OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

BSD: OpenBSD 3.4 Announcement; DragonFly BSD Daily Snapshots

Submitted by smeg lister 2003-09-05 OpenBSD 18 Comments

The OpenBSD project has made available information as to what is new in the upcoming 3.4 release in November, while pre-ordering is available too. On other BSD news, Simon Schubert has offered to provide daily snapshots of DragonFly, the recent FreeBSD 4.x fork.

Extending GNOME with Virtual File Systems

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-05 Gnome 15 Comments

This article describes how to use GnomeVFS -- a C library for accessing various file systems -- to extend GNOME and develop your own extensions to the virtual file system. The article is centered around an imaginary example file system that lets you access an in-memory directory tree.

Introduction to FreeBSD Jails

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-05 FreeBSD 6 Comments

A common security breach involves exploiting one application to gain access to another. Keeping separate applications separate can limit the potential damage. Mike DeGraw-Bertsch explains how FreeBSD's jails can help secure necessary applications. On other FreeBSD news, a specific schedule for the release of FreeBSD 4.9 is now available.

Editorial on Microsoft: Hated Because It’s Misunderstood

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-05 Microsoft 108 Comments

"Prejudices and misconceptions about Microsoft make it hard to evalute the company's merits. The biggest myths about Microsoft are that its desktop products are overpriced, it doesn't respect its customers, and reliability and security are poor. And some think the company is downright evil. In nearly two decades of studying Microsoft, I've been able to dig through the hype that the company generates, as well as the misconceptions its detractors create, to see more of the real company than most of you can ever experience." Read the opinion-piece at InternetWeek, written by Rob Enderle.

Apple Corporate Briefing: $4.5 Bn in Cash

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-05 Apple 28 Comments

Apple CFO Fred Anderson yesterday led a corporate update at the Smith Barney Citigroup Tech Conference. Anderson said that Apple was in an incredibly strong financial position with over $4.5 billion in cash and only $300 million in long-term debt, which is due in February of next year. Apple has managed to survive the downturn by using innovation, he said.

GTK+ 2.2.4 Released

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-05 GTK+ 1 Comment

GTK+ 2.2.4 is now available for download here. This is a bug fix release and is source and binary compatible with previous releases in the 2.0 and 2.2 series. This is an emergency release to fix a critical GtkTreeView problem which broke context menus in several applications.

GNOME Desktop 2.4 Release Candidate 1: “Kublai”

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-04 Gnome 48 Comments

The GNOME Desktop 2.4 Release Candidate 1: "Kublai", is available for immediate download on ftp.gnome.org and mirrors.

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Platform Play Hits Big Time

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-04 Windows 60 Comments

"With each new release of Microsoft’s server operating system, pundits are moved to declare that this one is the first Windows truly suited to the enterprise. And it is especially tempting to hang that tag on Windows Server 2003. Of course the cost, bizarre licensing terms, forced migration, and confusing packaging will turn many companies away. But if a decision could be made on purely technical grounds, Windows Server 2003 would be an unquestionably worthwhile investment." Read the overview at ARNnet.

Magical All-in-one Operating System

David Adams 2003-09-04 Wireless 30 Comments

A Singapore-based company claims to have created in operating system for mobile devices that can run software created for Windows, Linux, and Palm platforms. Called MXI, the OS "performs a sophisticated form of emulation that enables the non-native program to perform as smoothly and quickly as it would on its native OS." It also includes a server-based component for connected devices that allows the heavy lifting to be performed on the server side. I'll file this in the "I'll belive it when I see it" folder.

SciTech SNAP Graphics for Linux 2.0 now Available

Submitted by AndrewB 2003-09-04 General Development 14 Comments

SciTech Software, Inc. today announced that it is has released SciTech SNAP Graphics for Linux 2.0 – The Simple Driver Solution. This release is based on SciTech’s SNAP (System Neutral Access Protocol) architecture and targets the Linux enterprise markets with a host of features designed to reduce the total cost of ownership associated with maintaining Linux on corporate enterprises. Read more for the rest of the press release.

Power Mac G5: Mac OS X Server 10.2.x Not Supported

Submitted by CooCooCaChoo 2003-09-04 macOS 37 Comments

The Power Mac G5 computer is not supported for use with any version of Mac OS X Server 10.2, or any earlier version of Mac OS X Server. Mac OS X Server 10.3 will be supported on Power Mac G5 computers, Apple reported. Elsewhere, Unix users will be major beneficiaries of the upcoming 'Panther' version of OS X, Apple Computer told the AUUG conference.

Microsoft Patches Critical VBA Flaw

Submitted by Marcel 2003-09-04 Privacy, Security 14 Comments

An identified security issue in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications could allow an attacker to compromise a Microsoft Windows-based system and then take a variety of actions. Windows and Office users should update their system.

What’s Next for Oracle?

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-04 Databases 7 Comments

Built on grid computing and due to debut at Oracle World, Oracle 10G marks the company's biggest technology release in a decade. Can Oracle tackle the grid & PeopleSoft, too? Read it at eWEEK.

Desktop Linux Consortium Announces Boston Area Conference

Submitted by Jill Ratkevic 2003-09-04 Linux 8 Comments

The Desktop Linux Consortium (DLC) announced their first conference today, hosted at Boston University's Corporate Training Center (BUTrain) located just outside of Boston, Massachusetts in Tyngsboro on November 10, 2003. The conference marks the group's first event that brings together industry leaders to share their insights and discuss the trends, technologies, and solutions that are driving the next generation of desktops based on Linux.

Interview with a Maddog

Submitted by mangeli 2003-09-04 Linux 5 Comments

Tinyminds.org sits down with Linux International Director, Jon "Maddog" Hall. Jon has been in the computer industry since 1969, using Unix since 1977, and Linux since 1994. He has been a software engineer, systems administrator, product manager, marketing manager and professional educator. Jon has been the Executive Director of Linux International since 1995, the first four years as a volunteer. Jon has been employed by VA Linux systems, Compaq Computer Corporation in the Digital UNIX Marketing group and Bell Laboratories among other companies. Read the full interview at Tinyminds.org.

Why Wait for Utility Computing?

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-04 Editorial 3 Comments

"Back in the 1980s, the folks at Digital Equipment had a problem. While their VAX systems were selling like hotcakes, the systems still couldn't deliver the kind of scale found on mainframes. Digital, which had no plans to build big iron, set out to find a way to use existing equipment to increase capacity--a search that led to the development of the VAX cluster and the concept of horizontal scaling." Read the editorial at ZDNews.

Access USB Devices from Java Applications

Submitted by Bob 2003-09-04 Java 4 Comments

The Java platform has traditionally prided itself on its platform independence. While that independence has many benefits, it makes the process of writing Java applications that interact with hardware quite tricky. In this article, a research scientist examines two projects that are making the process easier by providing APIs through which Java applications can make use of USB devices. While both projects are still in embryo form, both show promise and are already serving as the foundations of some real-world applications.

SkyEye 0.3.2 released; Now Supports XSCALE Simulation

Submitted by chenyu 2003-09-04 Hardware No Comments

SkyEye is a simulator for typical embedded computer systems. It can simulate Atmel AT91 based on the ARM7TDMI, EP7312 based on ARM720T, StrongARM SA1100/SA1110, and 8019as NIC, etc. Some operating systems, such as ARM Linux, uClinux, and uc/OS-II(ucos-ii), can run and be debugged and analyzed at the source level. This Skyeye snapshot version it can simulate the Xscale PXA 250 Lubbock developboard.

Fleecy Moss on AmigaOS 4 Release Date and More

Submitted by Derek Hofmann 2003-09-04 Amiga & AROS 55 Comments

Session 18 of the Fortnightly Q&A's with Fleecy Moss is available here. This one has some important Q&A's (rootless X server, self-hosted IDE, 32 or 64-bit platform, OpenGL support) and even a clue about the biggest question of all concerning Amiga OS 4: when will it be released.

Phoenix Developing DRM-Equipped BIOS

Eugenia Loli 2003-09-03 In the News 55 Comments

BIOS maker Phoenix Technologies said it is currently shopping a digital-rights-enabled BIOS system to top PC OEMs, the most aggressive use of DRM technology to date. On other DRM news, Microsoft has made available for download the first of several components of its forthcoming stable of rights-management software.