OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

How Google Finds Your Needle in the Web’s Haystack

Submitted by csousa 2006-12-07 Google 13 Comments

"Google's PageRank algorithm assesses the importance of web pages without human evaluation of the content. In fact, Google feels that the value of its service is largely in its ability to provide unbiased results to search queries; Google claims, 'the heart of our software is PageRank'. As we'll see, the trick is to ask the web itself to rank the importance of pages."

Ulteo Sirius Alpha 1 Released

Submitted by anonymous 2006-12-07 Linux 40 Comments

Gael Duval has announced the first test release of Ulteo, a new distribution started by Mandrake-founder Gael Duval. From the release announcement: "Here is the first public version of Ulteo! Its codename is 'Sirius' because we want to make it a star." From the release notes: "This installable live CD is based on Debian and Ubuntu packages. It's installed on the hard-drive using 'Yuch'. A daemon, called UGD (Ulteo General Daemon), is always connecting to Ulteo servers to see if a newer, more up to date system is available. It can then upgrade to this new system." Ulteo is based on Ubuntu 6.06 and uses kernel 2.6.15, X.Org 7.0, KDE 3.5.2, and Firefox 1.5.0.8. The CD image is available for download. Update: Screenshot tour. Rejoice, boys and girls.

Review: LG Chocolate and Sony Ericsson Flash Addon

Eugenia Loli 2006-12-06 Wireless 11 Comments

Our friends over at Hi-Mobile sent us in for a review two items this last week: the velerable LG Chocolate KG800 and an add-on camera flash accessory for Sony Ericsson fast-port phones. Check in for more.

Review: Dell Inspiron 6400 Core 2 Duo Laptop

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-06 Hardware 34 Comments

El Reg reviews the Dell Inspiron 6400, and concludes: "With a base price - for the T7200 Core 2 Duo - of GPB 789 inc. VAT and shipping, the Inspiron 6400 is an excellent and affordable route into the Core 2 Duo world. It has all the credentials to be a dependable multimedia companion with its great screen, comprehensive connectivity and decent processing power. But be aware it's neither exciting to look at nor to game on."

A Quick Look at AMD’s Quad-Core Barcelona

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-06 AMD 4 Comments

"Last week, AMD showed off a working quad-core processor at an event in San Francisco. The company had promised a quad-core demo by the end of the year, and they did manage to deliver, even if all the audience saw was a Windows machine running task manager. Clearly, the silicon for their next-generation core microarchitecture, codenamed Barcelona (also popularly called 'K8L'), has a few kinks left to be worked out."

Sun Hypes Niagara 2 Power-Efficiency

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-06 Oracle and SUN 12 Comments

Sun has been touting the efficiency of servers using its first-generation UltraSparc T1 'Niagara' processor, but it's promising greater gains with the chip's sequel. The first Niagara consumes about 70 watts running flat out. Sun now thinks Niagara 2 will consume between 70 and 80 watts, John Fowler, executive vice president of systems, said in a meeting with reporters at Sun offices here Tuesday. Although that power consumption is 'just a teeny bit above Niagara 1', Fowler said, the newer chip absorbs several functions that today require separate electronics and also can handle 64 simultaneous instruction sequences, called threads - twice that of Niagara 1.

IBM Plans Power6 Blades for Next Year

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-06 IBM 6 Comments

Today, IBM's blade servers are available with the company's PowerPC 970 processors. But the Power6 will replace those lower-end sibling in blade servers, Tim Doughtery, IBM's BladeCenter strategist, said in an interview Wednesday. The first Power6 servers are slated for delivery mid-2007, and the Power6 blades will arrive 'close to when we bring Power6 to the market', he added.

Developing Linux Apps for the Trolltech Greenphone

Submitted by anonymous 2006-12-06 Qt 7 Comments

"Trolltech's Linux/Qtopia-powered Greenphone aims to provide a real (rather than emulated) hardware platform for mobile phone application developers to test their applications on. This hands-on review takes an in-depth look at the phone's software environment, and at the development tools supplied with it."

Submitted by Flatline 2006-12-06 Ubuntu 67 Comments

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn Herd 1 (Ubuntu 7.04 alpha 1 in English) has been released. Download links can be found in the release announcement. The Kubuntu variant has been released as well. Screenshots are available for Ubuntu as well as Kubuntu.

Mandriva Flash Released

Submitted by anonymous 2006-12-06 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 16 Comments

"Mandriva Flash is meant for all those who want to have a complete OS and their personal data handy at all times without the hassle of carrying a laptop around. It is a full workstation, packed with all the latest technologies. It includes the brand new Mandriva Linux 3D desktop technology, as well as the best open source software available."

Submitted by diegocg 2006-12-06 Linux 52 Comments

As part of the 2.6.20 development process, patches adding support for the 'PS3 game console and other devices' (built on top of the IBM Cell) have been merged. The code has been written by Sony.

Submitted by Flatline 2006-12-06 Intel 7 Comments

Intel said Tuesday its diminutive low-cost laptop will be evaluated in Brazil next year alongside a cheaper alternative from a nonprofit group seeking to bring computers to poor children worldwide. The company said it would donate 700 to 800 of the USD 400 (EUR 300) 'Classmate PC', to the government for a large-scale evaluation in schools. Intel has already tested the computers on a smaller scale with students and teachers in a poor neighbourhood of Campinas, near Sao Paulo.

Guest post by Phoenixfire159 2006-12-06 Linux 215 Comments

The title of the article seems familiar to you? Naturally it would, when you read something like this. But I do state the corresponding sentence isn't even grammatically correct, thereby making it difficult for me to parody. I am sure that Linux is not close to extinction but is rather gaining momentum or at least holding its ground.

PostgreSQL 8.2 Released

Eugenia Loli 2006-12-06 Databases 25 Comments

PostgreSQL 8.2 is now released (sources, binaries) while you can read the release notes here.

SkyOS Gets Virtual Filesystem

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-05 SkyOS 43 Comments

SkyOS has gotten a new virtual filesystem, dubbed BranchFS. This makes it possible to branch filesystems, convert read-only media into read-write media, and add SkyFS attributes to non-SkyFS volumes. "BranchFS makes it possible to make a reversible filesystem. By using your system partition you can revert to a previous state (with just one reboot) and and when using a CD BranchFS makes it possible to make changes to the content. BranchFS is still in heavy development but branching a LiveCD works quite well already. The first SkyOS LiveCD will be based on BranchFS."

Apple Smart Phone Project Rests on Mac OS X Tie-Ins

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-05 Apple 11 Comments

For several years now, an elite squad of engineers at Apple Computer have been working diligently to perfect an intuitive smart phone concept that would both conform to the company's integrated model and oblige chief executive Steve Jobs. As AppleInsider has been told, it's the latter of those two feats that has thus far presented the utmost of challenges, largely preserving the project and its many facets behind the fortified walls of the company's home base. Note: Just to be sure: this initiative is not related to the rumoured iPhone project, according to AppleInsider.

Child’s Play: Sneaking a Peek at the OLPC OS

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-05 Hardware 17 Comments

"The first One Laptop Per Child hardware devices are still months from deployment, but you can sneak a peek at their Sugar desktop environment and bundled applications by running an OS image under an emulator. It's a great way to finally get some hands-on time with this long-anticipated project, even though it's not perfect."

Submitted by frik85 2006-12-05 ReactOS 14 Comments

ReactOS, the open source implementation of a Windows XP/2003 compatible operating system, does support now Intel Mac computers with bootcamp installed and Parallels' virtual machine. Furthermore the new ReactOS roadmap has been published yesterday. Today's interview features ReactOS developer and former project coordinator, Steven Edwards. Read it all on the ReactOS website.

War for Linux Is Lost – Almost

Guest post by Dmitrij D. Czarkoff 2006-12-05 Linux 184 Comments

The title of the article seems completely wrong to you? Naturally it would, when you daily read something like this. But I do state all this stuff is being a big mistake, if not worse. I am sure, that Linux is now close to extinction, and still is getting closer and closer to the point of no return.

Windows To Run on OLPC Laptop

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-05 Hardware 69 Comments

Microsoft wants to make its Windows operating system available on the One Laptop per Child notebook computers, OLPC chairman Nicholas Negroponte said at the NetEvents conference in Hong Kong on Saturday. "I have known Bill Gates his entire adult life. We talk, we meet one-on-one, we discuss this project," said Negroponte, vnunet.com can reveal. "We put in an SD slot in the machine just for Bill. We didn't need it but the OLPC machines are at Microsoft right now, getting Windows put on them."