Linux Slips but Won’t Fall
Linux sales lost some ground to Windows last year, but are expected to climb in coming years as distributors create new revenue streams. Meanwhile, Windows showed hefty gains. Read it at ZDNews.
Thoughts & UI Clean-Ups on a Random Red Hat/Gnome2 Screenshot
I was reading Adam's preview of Red Hat Limbo beta 2 the other day, and was also checking out his screenshots. I already did a Gnome 2 review a few months back, and a month ago I did a more constructive article on KDE 3's UI. This time, I just picked a random screenshot off Adam's article, and I will suggest some UI changes to make it look better. IMNSHO, as always of course, so be prepared. Update: My post to Gnome Usability mailing list, regarding a more refined/fixed version of my GUI suggestion for the specific theme discussed.
Why Lindows Ultimately Won’t Matter
"A lot has been said about the upcoming Lindows OS. Most of it has been either overblown hype (it will let you run ALL Windows programs! Yee-ha!) or anti-hype (it's not a real Linux distro, it's for Windows losers!). Lindows has polarized opinion in the Linux community while simultaneously setting up huge expectations for non-techy Windows users desperate to free themselves from Microsoft's iron grip. " Jim Lynch's Lindows editorial for ExtremeTech.
Borland Delivers Delphi 7 Studio
"Borland Software Corporation today announced Borland Delphi 7 Studio, featuring full support for new and emerging Web Services, integrated model driven development, and preview capabilities for the Microsoft .NET Framework. Using Delphi 7 Studio, the estimated one million Delphi developers can begin developing their skills for .NET and preparing applications for .NET without abandoning their existing work and skills on the Windows platform." Read the rest of the press release at Borland USA.
Interview with Xandros Vice President Michael Bego
OSNews today hosts a very interesting interview with Xandros' Vice President Michael A. Bego, discussing about the new Xandros Desktop and Server 1.0, the Linux market, Microsoft and a lot more. Read more to also see a full size screenshot of the Xandros Desktop too.
C# Input/Output Classes Simplified
"Beginners to the .NET Framework sometimes have a hard time trying to understand the classes in the System.IO namespace for performing input/output (IO) operations. The difficulty stems from the fact that this namespace is relatively large, containing more than 40 members, some of which are similar classes that can be used to achieve the same tasks. Thus it is sometimes hard to figure out which class is best for which task. This article tries to make your life a bit easier by grouping IO tasks into three categories and introducing the classes that are suitable for each task category." Read the developer's article at O'Reilly.
Ten Reasons We Need Java 3.0
"Over the last few years, refactoring -- the process of gradually improving a code base by renaming methods and classes, extracting common functionality into new methods and classes, and generally cleaning up the mess inherent in most 1.0 systems -- has gained a lot of adherents. Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) like Eclipse and IDEA can now automatically refactor code." Read the 10 reasons at OnJava.com.
Update on Red Hat’s Limbo Progress
Just a few weeks after the beta release of the next version of their Linux based OS, Red Hat has released 7.3.93 of their software, once again, code-named Limbo. Those of you who read my first Limbo review know that I gave it a favorable review. After downloading and installing the second beta, I had to take a few days before writing this article.
Sun to Announce Leap Into Linux
Sun Microsystems will overhaul two major components of its low-end server strategy later this month, introducing new low-end systems and detailing support for the Linux operating system. Despite all the recent talk about Sun entering the Linux distribution fray, Sun insiders told NewsForge that "Sun Linux" (or whatever it will be called) is really just Red Hat rebranded, with a few hardware-specific tweaks, and will neither be available for public download nor sold on CDs for a good while, if ever.
When Brains Meet Computer Brawn
People linking their brains together to form a global collective intelligence. Humans living well beyond 100 years. Computers uploading aspects of our personalities to a network. These could all happen this century with the proper investments in technology, according to a recent report from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Commerce.
So Now There’s No StarOffice Port for OSX? Not So Fast
" Siress gave an interview in which he announced that Apple and Sun were collaborating on a version of Star Office for OSX, and the OpenOffice.org folks freaked. (Apple probably freaked, too, though they haven't said much publicly about this whole thing). So, Sun has to do an about face and retract its prior statements. The easiest route is to try and discredit the CNET article, but since the article accurately reflects a taped interview with a senior PR person they can't really ask CNET for a retraction." The latest in the StarOffice/OSX PR opera.
Microsoft to Reveal Windows Code
Microsoft will reveal hundreds of pieces of proprietary computer code from its monopoly Windows operating system in the next several weeks to comply with an antitrust settlement it signed with the U.S. Justice Department last year, the company said on Monday. Get the scoop at ZDNews.
OpenBSD GUI Installer Project
The main goal of the is to add a graphical installation to OpenBSD. This project has been developped in the spirit of OpenBSD which means that the installation is as close as possible as the text one. wishes to add some value to the product by developping installation modules to known servers such as Bind, Sendmail, Inn, Apache etc. Our Take: Great project, but may I point out the illegal use of the BeOS and (some) Windows icons in the Installer?
Qt# 0.4 Released
So, You Want to Write an Operating System
I've always been curious about how things work. When I was little, I annoyed my parents with millions of
questions. Why is the sky blue? How does water come out of the tap when you open it? Maybe I was born without the
mental switch that lets you be happy with using something, without trying to figure out how it works.
GTK+ and GLib 2.0.6 Released
Sun Touts Road Map to Solaris 10
"Sun officials on Friday offered a sneak peak into its Solaris OS plans, touting incremental improvements in areas such as resource management expected to reach users' systems within a year. Having just shipped Version 9 of Solaris in May, company officials speaking at Sun's San Francisco office touted features in the newly released OS and future plans. The next major release of the OS, Solaris 10, is expected in 2004 or 2005." Read the report at InfoWorld.
Achieve Strong Performance with Threads
Saw this over at BSDForums.org. In this final series article, JavaWorld's Jeff Friesen completes his exploration of threads by focusing on thread groups, volatility, thread-local variables, timers, and the ThreadDeath class. Also, the accompanying sidebar, "Finalization and Threads," explores Java's finalization activity in the context of threads.
Lots of System and Virtual Graphics Memory Trouble BeOS
A whole year after the Be IP buyout from Palm, BeOS 5 PE still enjoys more than 2,500 downloads per week. However, new hardware creates problems to BeOS, as it does not support new graphics cards, sound cards, new chipsets and worse, doesn't even boot on AthlonXP's or many Pentium4s without the usage of patches/hacks that are floating around. The latest sad incident is the inability of BeOS to boot when you have lots of system memory and lots of virtual graphics memory.
Xandros Nears First Release – Set to Announce at LinuxWorld
DesktopLinux interviews Xandros president Michael Bego and Dr. Frederick Berenstein, co-chairman of Linux Global Partners (the financial backer of Xandros), regarding the current state of Xandros as a company and on their plans to roll out the first release of Xandros Linux this Fall. Bego gives details about the distribution that includes "a spectacular office suite" and discusses Xandros' corporate goal "to be among the first crop of profitable Linux companies".