Thom Holwerda Archive

TuxMachines has a quick look at Mandriva Linux 2006 Beta 1. This beta has been quietly released over the weekend; DistroWatch lists the mirrors where you can download. You can see the full package list here, and a screenshot gallery here.

The open-source Firefox browser and Thunderbird e-mail client will be updated for the second time in a week because of code changes that have stopped some third-party extensions from functioning correctly.

After AKAImBatman's wildly popular (and heavily criticized) look at what the future of the Linux Desktop might look like, Mr. Batman has decided to write a followup article where he attempts to clear up many of the misconceptions readers have about the original article. In addition, Mr. Batman uses the second part of the series to give technical details about how some of the concepts might be implemented.

This article describes in detail what to expect from Sun when it comes to the SPARC platform. The 8-core Niagara chip, now planned for early 2006, is the most impressive: "In practical terms, what Niagara delivers is a chip that consumes about 56 watts that has about the same performance on infrastructure workloads as a four-way SMP rig of Xeon processors or a two-way setup using dual-core Xeons. These Xeon setups will consume hundreds of watts per processor."

GNOME 2.11.5 has been released. As with the Linux kernel, odd-numbered versions indicate development releases. Download: platform, desktop, and bindings.

With the uptake of IP telephony continuing apace and the proliferation of IP devices in general, has the time finally arrived for an old concept – power over Ethernet (PoE)? For certain deployments of IP based technology, PoE is not only cost effective but arguably essential.

Despite Microsoft's claims that its .Net platform is sprouting its own ecosystem and is undergoing substantial adoption in the industry, some say the adoption of open-source opportunities appear to outpace .Net.

SCO's CEO Darl McBride was told that the Linux kernel contained no SCO copyright code six months before the company issued its first lawsuit, a memo reveals. An outside consultant Bob Swartz conducted the audit, and on August 13 2002 Caldera's Michael Davidson reported the results.

The Mozilla Foundation has posted the second alpha edition of its next standalone browser, for now code named "Deer Park". This version now includes an integrated update system that would make it possible to patch the browser with small-sized upgrade files, rather than forcing users to download and reinstall a full version, as is now the case. Screenshot.

This is the first of a new series of articles that keeps you informed of what's happening in KDE development. The hottest new features to hit SVN every month will be tested and sneak preview screenshots posted. Current issues are available from June and July.

A major focus of AspectJ 5 is on providing support for the new Java language features introduced in Java 5, including annotations and generics. AspectJ 5 also contains new features not tied to Java 5, such as an annotation-based development style, improved load-time weaving, and a new aspect instantiation model.

Are there too many Linux distributions currently available? Can there be too many? This article explores the effect of the large number of distros out right now and suggests that progress could possibly be made through a consolidation.

This is a status update for the Debian GNU/Hurd port. While the port was limping along for a couple of years, it has picked up speed again. The current state is still far from being on par with Debian's established Linux ports, but it is mostly up to date and reasonably usable.

Sunday night saw the release of several screenshots of Longhorn Build 5203. Many questions arose, in particular on Microsoft's Longhorn newsgroups. Mike Brannigan from Microsoft has taken the liberty to have tried to answer everyone's questions, questions often repeatedly asked.