Rumors Archive

Not necessarily what you expect from the top managers: Halamka judged three operating systems according to a variety of criteria including their performance, user interfaces and enterprise management capabilities, such as the ability to configure applications, easily organize file systems, and establish granular security control. CIO.org followed Halamka's progress, and now they have his conclusions.

"This aims to be the most comprehensive kernel comparison of the latest most popular UNIX style kernel versus the latest most popular current Windows kernel. A kind of kernel comparison FAQ. In Q4 2006, this means Linux 2.6.18/2.6.19 kernel versus the Windows Server 2003 R2 kernel. In Q1 2007, this will mean Linux 2.6.20 kernel versus Windows Vista kernel."

Microsoft Windows will not suffer irreparable damage on the server side at the hands of the Linux operating system over the next five years, Gartner analyst George Weiss told attendees at the Gartner Open Source Summit. In fact, in terms of worldwide server operating system revenue, Linux would come in below both Windows and Unix by 2011 in spite of its enormous growth, he told attendees in a session entitled "Enterprise Linux: Has it Arrived?"

"Marking what could have been a summer-long hiatus in its 'Get the Facts' campaign, Microsoft is re-igniting the flames on the argument over whether enterprises spend less to manage Windows systems than Linux systems. This morning, the company touted a study it commissioned from independent analyst Mercer Management Consulting, which made the case that companies that implement migration programs away from UNIX systems based on the need to adopt new applications - what Mercer calls 'transformational migrations' - now tend to choose Windows over Linux." I just bought some salt, now I can put it to good use.

By releasing its operating system more often and at a slightly higher cost, Apple Computer is better able to maximize its profitability in the OS field compared with its rival, Microsoft. That conclusion is according to a new analysis released Aug. 28 by Gene Munster, a senior researcher at Minneapolis-based Piper Jaffray & Co.

Apple is already gearing up for a major marketing campaign for the holidays, and if they're able to ramp up demand, and then deliver the system when they say it will be delivered, it could trump Microsoft in a way that Apple's CEO Steve Jobs would crow about for years.

OpenSolaris isn't a true open-source project, but rather a "facade," because Sun Microsystems doesn't share control of it with outsiders, executives from rival IBM say.

"Not long ago, choosing Linux in the data center meant a tradeoff. You had to give up some capabilities in exchange for freedom from Microsoft lock-in. But that has changed. These days the features of Windows and Linux stack up against each other very competitively. For the most part, administrators can choose Linux or Windows today without losing out. Some differences, however, must be considered. In this article, I look at several of those differences."

Putting VMware and Virtual PC to the challenge, John Tränkenschuh learns that both products have some specialties - and some drawbacks.

A lot of people seem to have this idea that Windows Vista looks an awful lot like the MacOS. LifeHacker.com sets some screenshots side-by-side for comparison, and even though they refrain from judgement ("We're just saying"), I do wish to make a few sidenotes about this issue. Read more for a mini-article on the issue.

Windows 2003 Server is a more reliable server operating system than Linux, a research firm said Monday. According to the Yankee Group's annual server reliability survey, only Unix operating systems such as HP-UX and Sun Solaris 10 beat Windows on uptime. Windows 2003 Server, in fact, led the popular Red Hat Enterprise Linux with nearly 20 percent more annual uptime. The Yankee Group made a point of stressing that the survey was not sponsored or supported by any server OS maker.

CNet compares Acer's TravelMate 8200 to apple's MacBook Pro, and concludes the Acer wins; but only by a small margin. "The Acer pulled ahead with ample features and superior performance and battery life, then sealed the deal with its lower sticker price. If you're looking for the most connectivity and fastest performance for your dollar, the TravelMate 8200 is the laptop to buy. The MacBook Pro's strengths clearly lie in aesthetics, from its lightweight, eye-pleasing design to its graphics-friendly display to its elegant operating system. And Apple's superior software package could be said to offset the price differential between the MacBook Pro and the TravelMate 8200."

InformationWeek compares the latest IE7 beta to Firefox 1.5, and concludes: "On a straight, feature-for-feature comparison, IE7 stacks up well against Firefox. If its improved security model lives up to its design specs, malware distributors will find it much more difficult to make a dishonest living, and the tabbed browsing features in the new release should make it much easier to deal with multiple pages."

Thanks to Apple's Boot Camp beta, long-time Mac users are trying out Windows XP, and Windows users are starting to pick up Macs. Trying out the "other side" can be confusing at first. ExtremeTech has a simple little guide that makes this trasition an easy one. Some things discussed are what programs are great for each OS, as well as how to get around your new environment.