Monthly Archive:: March 2002

Gentoo Linux is a high-performance ports-based Linux metadistribution for x86-based systems. Gentoo Linux 1.0 has finally been released. You'll find install instructions and ISOs and build tarballs (and on mirrors soon). Gentoo Linux is said to be the "fastest" Linux distribution to date, incorporating patches that make it extremely responsive. It is mostly aiming at developers though, as its installation procedure is definately not for newbies. Gentoo uses Portage as its package system, which is a mix of Debian's apt-get and FreeBSD's ports system, incorporating the good points of both technologies.

In a live interactive streaming audio/ICQ interview, by UGN at the AmigaExpo in Baltimore, Hyperion released even more interesting details regarding the development of AmigaOS4. Some highlights:

Microsoft Windows' next version will feature a database-like file system. However, something similar was done years ago, at BeOS' BFS. (BeOS experienced) journalist Andrew Orlowski from TheRegister interviewed Benoit Schillings and Dominic Giampaolo (of the BeOS fame) about BFS and the database-like file systems in general.

Bochs 1.4 is the latest release of Bochs, the popular x86 emulator. This version delivers features such as booting from a CDROM, VESA BIOS Extensions, improved networking, keyboard mapping for non-US keyboards, and a working serial port. You'll notice several new buttons on the GUI, copy, paste, and snapshot, which let you copy text between the system clipboard and the Bochs screen. There is also a new cross-platform interface using the SDL library. In related news, VMWare has just released a beta of its upcoming VMWare 3.1 x86 runtime (VMWare is not an emulator like Bochs and VPC are, this is why it can't be ported to any other architecture than x86 - however, by being a runtime, it is speedier than the emulators), while Connectix released its x86 emulator, Virtual PC 4.3, just 15 days ago.

A serious hole in Windows NT and Windows 2000 allows any user (even "guest") to gain complete control of the machine using the standard documented debugging interface. An article on ExtremeTech gives details and links to patches and sample exploits. To date, Microsoft has not commented on the vulnerability.

A few months back, I started to read about the new AmigaDE environment, AmigaOne, and the new technology Amiga is using. After Tao released their Intent/AmigaDE ADK on a cover CD bundled with Digital Magazine (and being an old Amigaen), I wanted to dig a little deeper and find out what all the fuss is about. During my search on the web, I couldn't help being a little disappointed.

"At first glance, Red Hat's announcement of "Red Hat Linux Advanced Server, the first enterprise-class Linux operating system" sounds like just another dose of public relations hype. Another day, another Linux business announcement. But first impressions can be misleading. Many industry observers think the Advanced Server is a giant leap forward for enterprise Linux." Read the report at NewsForge. In a statement released to Linux Today from Caldera, the Utah-based firm has some pointed concerns regarding Red Hat's Advanced Server, announced March 26: "We believe, and some of Red Hat's own industry partners will tell you, that Linux today cannot scale in the same way that UNIX can."

It appears that Linux-Mandrake believes it has not angered customers as reported on many IT related web sites. According to this page, the folks at Mandrake explain how the OEM agreement they signed with Sun forced their decision (to make SO6 available only to Club members), justify the change in their membership benefits, and thank the community for their continued support of open-source R&D.

"Whether you're an administrator or a developer, you must understand what's in store for you when you start using Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0, which ships as part of the Windows .NET Server product line. The key interests of developers and administrators alike include security, stability, scalability, and programmability. Here's how IIS addresses those needs". Read the interesting review at .NETMag, while you can also similar explore interesting articles like "Evaluate Windows .NET Server" and "Internet Information Services 6.0 Overview - Beta 3".

"In a long awaited move, a beta version of the 8.2/PPC has joined the i586 version of the upcoming Mandrake Linux 8.2 distribution. This beta has a bit different schedule from the i586 version, but it should be roughly equivalent to beta2, with a few bug-fixes, and some PPC-specific features." Read about the new PPC features at Linux Mandrake. In related PPC news, Yellow Dog Linux 2.2 is now available for purchase.

For those of us who still mourn the BeOS, watching gobe software expand is like watching a little brother grow up; we're all rooting for them. That's why it's that much more exciting to see reviews like the one at arstechnica.com that gives gobeProductive 3.03 a solid 8/10 score, with the author commenting "I encourage everyone to pick up a copy." Read the rest of the review at ArsTechnica.com. NewsForge reviews OpenOffice 6.0 while they also report on a new crossover plugin for Linux which allows Microsoft Office to run under Linux.

"Palm may be on the way back to profitability, but it has serious challenges ahead as wireless convergence looms, according to a new report. In the report, Strategic Challenges In The Future Market For Handheld Devices, Denmark-based analyst firm Strand Consult predicts that Palm and Handspring will be crushed between the financial clout of Microsoft and the entrenched distribution networks of mobile phone manufacturers, once the focus in the PDA market shifts to wireless-enabled devices." Read the rest of the story at ZDNews.

In Amiga's latest executive update, Amiga Inc's CEO concentrates on the development of the AmigaOS4 desktop operating system. Initially the new PPC based AmigaOS is being targeted at Eyetech's new AmigaOne ATX motherboard (an A1200/PCI bridge will become available later on, which will allow AGA chipset compatibility, but this is not needed if you don`t want it), bplan's new multi-processor supporting PEGASOS microATX motherboard, Elbox' new G3/G4 Accelerator cards and even old Cyberstorm/Blizzard PPC accelerators for classic Amigas. Merlancia Industries, with legend Amiga hardware designer Dave Haynie as their CTO are even developing new PPC laptops. New PPC native versions of popular Amiga software including MUI and IBrowse are under development, as announced in this executive update.

"Availability of Over 1 Million Lines of Source Code for FreeBSD and Windows Underscores Microsoft’s Commitment to Open Standards, Academia and Developers," the press release reads. Microsoft today announced the availability of source code for its Shared Source CLI implementation. The Shared Source CLI source code implements the ECMA Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) and C# standards.