Keep OSNews alive by becoming a Patreon, by donating through Ko-Fi, or by buying merch!

Monthly Archive:: August 2006

Sony Desktop Doubles as Flat-Screen TV

Sony launched on Tuesday the Vaio VGC-LS1 desktop, which serves dual roles as personal computer and TV. The system comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse, as well as with a remote control that can switch the monitor from a Windows-based PC to a TV, thanks to a built-in tuner. With technology similar to a digital video recorder, TV shows can be saved on the computer's 250GB hard drive and burned onto DVDs. Sony has also designed its new computer for space efficiency: Like Apple Computer's iMac, the VGC-LS1's hardware is packed into the back of its LCD screen.

Linux Heavies Plan Lightweight Virtualization

Red Hat and Novell, the two top Linux sellers, have only just begun building Xen virtualization software into their products. But they're already planning to add a higher-level option. Xen is a 'hypervisor' that lets a single computer run several operating systems simultaneously, using an idea called 'virtualization'. This enables companies to use a single server more efficiently - something that could save them money. Now 'containers', a higher-level virtualization approach that makes a single operating system look like many, is also getting traction.

Podcast: Tim Berners-Lee

Tim Berners-Lee is the originator of the World Wide Web and was listed byTime magazine as one of the 100 greatest minds of this century. His inspiring work on the Web set the stage for a world of changes in the way people do business, entertain themselves, exchange ideas, and socialize. In this podcast, Berners-Lee talks about his early history with the Web, opportunities and challenges at present, emerging technologies, and his current project: the semantic Web.

Microsoft Invites Firefox Development Team to Redmond

Microsoft wants to help aid in the development of Firefox. It sounds pretty scary, doesn't it? If you're still here, let me tell you that it's not as bad as it seems. Sam Ramjii, Director of Microsoft's Open Source Software Lab, has extended an invitation to the Firefox and Thunderbird developers asking them if they'd like to visit the company's open source research center. Microsoft's hopes are that, in a four-day span, the company can provide the open source developers with enough information to get the popular web browser running smoothly on Windows Vista.

Review: Puppy Linux

"Puppy Linux is a small Linux live CD distribution that can boot from a CD, DVD, or USB drive; a hard disk is optional. According to the Puppy Linux Web site, Puppy's goals include being Linux newbie-friendly, booting and running quickly, and including all the applications typical users need. The newest version is its most usable yet."

Dell, Sony Discussed Battery Problem 10 Months Ago

Dell and Sony knew about and discussed manufacturing problems with Sony-made Lithium-Ion batteries as long as ten months ago, but held off on issuing a recall until those flaws were clearly linked to catastrophic failures causing those batteries to catch fire, a Sony Electronics spokesman said. Spokesman Rick Clancy said the companies had conversations in October 2005 and again in February 2006. Discussions were about the problem of small metal particles that had contaminated Lithium-Ion battery cells manufactured by Sony, causing batteries to fail and, in some cases, overheat.

The OLPC Display: Low Power, Sunlight Readable LCD

"The biggest technology roadblock to building the USD 100 laptop championed by Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of the One Laptop per Child organization, is close to resolution. That roadblock has been developing a display that is rugged, inexpensive and readable in a wide variety of conditions from low light to bright sunlight." A Google Summer of Code project started the porting of GTK+ to this technology, with Manu Cornet especially testing to determine the tweaking necessary to usual GUI themes, for the goals of performance and display clarity.

Standardising UNIX Command-Line Tools

"Examine methods for standardizing your interface to simplify movements between different UNIX systems. If you manage multiple UNIX systems, particularly in a heterogeneous environment, then the hardest task can be switching between the different environments and performing the different tasks while having to consider all of the differences between the systems. This article does not cover specific differences, but you'll look at ways that can provide compatible layers, or wrappers, to support a consistent environment."

LinuxWorld Product Review: The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet

What's particularly compelling about the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is that it's not only the first to be billed as an "Internet Tablet," but also its software is built entirely from open source components. Parts of it come as a result of direct community participation via the Nokia 770's community site. Somewhere between a PDA and a laptop, Nokia's 770 uses software built entirely from open source components.

What Is OpenDocument

"The OpenDocument Format is an emerging file format standard for electronic office documents. Representing a triumph of common sense over the methods conceived before the rise of the Internet, ODF's goals are both exciting and controversial. Early adopters of the format include state and municipal governments in some near and far-flung places, and this makes the format's progress a thing to watch. Yet innovation theory tells us there are some hurdles we all must overcome before ODF becomes a regular topic of conversation at the ballpark. Those in the know, however, recognize that we're in about the second inning of a barn-burner. So, grab a hot dog and a beer, and settle in for a classic."