FreeVMS is an OpenVMS-like operating system which can run on several architectures like i386, PPC, Alpha, and many others. It consists of a POSIX kernel and a DCL command line interpreter. The only architectures currently supported are i386 and x86-64. Version 0.2.15 got released Monday.

Mac OS X 10.4.8 will now run on any generic x86-based PC. Well, almost. Kernel coder Semthex has posted what he claims is an entirely legal release of the Mac operating system's foundation layer. The only snag: you can't boot into the familiar GUI. To date, the version of Mac OS X for x86 processors has relied on kernel add-ons to anchor the software to Apple's own hardware through the machines' Trusted Platform Module. Much of the core code is independent of it, however, and available for access to all and sundry via Apple's own source code licence. What Semthex has claimed to do is produce code that essentially bypasses the TPM stuff yet stays within the Apple licence.

"We are pleased to present the third technology preview of Qt Jambi to our commercial customers and the open source community for testing and feedback. Qt Jambi is a prototype technology that enables Java developers to utilize Qt: the leading framework for high-performance, cross-platform applications." And you can win a MacBook.

Most UNIX and Linux programs are built by running make. Make and utilities like it are fundamental tools for streamlining the application build process. Learn the structure of the makefile, how to avoid common mistakes in its creation, and how to solve or work around portability issues and other problems as they crop up.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says that Apple did not need NeXT, the company that provided the foundation for Mac OS X; he argues that System 7 wasn't nearly as bad as it was made out to be. Wozniak also says that Mac OS 9 was more secure than OS X is now: Mac OS X is built in Unix and is therefore more prone to attacks because people are familiar with the holes in Unix, explained Woznaik. "Some of the holes in Unix are well known. So keeping Firewalls on is more important. And we keep announcing, even our own security fixes, not as many as Microsoft but still we never really had those in the OS 9 days."

AIX has a vast array of commands that enable you to do a multitude of tasks. Depending on what you need to accomplish, you use only a certain subset of these commands. There are a few core commands that you commonly use. This article will cover some of the core commands with the intent to provide a list that you can use as a ready reference.

Two reviews of the recently released Fedora Core 6. "FC 6 certainly is one of the best looking distro’s I have seen, especially for a default installation. but several smaller issue bugs that crept into FC 6 made me wonder how organized they really are. The problems I encountered with Fedora Core 6 were not huge issues, but there were enough smaller bugs that made me wonder if this release was rushed." And secondly, "FC6 is here, at last, and we've been busy putting it through its paces to let you see what's new. You're probably most interested in the following questions: Is Yum still slow? (yes). How good is AIGLX? (excellent). Does it still lack many configuration tools (yes)."

After a couple of months of serious work, Visopsys 0.64 has been released. There are only a handful of new, user-visible features (including right-click context menus and 32-bit .bmp/.ico support). The real focus of this release has been stability, quality, and debugging, plus large scale GUI re-engineering. In addition, graphics mode now works under Bochs 2.3 (as well as Qemu and VmWare). Downloads here and changelog here.

The Xen team writes: "We're pleased to announce the official release of xen 3.0.3! This release includes many new features as well as enhanced stability and performance." TheCodingStudio has a screenshot walkthrough of this new release.

'Why Apple Failed' promised to reveal an accidental discovery that was key to Apple's recovery. Here's it is: the real reason the company was able to turn things around and create new growth for the Mac platform. Why Apple Bounced Back.

A few months ago we ran a poll about the most important non-free Linux apps. We had over 8,000 votes in that poll and we consider the results pretty interesting. Interesting enough to push Linux's market share if a distro capitalized on them?

"Eventually, we're going to see Vista come out. Yes, I know, even at this late date, Vista is still getting unexpected delays - it was set to go to manufacturing Oct. 25, but it's not going to make it - but it is on its way. My question, though, is: What version will actually work for you come that day?"

"Novell today announced the availability of SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time, enabling customers to realize the benefits of Linux for real-time applications. SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time from Novell adds real-time technology from Concurrent Computer Corporation to the flexible and scalable SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 platform."

NetSurf users are reeling from HSBC's shock decision to suspend their accounts because their RISC OS computers are allegedly infected with spyware. The high street bank has confused the open source browser NetSurf with a strain of PC malware going by the same name, and has locked their customers out for security reasons, it is believed. Punters say they were forced to turn up at their local branch with photo ID and sign a form promising to use Microsoft Windows XP with anti-virus software installed before they could access their money again.