OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

What Happened to the Menu Bars in Vista?

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-22 Windows 52 Comments

The Windows Client team explains the reasoning behind an important change in Vista's user interface. "One of the first things people notice when they start using Vista is the absence of menu bars. Explorer, photo gallery, media player, and IE all don't show menus by default and just use the so-called 'command module'. What is up with that? Do we hate menu bars? And more importantly - what is the guidance that third-party developers are supposed to follow? Let me break it down for you." And on a slightly related note: Mary Jo Foley has left MicrosoftWatch to start working at ZDNet.

ICANN Free in Two Years

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-22 Internet 25 Comments

Internet overseeing organisation ICANN will become an autonomous body, free from any form of government control, on 1 October 2008, if plans drawn up between it and the US government go according to plan. The current agreement between ICANN and the US Department of Commerce is due to expire next week, but speculation has been mounting for months over what will happen to management of the internet's vital domain name system.

Windows Vista RC1 Mega Review, Security, and More

Submitted by Anonymous 2006-09-22 Windows 89 Comments

NeoSmart has published their Windows Vista RC1 Monster Review, which tries a kind of "thorough overview" of everything Vista will ship with this close to RTM. Especially interesting is the brief security run-down. And of course, there are screenshots as always.

Submitted by mdoverkil 2006-09-21 Solaris 69 Comments

"Google is experimenting with the open-source version of Sun's Solaris operating system as a possible long-term prelude to replacing its massive global network of Linux servers, according to sources. With dozens of data centers worldwide estimated to house hundreds of thousands of Intel servers supporting its flagship search engine, a Google move to OpenSolaris would be another of several recent votes of confidence for the platform."

Proposal to Fund Debian Reveals Debate About Devs’ Motivations

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-21 Debian 21 Comments

"A group of leading developers calling themselves Dunc-Tank is preparing to pay selected Debian developers to complete specific projects. But although Dunc-Tank's first goal is the practical one of ensuring that the next version of Debian is ready for its scheduled release, its announcement has also publicized a previously private debate about what happens when free software developers suddenly receive pay for what they are already doing for personal reasons."

Microsoft Rivals Seen Lobbying EU About Vista

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-21 Microsoft 38 Comments

Two US software firms are asking the European Commission to take action against Microsoft's new Vista operating system, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Adobe Systems has told EU regulators that Microsoft should be banned from incorporating free competing software for reading and creating electronic documents with Vista, the paper said, quoting people familiar with the situation. Anti-virus software maker Symantec will send officials to Brussels next week to brief journalists about features of Vista that it has told EU regulators will undercut rival makers of computer security software, the paper said.

Desktop Linux Distributions – From A to Z

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-21 Linux 14 Comments

"There are hundreds of Linux distributions. This handy reference guide includes the ones we think are especially interesting for desktop Linux users - from Arch Linux to Zenwalk - and we plan to update the list on an ongoing basis. Whether you're looking for an easy Windows-to-Linux migration distro, one for home use or serious enterprise workstation use, a free one, a commercial one, a tiny one to fit alongside Windows 98 on an old underpowered laptop, or one aimed at educational institutions, we think you'll find something suitable."

AMD: Apple Will Eventually Use Our Chips

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-21 AMD 24 Comments

AMD chief executive Hector Ruiz said Wednesday that Apple will eventually use its microprocessors alongside those from Intel. Ruiz made the comments during a dinner speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, according to Bloomberg. "Everybody wants choice," he said, adding that rival Intel's practices have stifled the PC industry's growth. "Knowing Apple, why would they want to be held hostage like everyone else has been?"

USB Mass Storage, USB2 on R5

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-21 Haiku 4 Comments

While some BeOS users have enjoyed USB Mass Storage support on compatible (read: Dano USB stack-equipped) systems since the release of the USB Storage Module back in 2004, it today became possible to use this driver with an entirely legal USB stack on BeOS R5. In addition, USB 2.0 now works on R5, whereas Be's stacks have only ever supported USB 1.1. Michael Lotz's commit allows the driver to operate on R5, and on the SVN mailing list, he has stated that in testing, he has written to and read data from his Playstation Portable at USB2 speeds using this combination.

Submitted by thabrain 2006-09-21 Office 26 Comments

Based on information discussed at the OOoCON conference in Lyon, OpenOffice starting with version 2.0.4 may include Firefox-like extensions. Also on the board is to incorporate the use of Mozilla Sunbird and Thunderbird into the OOo suite, connectors for Sun Calendaring and Microsoft Exchange support, and even an eventual redesign of OpenOffice 3.0 to run on top of Eclipse, Netbeans or Mozilla's XUL.

Review: FiWin SS28S WiFi VoIP SIP/Skype Phone

Guest post by Zachary McGrew 2006-09-21 Wireless 7 Comments

There is a lot of noise about VoIP lately, especially because it can help you avoid a major part of your cellphone bill. The first VoIP handsets released were all USB-based, but now cordless, Bluetooth and WiFi handsets are springing one by one in the market. The most affordable WiFi handset in the market right now, selling for just $150, is the FiWin SS28S that was released at the beginning of the summer by FiWin. Geeks.com sent us in a unit for the purposes of this review.

Mac OS Market Share Figures

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-21 macOS 74 Comments

Apparantly, it's ~~damn lies~~ statistics time again in the Apple world, boys and girls. A few days ago, Net Applications published OS market share figures which showed that the market share of the Mac OS remained largely flat over the past year. However, today, the Switchtoamac website posted an article which looks at the same set of figures in a different way, only to conclude that when you compare last year's figures to this year's, the Mac OS has risen 25% in marketshare. We all know the saying: there are lies... Damn lies... Funny detail: while the debate rages on about half percentage points for the Mac OS, Windows XP increased its share by 8 percent the past 12 months. According to these figures, of course.

Submitted by Lakedaemon 2006-09-21 SkyOS 28 Comments

SkyOS has gotten printing support using CUPS. "With the Printer Configuration it is now very easy to add and manage your printers, be it locally connected (USB) or network (Windows, Linux, Samba, IPP) printers. The entire printing system is implemented as a service (like most other SkyOS Subsystems), which can easily be enabled/disabled on demand. With roughly 1000 supported printers the next SkyOS build will enable you to print your favorite documents in various formats."

Submitted by michuk 2006-09-21 Linux 35 Comments

"Is Linux a good choice for your old PC? In this article I’m going to examine the main issues connected with using GNU/Linux on some very old hardware. I will also cover choosing a distro, a desktop and the key applications for such a configuration."

Reduce Code Noise with Groovy

Submitted by Groovy 2006-09-21 Java 7 Comments

"Groovy's concise syntax frees developers from typical Java constructs that are required for code compilation but don't facilitate expressing what a program is really trying to accomplish. In this revival of the Practically Groovy series, Groovy developer and guest columnist J. Scott Hickey walks you through a series of comparisons between normal Java code and the same Groovy code to show you how this exciting language frees you to focus on the important aspects of coding."

Novell Receives Delisting Notice From NASDAQ

Submitted by Jeff 2006-09-21 Novell and Ximian 13 Comments

"Novell today announced that it had received a staff determination notice from the NASDAQ Stock Market stating that the company's common stock is subject to delisting from the NASDAQ Stock Market. The notice was issued in accordance with standard NASDAQ procedures as a result of the delayed filing of Novell's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 31, 2006."

ATI’s New Linux Drivers Drop Support for Older Radeons

Submitted by brandon 2006-09-21 3D 70 Comments

ATI has released the 8.29.6 version of its proprietary Linux drivers, with the announcement that the 9000, 9100, and 9200 IGP and Mobility Radeon chipsets are no longer supported by the new version. Radeon 8500, 9000, 9100, 9200, and 9250 devices are also dropped from support. Thankfully, these models are supported in 2D/3D mode by the open source DRI driver.

FreeBSD 6.2 Beta-1 Available

Eugenia Loli 2006-09-21 FreeBSD 16 Comments

The first Beta build for the FreeBSD-6.2 Release Cycle is now available on most of the FTP mirror sites. If the release cycle goes as planned it is the first of two BETAs, which will be followed by two Release Candidates (RCs) and then the final release.

OpenBSD 4.0 Pre-Orders Available

Submitted by Jason Dixon 2006-09-20 OpenBSD 39 Comments

Pre-orders for OpenBSD 4.0 are now available in the online store. Five architectures on three CDs in a soft-shell DVD case. Check out the highlights of OpenBSD 4.0. This new release adds support for many wireless chipsets, as well as support for the UltraSPARC III, and much, much more.

Submitted by porcel 2006-09-20 Open Source 43 Comments

David Wheeler does a cross-examination of the GPL and BSD and why the GPL and Linux specifically have managed to attract a larger number of corporate contributors. "If your goal is to get an idea or approach widely used to the largest possible extent, a permissive license like the BSD (or MIT) license has much to offer. If your goal is to have a useful program that stays useful long-term, then a protective license like the LGPL or GPL licenses has much to offer. Protective licenses force the cooperation that is good for everyone in the long term, if a long-term useful project is the goal."