OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

DesktopBSD 1.0: FreeBSD for the Desktop

Eugenia Loli 2006-09-12 BSD & Darwin 17 Comments

DesktopBSD is a version of FreeBSD customized for the desktop. Building upon FreeBSD 5.5-PRE, ver1.0 comes packed with desktop-oriented features such as KDE 3.5.1 and the DesktopBSD Tools, which include a graphical interface to the FreeBSD ports system. Read the rest here.

Subversion 1.4.0 Released

Eugenia Loli 2006-09-12 General Development 12 Comments

This is a feature release of Subversion, featuring BDB 4.4 and repository auto-recovery support, a new tool for synchronizing repositories (svnsync), major speed enhancements in the versioned filesystem and the working copy, and of course the usual host of bugfixes and minor enhancements. Additionally, check this article on how to Set up Subversion and websvn on Debian.

Interview: Magnussoft’s Rene Weinert

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-11 Original OSNews Interviews 17 Comments

Yesterday, I wrote a short editorial concerning the news that Magnussoft started accepting pre-orders for the next version of Zeta, 1.21. Today, via email, I asked a few short question which arose, more or less, in the comments' section of that editorial, to Magnussoft's Rene Weinert. Updated: See question 3.

UAC: Yes, You Can Turn It Off, Is This a Good or a Bad Thing?

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-11 Windows 37 Comments

A few days ago we reported on the fact that applications which have administrative rights in Vista (given by the user, of course) can disable User Account Protection altogether. This was seen as a security flaw; Ars, however, begs to differ: "When UAC is disabled, Vista gripes loudly about it. The Windows Security Center immediately notes that UAC has been turned off, and it prompts you to turn it back on using a system tray notification. From our own testing, it appears impossible to disable UAC without the Security Center noticing it, which makes it rather unlikely that a user is end up in a less secure state."

Group Nears Record Deal for Chipmaker

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-11 Hardware 6 Comments

A consortium of investment firms was near a deal late Sunday night to acquire Freescale Semiconductor, a former unit of Motorola, for more than USD 16 billion, according to people briefed on the negotiations. The deal, if completed, would be the largest leveraged buyout ever in the technology sector, surpassing the USD 11.3 billion sale of SunGard Data Systems last year.

The Slightly Strange World of RISC OS

Guest post by Chris Wraight 2006-09-11 RISC OS 19 Comments

Being a RISC OS user is an odd experience. It's normally baffling to non-believers why so many (mostly British) computer users persist with the eccentric beast. It's easy to list reasons why no self-respecting geek would trouble with it: many old or under-developed applications, poor streaming media support, lack of compatibility with key standards and technologies, limited hardware support, and there are many more. For most, RISC OS is a thing of the past, a curio, a once-promising minority OS trampled on by the juggernauts of Windows, MacOS and Linux.

Thurrot: Upgrading from XP to Vista

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-11 Windows 21 Comments

Paul Thurrot (you know!) has published part 3 of his review of Vista RC1. This part focuses on upgrading to Vista from XP. "As with compatibility, the upgrade scenario appears to be another big win for Windows Vista. Granted, I've only upgraded one system. But it was a wonderfully real-world system, full of all kinds of crud. Yes, it's early yet: I will wait at least a few more days before declaring this a total victory; but so far so good."

Apple Remote Desktop 3, Part 2: Interacting with Users

Eugenia Loli 2006-09-11 Apple 6 Comments

After you have Apple Remote Desktop installed, you can use it to interact with users by text chat or one-way messages and alerts. Find out how to respond to user problems, observe one or more remote computers, and take control of Mac workstations remotely to improve security, enhance classrooms, and improve teacher/student interaction or help desk operations. It's all part of Ryan Faas' series on learning how to use and get the most out of the robust features of Apple Remote Desktop.

Using the My Feature in Visual Basic .NET

Eugenia Loli 2006-09-11 .NET 10 Comments

Computer people are great at coming up with clever quips and phrases. One of Paul Kimmel's favorites is the term "syntactic sugar" meaning something that, like sweets, isn't necessary, but tastes good. That's what the My feature is -- syntactic sugar. The difference between the sugary gooey foods you might eat and the My feature is that My is better for you.

Intel to Introduce CSI to Counter AMD’s HyperTransport

Submitted by Mica Schunarez 2006-09-11 Intel 29 Comments

Intel is getting ready to introduce a chip communications technology called Common System Interface (CSI) and also an integrated memory controller that mirrors an approach central to recent successes of rival Advanced Micro Devices.

Parallels Desktop for Mac Review

Submitted by Anthony Agius 2006-09-11 OS News 13 Comments

Wondered how Parallels works and how to actually get it going? This article is an overview of the Parallels vitalization software and a simple guide on creating a virtual machine.

Zeta 1.21 Pre-Orders Accepted

Submitted by fudel 2006-09-10 Zeta 60 Comments

Magnussoft, the company now responsible for development on Zeta, has announced it is accepting pre-orders for Zeta 1.21. This new release will include multi-user support, will be built with GCC4, among other improvements. Bernd Korz's weblog contains more information. Korz was (is?) the CEO of YellowTAB, the company that started Zeta. Read on for a short editorial on this announcement.

Preview: Tom’s Hardware Benchmarks Intel’s First Quad-Core

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-10 Intel 21 Comments

Intel's first quad-core processor 'Kentsfield' has found its way into the Tom's Hardware test lab. Weeks before Intel will provide evaluation processors to the press, Tom's Hardware was able to obtain a qualification sample: The chip was sent through the test parcours, showing impressive performance.

Haiku Gets Addon Based OpenGL

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-10 Haiku 48 Comments

Jerome 'Korli' Duval has adapted Haiku's MESA-based OpenGL subsystem to an addon format, allowing renderers to be plugged in, with the first one being a MESA software renderer. This system will allow hardware 3D renderering drivers, such as Rudolf's one when adapted, to plug in without requiring specialised libGL.so's for every card. This extends the common BeOS concept of modularity even further, and is somewhat similar to how Be's OpenGL beta worked - each graphics card acquired a third, .3da driver, to add to the kernel and .accelerant drivers.

HP Chairman: Use of Pretexting ‘Embarrassing’

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-10 Hardware 2 Comments

The 'pretexting' technique used in a Hewlett-Packard investigation of board members and reporters has been an embarrassment for the company, Chairman Patricia Dunn said Friday. "I am not happy that the way this investigation has been conducted has led to this major embarrassment," Dunn said in an interview with CNET News.com. Asked if she believed pretexting is illegal, Dunn replied, "I have no idea, but it's wrong."

Submitted by falko 2006-09-10 Internet 2 Comments

"This document describes how to install a mail server based on Postfix that is based on virtual users and domains, i.e. users and domains that are in a MySQL database. I'll also demonstrate the installation and configuration of Courier (Courier-POP3, Courier-IMAP), so that Courier can authenticate against the same MySQL database Postfix uses."

Shuttleworth: ‘Conflicting Goals Create Tension in Communities’

Thom Holwerda 2006-09-09 Ubuntu 63 Comments

Mark Shuttleworth writes on his blog: "I'm of the opinion that Ubuntu could not exist without Debian. So it's absolutely my intention to see that Ubuntu is a constructive part of the broader Debian landscape. It's vital that Ubuntu help to sustain and grow Debian, because it's the breadth and strength of Debian which make up the 'shoulders of greatness' on which we in the Ubuntu community stand when we reach for the stars."

How to Configure OpenVPN

Eugenia Loli 2006-09-09 Internet 7 Comments

OpenVPN may seem a little daunting at first, but once you get your feet wet this can be an incredibly useful (and free!) tool. In this article, Michael Riley shows you how to use OpenVPN for secure internet surfing on your client PCs. He’ll also help you set up the configuration that will allow you access to your home network while you’re traveling. From installation to troubleshooting, and using helpful OS-specific tips, this tutorial demystifies OpenVPN for the beginning user.

‘IE 6.x More Secure than Firefox 1.x in 2006’

Submitted by anonymous 2006-09-09 Privacy, Security 95 Comments

"Is Browser Security getting better? That is tough to say but Firefox is definitely not leading the way. Despite all the hype, despite all the Myths, Firefox 1.x has a worse security record so far in 2006 than Internet Explorer 6.x."

Amiga on Your PC: AmiKit 1.2.0 Released

Submitted by Jan Zahurancik 2006-09-09 Amiga & AROS 7 Comments

AmiKit 1.2.0 has been released. AmiKit is a freeware compilation of more than 300 of the finest Amiga programs (free/shareware). To be brief, AmiKit is the way to experience a high-end Classic AmigaOS on your Windows system. You need ROMs of the AmigaOS, which can easily be obtained by buying Amiga Forever. My take: I have used AmiKit myself, and I can attest it is the one of the finest, if not the finest, among its kind. Definitely recommended if you have AmigaOS ROMs.