Internet Archive

MUSCLE is a robust, somewhat scalable, cross-platform client-server messaging system for dynamic distributed applications that runs under any POSIX-compliant operating system and Windows. Version 2.50 was released today including additions and fixes. The author of MUSCLE, Jeremy Friesner, wrote a very enjoyable article for OSNews back in the day to better introduce the system: "Using MUSCLE to Implement a Multiplayer Networked Game".

The Russian security site securitylab.ru reported that the source code of the CISCO IOS 12.3, 12.3t operating system has probably been stolen. The leak of Cisco's source code for its latest network devices will not result in a large number of discovered vulnerabilities, security experts said.

Multicasting is the ability to transmit a single stream to multiple subscribers at the same time. Unlike conventional streaming, it does not need one stream per recipient. Instead, there is one stream on any one segment of the network on which there is a subscriber. It is the task of the routers to track subscriptions and to create copies only on an as-needed basis. Unlike broadcasting, segments on which there are no subscribers do not receive the stream. Read the article at FreshMeat.

"This browser sports a tag-line stating, 'The web browser that puts you in control.' I haven't been much of an Omniweb fan in the past, so reviewing this browser was a leap of faith for me. I’m in love with Omnigraffle but that is another review in itself, so my past grievances with Omniweb weren’t directed toward the company, but rather the browser itself." Read the rest of the review at MacCritic.

In this month's Web Server Survey the number of IP addresses with sites using ASP.NET has overtaken those using JSP and Java Servlets. The number of IP addresses found with ASP.NET has shown very strong growth in the past year with a 224% increase from 17.2K to 55.8K. JSP & Java Servlets despite being overtaken is the next fastest growing in percentage terms with a 56% increase, says Netcraft.

What is the current status of operating systems as far as web hosting goes? Here is a quick run down:

Building simple cHTML sites for the less-capable Phone/PDA/textmode browsers seems to be my passion lately, and so I thought I share some statistics with you. As you might know, the new OSNews "mobile" pages went live last weekend and we got some preliminary results:

The second generation of OSNews' mobile web site is now up and running. The new version has an even simpler design than before which makes it much easier to render on under-featured HTML browsers, usually found on phones, PDAs or other embedded devices. The new design does not display any ads or a sidebar, but goes directly to the "meat" of the information. Read more for info & screenshots.

"Ultrawideband (UWB) will not only co-exist with rival Personal Area Network standard Bluetooth but many ultimately form the basis for its future, members of newly formed UWB industry bodies suggested today. In the same way, UWB will also form the basis for wireless versions of stand device interconnectivity technologies such as USB and 1394." Read the report from IDF at TheRegister.

The Dillo web browser is a very fast, extremely small Web browser that's completely written in C. The source and binary are less than 400 kilobytes each. It is a graphical browser built upon GTK+, and it renders a good subset of HTML, excluding frames, JavaScript, and JVM support. On version 0.8, the dpi framework was redesigned. Communications are now done with a daemon: dpid. Some new plugins are included: downloads, ftp, hello. On other browser news...

Speaking at the WEF in Davos, Switzerland, Gates told a group of delegates that he could crack spam by 2006. The soon-to-be-knighted Microsoft chairman added that with the help of some canny tech measures, spammers would be hit where it hurts--in their fat wads of Viagra-inspired cash.

For many systems administrators, choosing and managing a VPN system is often quite a headache. Inflexible clients, servers, and protocols often prevent VPN's from being smoothly integrated into an already functioning network. The fact that many VPN clients are installed on users' home computers, well out of the reach of the systems administration team, often means that troubleshooting and upgrading VPN systems is time consuming and a struggle for both admins and users.

Netcraft has published the second half of 2003's Top 10 hosting providers survey and list which Operating Systems they use for reliability. Seven providers use FreeBSD, one Windows and one Linux.

A brand new OmniWeb, coming soon to a dock near you: Upgraded bookmarks, miniaturized sites instead of tabs, history, Search Shortcuts, AutoFill, and a whole new way to work with browser preferences. In the meantime, Apple is hard at work on Safari 1.2 sources said. Elsewhere, a new development version of Epiphany, v1.1.2 was released.