Pro IT Zone

For the first time, Microsoft announced a date for the submission of the technical details of their future operating system Windows 7. The announcement will be made under the Professional Developers Conference in October 27, and in the event Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, the following week.

Microsoft has created a new blog on Windows 7, which will be constantly updated with information about the product. However, the only concrete announcement so far is the date on which Microsoft will deliver details about the project.

Since now we know that Windows 7 uses the same kernel and connectors model that Windows Vista. In addition, the product should be ready for commercialization no later than January 2010, that is three years after the launch of Windows Vista.

OpenSuSE project, a worldwide project dedicated to creating a distribution of the Linux community, has achieved a milestone in efforts to simplify contributions to the distribution OpenSuSE with the launch of OpenSuSE Build Service 1.0.

This is the first major update and allows developers to directly access repositories of OpenSuSE Linux distribution code, thus speeding up the process of making contributions to the code.

Since its inception, OpenSuSE Build Service has offered a unique system of collaboration for groups working with preconfigured Linux solutions.

This makes it possible to climb and launch larger projects and expand the scope of OpenSuSE Build Service to create a complete version of OpenSuSE.

“I’m very pleased with the launch of OpenSuSE Build Service 1.0, as will the development of OpenSuSE much more transparent, allowing the community to contribute more efficient and rapid distribution, as well as expand the number of users involved in our project, “said Adrian Schröter, project manager of OpenSuSE Build Service.

By allowing direct contributions by developers, build service adds transparency to the process of development and helps improve the ability of the community to help OpenSuSE. This is the only solution of its kind that allows developers to create and maintain multiple packages for Linux distributions, including OpenSuSE, Novell’s Suse Linux Enterprise, Center, Debian, Fedora, Mandriva, Red Hat and Ubuntu. In addition, OpenSuSE Build Service facilitates the development of projects aimed at creating packages for new updates from various Linux distributions, as well as for new versions of old Linux distributions.

According to a blog of Anne Camden, the desktop computers Dell Inspiron 1525, Dell Inspiron XPS M1330 and 530 are now available with the Ubuntu operating system, also known as Heron Hardy.

Dell spent months at the development and testing to provide more support for peripherals like video cards ATI, Dell wireless, fingerprint readers, HDMI, Bluetooth and MP3/WMA/WMV, “said Camden.

Available in the UK, the machines also offer the facility to select a language during the first boot process.

“We are taking more steps to go back to Linux more accessible to help assure that” just works “well outside the box,” he said Camden.

Daniel Judd Dell said in a blog that the additional manufacturer of PCs were viewing the possibility of adding the XPS M1530 and Studio 15n to the range of PCs using Ubuntu 8.04 in August.

“This is just in time for LinuxWorld where participate in a series of conference sessions. It will be your chance to hear directly about what we have achieved over the past year and where we are in 2008, “he said.

Spend a couple minutes listening to a Linux user to talk about their favorite operating system and sooner or later you will hear mention his favorite feature: Linux is virus immune. Such a belief is generally accepted as the gospel in the community of open source. But is not it?

“That depends on what you mean by ‘virus immune,’” said Ben Greenbaum, manager of research at Symantec Security Response.

It explains, “There is no technical reason for that Linux is immune to viruses and infections. They happen but not often. ”

One of the biggest obstacles to malicious software into Linux is diversity, according to a research made by McAfee scientific, Marius van Oers. The viral code is designed to work in specific core operating systems and there are enough differences between the various clusters of Linux that is almost impossible that a malicious program to infect all variants of Linux in the same way. In addition, the market share of Linux is so small that the creators of malicious programs do not focus on that platform.

Conclusion: At this time, Linux users have very little to worry about viruses. Both Greenbaum and van Oers estimate that the current number of threats from malicious software for Linux is about 50 and most of them are demonstrations of concepts that do not represent danger. Compare that with the millions of threats already identified for Windows and Linux users might be entitled to make fun about Windows.

Even so, remember that Linux is not inherently immune to malicious software. As their popularity grows, so will the threats.

Snow Leopard will optimize the performance of OS X, will set new standards and leave the backwork for innovations in the following OS X.

Apple anticipates the launch of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, which is built on OS X Leopard and is the next version of the advanced operating system.

Snow Leopard is optimized for a multi-core processor, which allows you to use all possibilities of the graphics processing unit (GPUs), as well as the use of a new multimedia platform QuickTime X. Snow Leopard includes support for Microsoft Exchange 2007.

“We have delivered to users over a thousand new features and applications for OS X in just 7 years, and Snow Leopard will sit the bases for a thousands more,” said Bertrand Serlet, senior vice president of software engineering of Apple. “In our continuing effort to provide better experiences to users, we press the pause button on developing new features to focus on refining the most advanced operating system in the world. ”

Snow Leopard gives support for modern hardware with a open computer language (OpenCL), which allows any application that takes advantage of gigaflops of GPU, processing power that was previously only available for graphics applications. OpenCL is developed on the basis of a programming language C and has been proposed as an open standard. In addition OS X leads the 64-bit technology; Snow Leopard increases the limits of system memory on a theoretical level of up to 16 TB of RAM.

For the first time the OS X includes native support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 in Mail, Address Book and iCal applications, making it much easier the integration of Mac to organizations of any size.