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Monthly Archive:: December 2004

What alternative operating systems need to learn from Microsoft

I just spent the last several days reading the lengthy essay "Ying and Yang of Security" which explores the origins of security on the personal computer and explains why the current models are outdated. It seems to argue that security systems designed to keep the system safe are relics of the days of mainframes when the system was more important than the user, but for a personal computer the user is more important than the system.

Improvements in SELinux

James Morris, one of the core SELinux developers has a blog entry detailing the evolution of SELinux and how it has worked so far including a recent major performance boost using RCU (Read Copy Update) code in the Linux kernel.

KDE 3.3.2 Released

"The KDE Project today announced the immediate availability of KDE 3.3.2, a maintenance release for the latest generation of the most advanced and powerful free desktop for GNU/Linux and other UNIXes." Read the full announcement here, or download it here."

Interview with amaroK’s Developers

Market share numbers in free software is a rather dubious thing and tend to reflect more often the wishes of the quoter than any true objective measurement. I still dare to claim thought that XMMS has historically been the most used GUI media player on Linux and FreeBSD systems and maybe still is. Still there have been a lot of alternatives popping up all hoping to dethrone XMMS over the years and maybe the time has now come when either there will be no clear leader or someone else will ascend. One of the alternatives I really like is amaroK.

Technical Overview of Windows Server 2003 SP1

Service Pack 1 builds upon the impressive track record of the award winning Windows Server 2003 operating system by introducing numerous refinements in addition to supplying cumulative system updates. Deploying Service Pack 1 will help enterprises across all industries and segments enhance security, increase reliability and simplify administration through guided attack surface reduction.

What are the real vulnerabilities of Linux?

For this article, it is accepted that in today's real world, there is little to suggest that worm writers would or could create the same degree of havoc on Linux as they have for Windows. However, that does not mean that Linux is impermeable to attack by the same kind of malicious, worm-writer-minded efforts that plague Windows. So what are the real vulnerabilities of the Linux operating system?

Ubuntu: From Warty to Hoary

Probably one of the most talked about linux distributions in second part of this year was Ubuntu. It is Linux distribution based on Debian Unstable with nice selection of Gnome applications and it fits to one CD. Thanks to financial support from Canonical they have been able to offer free CDs, and that is really nice touch.

Definition of Today’s Geek!

This document has been created for those who do not have a clear definition of "today's geek". So if you are a geek, or think you may be a geek, sit back, relax, grab your bottle of Bawls and your Tux pillow and join us on this ride. For everyone else, please pay attention so we can embrace the geek in you.

Opinion: Ignorance of the Geek

Geek is defined by Dictionary.com as 'A person who is single-minded or accomplished in a scientific or technical pursuit'. Many of us either acknowledge ourselves as computer geeks or are labeled by Friends, Family, and/or Colleagues as the such. This is not a condescending statement and should not be taken in a negative connotative way. It is in fact an admiration of our technical skills and abilities.