MetaFilter posts tagged with OperatingSystem

Chrome megaphone barks / Autumn presents First Alpha / The Spring of Haiku

filthy light thief — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:05:36 -0800

BeOS has been reborn a number of times, often without significant success but things are looking up. Starting in 1991 with the production of an all-in-one hardware/software home multimedia computer (the BeBox, the first of which was available to the public in 1994), the possible purchase by Apple was at the height of success for BeOS (instead Apple chose to buy NeXT in 1996), and the low point of being when BeOS was bought by Palm for $11 million in 2001, where it became part of the Palm OS Cobalt that nobody wanted. In 2002, news of BeOS' rebirth as yellowTAB came out, with another shift as yellowTAB became magnussoft ZETA, which finally folded in 2007, as their figures were far below expectations. From here, fans and enthusiasts took over, with a number of attempts to re-create BeOS from scratch. Most failed, but Haiku (previously) has survived, and today they announced that the first alpha version of the Haiku operating system is available for download (direct download or through torrent), and a preliminary review sounds positive. Starting on the AT&T Hobbit processor, the early BeBoxen then changed to two PowerPC processors running at 66 or 133 MHz. Be, Inc. made the decision to port BeOS to Intel chipsets in a hope to broaden their market with the R3 release in March 1998, finally giving away the OS for personal use (which was later modified by users after there was no official support), shifting gears and retooling the OS for internet appliances (BeIA). None of this helped enough, and Palm's final purchase price of $11 million was a fraction of the $200 million Be hoped to get from Apple in the years before (Apple was only willing to pay $125 million). The BeOS interface is well recognized, and many people have copied the design into themes and skins for modifiable programs. The release of this alpha was also covered on Slashdot, where a commenter noted it's usable, but lacking in wifi support. A follow-up noted [t]he wireless stack is a work in progress (see also: Haikuware Blog), based on the FreeBSD 8.0 WLAN stack. There is a bounty for this goal. Haiku was chosen as the project name because of the intended simplicity of the project, and as a tribute to the error messages from NetPositive (which also lead to the FPP title). Before anyone tells me it's not Autumn yet, I'm claiming this falls under the meteorological Autumn for the northern hemisphere.

Interfacing as humanly as possible

lonemantis — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:25:24 -0800

I'm not a computer programmer, but I love the thought and artistry that go into [computer] application design. Just browsing through Apple's latest HIG (Human Interface Guidelines) leaves me awestruck as to how much experience has been amassed and is used in order to design and execute a streamlined operating system. Abstract concepts like metaphors, user's mental model, perceived stability, and modelessness are transparently integrated into our everyday actions. It is often the little things which make all the difference. And sometimes the simplest actions we perform seem really complex when explained. Who knew there were this many buttons? On a related note: David Pogue at TED sings and talks about human interface inconsistency. Finally, I hope Apple will take to heart many of John Siracusa's thoughts regarding improvements to OS X. The inconsistent Finder and the horrid behavior of the Dock, to name only two... I love my Mac.

Wubi: Ubuntu the easy way

Foci for Analysis — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:09:41 -0800

Ubuntu has quickly become the number one Linux distro for the desktop. Not only is it free, but it has also made Linux easier to use than ever. Now, Wubi enables Windows users to install Ubuntu just like any other application, so you no longer have to mess around with partitions, burning CDs, etc. Be advised that Wubi is just an installer, i.e. it still has to download Ubuntu, ca 700 MB in size, from the web. The software is still beta. Interesting info from the Wubi FAQ:

What are the system requirements? 256 MB RAM and an 1 GHz or faster Intel/AMD processor is recommended for optimal performance, though Xubuntu might work on less. As for disk space, the installation requires a minimum of 4GB. This space is mostly used by the virtual hard disk file. Most computers purchased within the last 3 years should be able to run Ubuntu fine, and Xubuntu is suitable for older computers. What platforms are supported? Wubi will run on on all Windows versions from Windows 98 to Windows Vista, more platforms to come soon. 64-bit builds are possible but not yet available. Linux/*nix/*BSD are supported through Lubi (download location and guide), and Mac OSX will eventually be supported through Mubi (developers still needed). How does Wubi work? Wubi adds an entry to the Windows boot menu which allows you to run Linux. Ubuntu is installed within a file in the windows file system (c:\wubi\disks\system.virtual.disk), this file is seen by Linux as a real hard disk. Is this running Ubuntu within a virtual environment or something similar? No. This is a real installation, the only difference is that Ubuntu is installed within a file as opposed to being installed within its own partition. Thus we spare you the trouble to create a free partition for Ubuntu. And we spare you the trouble to have to burn a CD-Rom. What flavor of Ubuntu will I get? Most flavors, including Ubuntu (default, with GNOME), Kubuntu (with KDE), Xubuntu (with XFCE for older computers), Edubuntu (good for schools and younger users) and UbuntuStudio (for multimedia workstations). Contact us if you would like your own flavor to be available for installation via Wubi. How do I run Ubuntu? You have to reboot and choose "Ubuntu". How do I run Windows? You have to reboot and choose "Windows". How do I uninstall it? You uninstall it as any other applications. In windows go to the control panel and select "Add or Remove Programs", then select Wubi and uninstall it. You can also use the uninstaller that you find in C:\wubi\uninstaller.exe.

Ubuntu Studio Released!

phrontist — Thu, 10 May 2007 22:02:28 -0800

Ubuntu Studio is a Linux distribution focused on creative audiovisual pursuits.

PS. Your Favorite Operating System Sucks

fenriq — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 19:01:53 -0800

The Evolution of the Desktop 1984-2007
My oh my, how far we've come.

Whizzkid develops Linux application for Windows

Postroad — Mon, 12 Apr 2004 16:42:25 -0800

Whizzkid develops Linux application for Windows [...]The significance of the development is that Linux and Windows are able to work in parallel on the same computer or server. To[sic] now, the computer world is divided into systems that operate either with Windows or with Linux. [...]

SCO wants GPL declared unconstitutional.

silusGROK — Fri, 31 Oct 2003 09:48:23 -0800

SCO is at it again ... this time they've asked a federal judge to declare that Linux's general public license — a backbone of the free software movement — unconstitutional. Let's hope the judge has more sense than SCO.

Old computers don't die, they just get TCP/IP stacks

Mwongozi — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 08:47:31 -0800

Contiki is a multi-tasking, GUI operating system for the Commodore 64. It has TCP/IP support, which means you can access the internet , and even comes with a built-in web browser. The OS and all its programs come to a staggeringly small 42K.
Via /.

misangela — Fri, 21 Jun 2002 12:50:37 -0800

Wal-Mart Ships PCs with Lindows Wal-Mart has stood up to MicroSoft's monopoly with its latest computer offerings, being sold sans Windows. The retailer is selling its super cheap boxes either without an OS or with the upstart LindowsOS. I guess I'll have to start shopping at WalMart to show my support!

bliss322 — Fri, 12 Apr 2002 09:19:11 -0800

Hailstorm now more, kinda. Microsoft has cancelled/heavily reconsidered the Hailstorm part of their .Net initiative, blaming the fact that businesses were never interested in seeing if consumers wanted to use it or not.

Zool — Thu, 15 Nov 2001 18:11:35 -0800

Personal Edition - Linux for the whole family. I was wondering when someone will make a version of Linux directly marketed at the personal home user, and it looks like someone has.

betobeto — Fri, 02 Nov 2001 19:37:30 -0800

Is Microsoft finally doing things right? According to this usability study putting Win98 and XP side by side, the answer seems to be affirmative - on favour of XP. Won't make me trade my Mac for a Wintel machine though.

adrober — Mon, 17 Sep 2001 15:23:26 -0800

Yes, the nation's in mourning, but does that mean Apple's going to postpone its OSX Update? I mean they said September, and that was like two months ago. I wannnnnnnnnnnnt it.

Brilliantcrank — Mon, 18 Sep 2000 21:35:36 -0800

Lord, thank you for this. Mac users our prayers are being answered. No longer will the plagues of type 11 errors and system freezes rule over the people. The writings is on the wall and it is time for us to reign.

frog — Fri, 18 Feb 2000 03:38:00 -0800

BeOS 5 will be free for download later this quarter. Smart move. I can't wait to try it out.