operating system
Latest
Android Installer simplifies installation on Nokia N810
Heads-up, hardy hackers. Those of you too timid to put Android on your N810 the hard way now owe somebody a (big) hug, as the Android Installer makes installation a lesson in simplicity. We won't bother rehashing the play-by-play in this space, but suffice to say all the hand-holding you need is just one click away. Just be aware that this method was only tested in Diablo, so you're on your own if starting in anything else.[Via Pocketables]
MacHeist sale for Parallels Desktop
If you've been looking to snag Parallels Desktop version 3.0, but don't want to pay the $79.99 associated with Parallels then a summer MacHeist bundle is just the thing. MacHeist is currently offering Parallels Desktop + Mac Pilot for only $49 (US). Returning MacHeist customers receive a $10 discount, making the bundle only $39. That's a steal! In addition, the first 1000 customers to purchase the bundle will recieve a free "mystery application" (one that's an Apple award winner) which will be detailed on Friday.Update: The rumor on the street is hinting at the "mystery application" to be either Coda or Lineform.
Dell keeps promise, invokes fees for "downgrading" to Windows XP
Oh no, Dell isn't forgetting to do its duty to Microsoft. Just as promised, it has now bumped up the prices for folks wanting to stick with Windows XP Professional. As of now, the only way to get XP pre-installed is by selecting an option that also throws Vista in the box, and if you're specifically after Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP MCE, you're thoroughly out of luck. On eligible machines, it looks as if getting XP Pro along with Vista Business will cost you $99 more than Vista Home alone, while having Vista Ultimate ride shotgun adds another $50. Or you can look at it like Dell's tossing in XP for free with those upper-level Vista packs -- whatever floats your boat. Let us know if you notice any different pricing arrangements.[Via ComputerWorld]
Snow Leopard might not be the best code name
The great Mental Floss blog actually did the research on something that occurred to me as soon as Steve said "Snow Leopard" during the keynote -- naming an OS after a cat "sometimes known as the ounce" might not be the best idea.File this stuff in the "didja know" column: snow leopards aren't actually leopards -- they're actually closer in family to cheetahs, which means that the new OS might be a little closer to Aqua than we're all comfortable with. Also, they're pretty timid -- not only can they not roar (so new audio features in the OS are out), they're known to hide behind their fuzzy tails. We'll put it this way: you wouldn't exactly want to call your football team The Snow Leopards, so we're not quite sure why Steve decided to use the moniker.Finally, the weirdest tie here is that the snow leopard as a symbol is already taken -- by the Girl Scouts of Kyrgyzstan. Of course, Steve's naming capabilities haven't really been up to snuff lately, and maybe he just didn't want to go with Cougar -- even though Apple owns it, they may not have been ready to take on all the connotations associated with that particular nomenclature. Then again, maybe this will be good for the snow leopard's image -- after seeing all these pictures of cool cats, if you feel you'd like to help them out, we're sure the Snow Leopard Trust would be happy to hear from you.
Apple previews OS X Snow Leopard: scheduled to ship "in about a year"
The next iteration of OS X was mentioned early on during today's WWDC 2008 keynote, but little was said afterwards. Thankfully, Apple hasn't left us completely out to dry, as a recent release gives a few clues as to what Snow Leopard has in store. First and foremost, the OS isn't expected to ship until about this time next year, and just as predicted, it will be more evolutionary than revolutionary. Specifically, it will "enhance the performance of OS X and set a new standard for quality... rather than focusing primarily on new features." Still, we do know that it'll play nice with Microsoft Exchange 2007 from the get-go, provide "unrivaled support for multi-core processors" with a new technology dubbed Grand Central, extend support "for modern hardware with Open Computing Language (OpenCL)," and raise the software limit on system memory up to a theoretical 16TB of RAM. Heck, you'll even find QuickTime X in there. Yeah, we love those new features, but we can honestly say we're looking forward to a nice round of polishing.Update: Looks like some more solid info has been posted to Apple's page. Head here for more on Snow Leopard desktop and Snow Leopard server (which will include iCal Server 2, 128-bit ZFS support, Podcast Producer 2, the first version of their Address Book server based on CardDAV, and more).
Apple updates Leopard to 10.5.3
For the legions of Mac users out there annoyed with Leopard niggles, some possible relief is now available, as Apple has made version 10.5.3 available to users via software update. The new version has a slew of minor adjustments, including fixes for AirPort and networking reliability issues, Time Machine and Time Capsule updates (including improved compatibility with Aperture), and improved Spaces usability. Anyone out there taken the plunge yet? Let us know how it's going.
Walter Bender speaks out about leaving OLPC, de-emphasis of radical projects
What do you know? The former OLPC head of software and content did indeed resign at least partially over NickNeg's growing fondness of Windows XP. In a recent soul-spilling interview with xconomy, Walter Bender made clear that he resigned his post at the non-profit due to the general de-emphasis of "radical projects like Sugar," the innovative XO user interface which Mr. Bender was unsurprisingly neck-deep in during his stay. Essentially, he felt as if the outfit had stopped trying to "be disruptive" and started "trying to make things comfortable for decision-makers," hence Walter darting out "to do his own thing." Needless to say, the lead developer of Sugar isn't satisfied with seeing his work forgotten, and while details have yet to be worked out, he is looking to "find a new central home for the community of educators and software developers who have been creating Sugar-compatible applications."[Image courtesy of The New York Times]
Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 available for download
Don't act like you didn't have April 24th circled in your day planner -- heck, you probably stayed up all night hoping Hardy Heron 8.04 would be launched as the 24th dawned in Australia. Regardless of your level of fanaticism towards the OS, the latest flavor of Ubuntu is finally ready for mass consumption. You know what's waiting for your torrent manager right down there, so why on Earth are you still reading rather than downloading? Get![Thanks to everyone who sent this in, image courtesy of doninside]
Windows XP SP3 release just around the bend?
Though we originally expected (read: hoped) that Microsoft would dish out Service Pack 3 for Windows XP late last month, it seems the deed may actually get done before May dawns. According to an "internal schedule" fetched over at Neowin, OEMs, volume license, Connect, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will have access to the update on April 21st, while most average joes / janes won't notice it until April 29th when it hits the Microsoft / Windows Update download center. For folks too busy carrying on to worry over which SP their XP is running, they could very well overlook the automatic update scheduled to land on June 10th. (Re)mark your calendars, won't you?[Via InformationWeek]
Linux becomes only OS to escape PWN 2 OWN unscathed
After a week full of Red Bulls, Fruit by the Foot and dreams of In-N-Out, the mighty Sony VAIO loaded with Linux stood as the only machine unhacked by the end of the PWN 2 OWN hacking contest at CanSecWest. As you're well aware by now, the MacBook Air on display was seized in two minutes by the presumably well prepared Charlie Miller, and after two full days of work, Shane Macaulay and a few of his 1337 associates managed to crack the Vista rig on Friday. Reportedly, Shane and his pals weren't expecting to do battle with the extra protected SP1 version of Vista, and while the exact loophole won't be divulged, we are told that it was a cross-platform bug that "took advantage of Java to circumvent Vista's security." In the end, it was reported that some folks on hand had discovered bugs in the Linux OS, but many of them "didn't want to put the work into developing the exploit code that would be required to win the contest."[Image courtesy of TippingPoint]
PWN 2 OWN over: MacBook Air gets seized in 2 minutes flat
And just think -- last year you were singing Dino Dai Zovi's praises for taking control of a MacBook Pro in nine whole hours. This year, the PWN 2 OWN hacking competition at CanSecWest was over nearly as quickly as the second day started, as famed iPhone hacker Charlie Miller showed the MacBook Air on display who its father really was. Apparently Mr. Miller visited a website which contained his exploit code (presumably via a crossover cable connected to a nearby MacBook), which then "allowed him to seize control of the computer, as about 20 onlookers [read: unashamed nerds] cheered him on." Of note, contestants could only use software that came pre-loaded on the OS, so obviously it was Safari that fell victim here. Nevertheless, he was forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement that'll keep him quiet until "TippingPoint can notify the vendor," but at least he'll have $10,000 and a new laptop to cuddle with during his silent spell.
PWN 2 OWN contest lets hackers choose Vista, OS X or Linux
Last year's PWN 2 OWN contest at the CanSecWest security conference went over way better than expected (read: exploits were glorified), so this year, organizers have spiced things up by letting hackers have their way with three separate machines. The Linux, OS X and Vista-based rigs were all setup as similarly as possible in order to "make sure the attack surface was the same on all of them." For attendees in Vancouver, there sits a $20,000 top prize -- which dwindles with each passing day as restrictions on attacks ease up -- but it can only be acquired if an all new zero-day cyber roundhouse kick is used. Anyone here going to give it a go? You get to keep the freshly victimized laptop too, you know.
Haiku brings back those BeOS glory days
If you haven't heard of Haiku by now, it's probably for good reason: as of a year ago, the OS could barely connect to the internet, and certainly wasn't anywhere close to replacing your Linux build of choice. Luckily the open source replacement for the gone-but-not-forgotten BeOS of yore is maturing nicely, and it just had a bit of a coming out party at the Southern California Linux Expo this last weekend. There are still plenty of glitches to iron out, with applications like Firefox crashing and glitching frequently, and a shortage of hardware support, but the core elements of BeOS are there and just as lovable as ever. For instance, that few second start time never gets old, same for that 60MB disk image, and the most excellent processor utilization. Check out the in-depth preview on Ars for a better idea of the past future (or is it future past?) of operating systems, or just download the latest nightly on Haiku to find out for yourself. [Via Ars Technica]
Terra Soft offering up 80GB PS3s with Yellow Dog Linux 6.0 pre-installed
Early last year, we polled the grand audience and found out just what you liked (and disliked) about Yellow Dog Linux 5.0 for PS3. Fast forward 13 months, and those still waiting on the sidelines have yet another option for jumping in. As of now, Terra Soft Solutions is offering up Sony's 80GB PlayStation 3 with YDL 6.0 pre-installed for $549.95, and yes, that includes the DVDs containing the OS. Interestingly, it seems as if you'll still have to pony up for a component or HDMI cable, but at least the option's there, right?[Thanks, Fiddlesworth]
Microsoft's "Vista for privacy" offer still on?
Details are still fuzzy at this point, but according to an e-mail received by numerous tipsters, Microsoft is indeed offering up a free copy of Vista in exchange for their privacy. Yeah, even though it claimed otherwise late last year. According to the note, Redmond is viewing these folks as "registered members" of the Windows Feedback Program, and if they keep their guard down for the remainder of a three month period, they will seemingly receive a copy of its latest OS gratis. So, any others out there finding an unexpected message from the Big M regarding said offer? Let us know in comments below, particularly if you get any free wares or previously analyzed keylogging reports.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
How-to get Windows XP past the June 30th cutoff (or not)
While it looked like Mac users couldn't wait to get their hands on the latest version of Apple's operating system, their Windows counterparts seem to have been a little more reticent about picking up Microsoft's oft-delayed Vista upgrade -- so much so that Redmond decided to both extend XP's shelf life by six months as well as offer an unprecedented "downgrade" service on select SKUs. Well with the June 30th cutoff fast approaching, PC World decided to take a look at your options for procuring an XP license after that date, but unfortunately, the picture isn't too pretty. Basically, personal users looking to purchase less than 25 licenses but not a new machine have almost no recourse; your only surefire move is to buy a new box pre-installed with Vista Business or Ultimate from an OEM opting to continue with that downgrade service. Still, caveat emptor: support for consumer versions of XP ends on April 14, 2009, and with it, the end of your Patch Tuesday celebrations.
This could be the first video footage of Windows 7
Obviously a lot of people cried fake when those screenshots purporting to show Windows 7 Ultimate popped up -- possibly because they looked a lot like rebadged Vista screens -- so the blogger who originally posted the images has followed up with a video for proof. And we do have to say, if this is fake, someone put a hell of a lot of work into pulling it off, from creating a new bootup screen to hacking the source code to adding fresh Media Center options. ThinkNext tells us that this release -- known as Milestone 1 -- expires in May of this year, although if Redmond and its team of crack Enemy of the State-types have anything to say about it, this particular blog will not be getting another preview copy next time around. Video after the break.[Via Softpedia, image courtesy of ThinkNext, thanks Joshua]
Apple ships five million copies of Leopard in three months
It was but a few months ago that Apple trumpeted the fact that two million copies of Leopard had been sold in its first weekend. As of Macworld 2008, you can add three million more to that figure. According to Jobs, it's the "most successful release of OS X ever," and nearly 20-percent of the install base has made the leap to 10.5. Oh, and just in case you were wondering about Office Mac 2008, it is indeed shipping today, which means that all the "big apps" for OS X are finally Intel native.
Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh available to the public
Just as Microsoft did last month with Vista SP1 release candidate, the latest build (dubbed SP1 RC Refresh) has been loosed from its privately held shackles and is now available for the public to descend upon. According to ZDNet, Redmond decided to make this iteration publicly available "in the interest of gaining additional tester feedback." Of note, you will likely be forced to install "two or three updates" before SP1 RC Refresh can be installed, but we know you're quite unconcerned with all the fine print. Nevertheless, that verbiage (and the download link) is waiting below.[Via ZDNet]
Palm's new OS codenamed "Nova"?
Palm Infocenter is reporting that the codename being thrown around internally in reference to its Linux based next-gen operating system is "Nova." The phrase "no va" in Spanish literally translates to "not going," but wait -- it gets better: we're also hearing that Nova is being tested on the Zeppelin device, a type of airship with a reputation for crashing and burning back in the day. Now look, we'd love to see Palm pull out of its tailspin just as much as the next guy and wow us with some hot, new software on top of hot, new hardware, but this naming convention isn't doing it any favors, now is it?
