Monthly Archive:: October 2006

Most UNIX and Linux programs are built by running make. Make and utilities like it are fundamental tools for streamlining the application build process. Learn the structure of the makefile, how to avoid common mistakes in its creation, and how to solve or work around portability issues and other problems as they crop up.

"No one saw this coming. People talked about Oracle making its own Linux, or buying a Linux company (Ubuntu?). But, the news that Oracle is erasing Red Hat's trademarks from Unbreakable Linux and supporting it for less than Red Hat is a bolt from the blue. Or, perhaps, I should say that Oracle is firing a shot at the heart of Red Hat, and commercial Linux? This really, really ticks me off." Apparently, Oracle announced that they will provide full enterprise support for Linux and so it competes with RH.

AIX has a vast array of commands that enable you to do a multitude of tasks. Depending on what you need to accomplish, you use only a certain subset of these commands. There are a few core commands that you commonly use. This article will cover some of the core commands with the intent to provide a list that you can use as a ready reference.

The company maintains that it has built a version of its Authentium ESP Enterprise Platform that can bypass PatchGuard without setting off the desktop alarms produced by the security feature when the Vista kernel is compromised. ESP Enterprise, an SDK sold by Authentium to telecommunications carriers and so-called managed services providers, offers virus protection, anti-spyware, data recovery, firewall and transaction security capabilities.

After a couple of months of serious work, Visopsys 0.64 has been released. There are only a handful of new, user-visible features (including right-click context menus and 32-bit .bmp/.ico support). The real focus of this release has been stability, quality, and debugging, plus large scale GUI re-engineering. In addition, graphics mode now works under Bochs 2.3 (as well as Qemu and VmWare). Downloads here and changelog here.

This week the Mozilla Foundation released Firefox 2.0, and that occasion did not go by unnoticed at Microsoft's Internet Explorer team. "The Microsoft Internet Explorer Team sent us a cake for the upcoming release of Firefox 2! A big thanks to Redmond, Washington!" What's next, Stallman on a dinner date with Ballmer?

'Why Apple Failed' promised to reveal an accidental discovery that was key to Apple's recovery. Here's it is: the real reason the company was able to turn things around and create new growth for the Mac platform. Why Apple Bounced Back.

Microsoft's Sender ID e-mail authentication technology can now be used without fear of the software giant's intellectual property lawyers. The company said Monday it is making the 'Sender ID Framework' available under its Open Specification Promise program. That means Microsoft will not sue anyone who creates products or services based on the e-mail technology.

"Eventually, we're going to see Vista come out. Yes, I know, even at this late date, Vista is still getting unexpected delays - it was set to go to manufacturing Oct. 25, but it's not going to make it - but it is on its way. My question, though, is: What version will actually work for you come that day?"

"Apple computers have long been prized for being relatively virus-free. But as more people use Apple products, experts say the company is increasingly becoming a target for cyber pranksters and criminals writing viruses and other forms of malware. Oliver Friedrichs, director of security response at Symantec, a leading anti-virus software vendor, said 72 vulnerabilities were discovered in the Mac's OS X operating system in 2006, up from 19 in 2004." Please consider the source, though.

NetSurf users are reeling from HSBC's shock decision to suspend their accounts because their RISC OS computers are allegedly infected with spyware. The high street bank has confused the open source browser NetSurf with a strain of PC malware going by the same name, and has locked their customers out for security reasons, it is believed. Punters say they were forced to turn up at their local branch with photo ID and sign a form promising to use Microsoft Windows XP with anti-virus software installed before they could access their money again.

"When eWEEK Labs first reviewed Sun Microsystems' Solaris 10 early last year, we were impressed by the new facilities the operating system offered for better serving up applications and making the most of the SPARC and x86 hardware on which it runs. With this summer's Solaris 10 update, labeled 6/06, Sun has significantly improved on its already excellent operating system with the addition of the much-heralded Zettabyte File System."

When SGI's boss Dennis McKenna vowed to get serious about the bankrupt company's IP portfolio this summer, he wasn't kidding. "We have a hell of a lot of IP left," he told The Register at the time. A day after it returned to NASDAQ SGI has filed suit against ATI claiming patent infringement.

"When I wrote about the wrangling over the GNU GPLv3 licence a month back, it provoked a lively conversation in the comments. Given this evident passion among readers, I thought it would be interesting to ask the top hackers - the ones actually involved in the discussions - for their thoughts on the matter. So I contacted Richard Stallman for the FSF angle, and a bunch of the top kernel hackers - Linus, Alan Cox, Greg Kroah-Hartman, Andrew Morton and Dave Miller - for their view."