CrossOver 6.0, for Mac, Linux

"I am very happy to announce that we have shipped final versions of CrossOver Mac 6.0 and CrossOver Linux 6.0. Users of Intel based Mac systems can now seamlessly run many Windows applications on their Mac without needing a Windows license. Supported applications include Outlook, Visio, Project, Quicken, Steam based games such as Half Life 2, and many more. For Linux users, we have added support for Outlook 2003, World of Warcraft, a range of Steam based games such as Half-Life 2, and a number of other applications. Additionally, CrossOver 6 represents another major step forward in the evolution of Wine, so most users will find substantial improvements in the overall compatibility and behavior of CrossOver as compared to version 5."

Construct 2.00 Released

Construct 2.00 has been released. "Construct is a Python library for declaratively defined data structures, called 'constructs'. These constructs can both parse data into an object and build an object into data. Constructs handle fields of either byte or bit granularity, structs, unions, sequences, repeaters, adapters, validators, switching, pointers, on-demand (lazy) parsing, and many more. The library defines a large number of primitive constructs, as well a large inventory of file formats and network protocols."

Report: Vista’s Business Sales Stronger Than Expected

Sales of Windows Vista to businesses were stronger than expected during the operating system's debut month, according to a report from NPD Group. The sales outpaced the first month's tally for Windows 2000 and only slightly trailed that for Windows XP, the market researcher said Thursday. Commercial revenue from Vista in December was 62.5 percent above that racked up by Windows 2000 in March 2000, its first month after launch. But Vista's total is 3.7 percent below what Microsoft got in the commercial channel for Windows XP in November 2001, its first month on the market.

Unofficial Mac Tablet Draws Record Crowd at Macworld

Axiotron, together with distribution partner Other World Computing, is drawing huge crowds at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco this week, as attendees flock to take its new Mac OS X-based 'ModBook' tablet computer for a test run. Unveiled on Tuesday, the USD 2279 device is an after-market hardware modification to Apple's MacBook notebook line. The companies claim it's the 'first ever Mac OS X tablet computer solution'. Each ModBook starts off as a MacBook Core 2 Duo but undergoes a surgical operation where its original display and keyboard are severed, then replaced with a new 13.3-inch Wacom pen enabled widescreen display set in a chrome-plated magnesium top shell. The device runs the current version of Mac OS X and utilizes that software's built-in Inkwell handwriting recognition.

Mac Flaw Puts Safari Surfers at Risk

A serious security flaw in Mac OS X opens machines with Apple's Safari Web browser to hijack by outsiders, Secunia has warned. The vulnerability and 'proof of concept' code to exploit it were released on Wednesday as part of the Month of Apple Bugs project. It affects Mac OS X 10.4.8, the most recent version of Apple's operating system and, possibly, previous versions, security researcher LMH said in the posting on MOAB's Web site.

Microsoft Exec: ‘Craplets’ Could Damage Vista Launch

A senior Microsoft executive says the company is concerned that uncertified third-party software loaded onto new computers by manufacturers could hurt the launch of consumer versions of its Windows Vista operating system later this month. In a discussion Tuesday night at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Microsoft official told CBC News Online, on condition of anonymity, that the world's largest software maker is frustrated by legal shackles that prevent the company from restricting what kinds of software major computer makers install on new PCs. "We can't do anything about it because it would be illegal," the executive said in reference to restrictions placed on the company following a U.S. federal anti-trust lawsuit against the company.

Microsoft on Responsible Vulnerability Disclosure

Mark Miller, director of the Microsoft Security Response Center, shares his opinions about the wisdom of sharing vulnerabilities with customers. "Responsible disclosure, reporting a vulnerability directly to the vendor and allowing sufficient time to produce an update, benefits the users and everyone else in the security ecosystem by providing the most comprehensive and highest-quality security update possible."

Internet Explorer Still Cannot Be Removed From Windows

Groklaw has an article arguing that Microsoft has not yet complied with the DOJ order that users must be able to remove Internet Explorer from Windows. "So he explained the blue and white screens of death, what a dual boot startup is, commingling code, and then tying or bundling, specifically tying Internet Explorer with the operating system. He explained how you can't use Add/Remove to get IE or Media Player off your hard drive, but that you can use SPAD, 'set program access and defaults', to choose Firefox or another browser as your default browser instead of IE. However, IE remains on your hard drive."

Government Agency Tells Schools to Shun Vista

In a surprise criticism of Microsoft, the UK government's schools computer agency, has warned that deploying Vista carries too much risk and that its benefits are unclear. Becta, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, said on Wednesday that it 'strongly recommends' schools do not deploy Microsoft's next operating system within the next 12 months. And in a further dig at Microsoft, Becta argues there are no 'must-have' features in Vista and that "technical, financial and organisational challenges associated with early deployment currently make a high-risk strategy."