Operating Systems

Operating systems news, solutions, and analysis for IT professionals, covering desktop, server, and mobile operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, and iOS

An epic battle of good and bad (rumor sources)!

Posted May 16, 2012 - 1:57 pm

Your dad’s Wall Street Journal was the sheet that aimed to tell you everything you needed to know that morning to face the many-headed, irrational beast known as The Market. Your Wall Street Journal? It wants to have the very best sourcing on what your next iPhone is going to look like, and it usually succeeds.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Mozilla retreating on Linux?

Posted May 16, 2012 - 12:19 pm

Mozilla is resisting app marketplace support on Linux. Is this the beginning of a trend that will see Firefox knocked off the Linux hill?
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Lenovo working with Intel on ThinkPad Windows 8 tablet

Posted May 15, 2012 - 12:06 am

Lenovo is working with chip maker Intel on a future ThinkPad tablet based on Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, a Lenovo executive said.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Is November Win 8 tablet release too late?

Posted May 14, 2012 - 11:31 am

If Intel-based Windows 8 tablets launch in November, as one informed source expects, Microsoft would face a narrow window to play a role in the important holiday sales period.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
How to enforce password complexity on Solaris

Posted May 12, 2012 - 7:44 pm

Solaris 10 is the first version of Solaris to provide a complex set of variables for controlling password strength. The /etc/default/passwd file contains a series of parameters -- most commented out when a system is first installed -- that allow you to exercise some fairly rigorous constraints on the passwords your users may select.
- Quick Read
- 1 comment
- Like
- Tweet
How Apple is breaking free of Google's Maps (and maybe Google, entirely)

Posted May 11, 2012 - 11:33 am

It’s no secret that Apple and Google have the kind of relationship that touring bands have with Ticketmaster: an aspiring artist with a thinly veiled contempt for the company that has all the right connections.
- Quick Read
- 1 comment
- Like
- Tweet
Turn off elastic scrolling in OS X

Posted May 10, 2012 - 9:19 pm

Here's how to turn off elastic scrolling in OS X.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
OS X Lion 10.7.4 features

Posted May 10, 2012 - 9:12 pm

Here's what you'll find in the 10.7.4 update to OS X Lion.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Upgrade to OS X Lion 10.7.4

Posted May 10, 2012 - 9:04 pm

Here's how you can update to OS X Lion 10.7.4.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Windows 8 Pro: Features IT pros need to know about

Posted May 10, 2012 - 8:36 pm

Microsoft announced last month that Windows 8 will be sold in three editions: two for PCs powered by x86 processors and one for ARM-based tablets, called Windows RT.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Microsoft touts Win8's ability to detect, fix hard disk problems

Posted May 10, 2012 - 4:46 pm

Microsoft has revamped the way Windows 8 monitors hard disk operations and detects problems in an effort to make the diagnostic and repair process less intrusive and disruptive, even as disk capacity continues to balloon.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Apple patches 36 bugs in OS X, fixes encryption password goof

Posted May 10, 2012 - 3:56 pm

Apple on Wednesday patched 36 vulnerabilities in Mac OS X, most of them critical, plugging a hole that revealed passwords used to encrypt folders with an older version of FileVault.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Mozilla accuses Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior with Windows RT

Posted May 10, 2012 - 3:55 pm

Mozilla yesterday accused Microsoft of withholding APIs necessary to build a competitive browser for Windows RT, and said the behavior "may have antitrust implications."
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Lenovo to add new Windows 8 tablet-laptop hybrids to its ThinkPad line

Posted May 10, 2012 - 3:05 pm

Lenovo plans to add business-friendly Windows 8 hybrid laptops to its ThinkPad line that will be similar to the convertible, flippable IdeaPad Yoga.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Intel CEO Otellini calls out ARM on Windows 8 tablets

Posted May 10, 2012 - 2:59 pm

Intel CEO Paul Otellini on Thursday said that the company has an advantage over its rival ARM on Windows 8 for tablets because of decades of developing x86 chips that support the Windows operating system.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
What makes MS think it could ban non-IE browsers in Win8?

Posted May 10, 2012 - 2:44 pm

Once it was routine for Microsoft to dictate what applications or technology customers or other vendors had to use if they didn't want the big dog to bite. Now it's just ridiculous. No FireFox, Chrome or Safari on the ARM version of Windows 8? For how long, do you think?
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Question

Is Mozilla right about Windows 8 being a "return to the dark ages"?

Posted May 10, 2012 - 12:06 pm

What do you think about Mozilla's claims that Microsoft is returning to the era when developers and users didn't have browser choices? Mozilla says that Windows 8 will only allow Internet Explorer to run the Windows desktop. Are they right? Will this really limit users to IE?
- Quick Read
- 1 comment
- Like
- Tweet
Microsoft's purported Windows RT Firefox ban: A quick explainer

Posted May 10, 2012 - 11:45 am

Microsoft is giving Internet Explorer an unfair technical advantage in Windows RT (Windows 8 for ARM-based devices) that is the "first step toward a new platform lock-in," according to the Mozilla Foundation. The group behind the open source Firefox browser is complaining that Internet Explorer will be the only browser on Windows RT allowed to run in the traditional desktop environment.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Apple patches Safari, blocks outdated Flash Player

Posted May 10, 2012 - 11:08 am

Apple on Wednesday patched four security vulnerabilities in Safari and blocked outdated versions of Adobe's Flash Player from running in its browser.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
PC tips: use Sleep Mode to save money, skip 'Safely Remove'

Posted May 10, 2012 - 7:35 am

Every now and then I come across great PC tips and share them with you. A few months back I told you how to put Linux on a USB drive (and why you'd want to), and how to bypass Windows Updates. Today I've found some interesting research on using Sleep Mode (vs. leaving a PC running), plus a great tip on how to quickly remove USB devices without hassling with the "Safely Remove Hardware" routine.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Open source Java moving to Linux, AIX on PowerPC

Posted May 9, 2012 - 9:08 pm

SAP-steered proposal brings OpenJDK to new platforms
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Is Apple's OS X Mountain Lion on early-release track?

Posted May 9, 2012 - 8:37 pm

Apple may release OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion earlier than expected, according to a report by a popular blog and clues found within the release dates of the three developer previews of the new operating system.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Apple releases OS X 10.7.4, Safari 5.1.7

Posted May 9, 2012 - 8:34 pm

Get your clicking finger ready, because Apple’s dropped a few updates for your Mac. On Wednesday, the company released OS X 10.7.4, Safari 5.1.7, and Security Update 2012-002.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Microsoft outlines remote desktop improvements in Windows Server

Posted May 9, 2012 - 6:08 pm

The new version of Windows Server will feature improvements in its hosting capabilities that end users can tap into remotely from a variety of client devices.
- Quick Read
- Like
- Tweet
Question

What is the appeal of the Tizen OS that Samsung is reportedly considering for future devices?

Posted May 9, 2012 - 2:24 pm

Until about 6 weeks ago, I had never heard of Tizen, and suddenly there is buzz that Samsung may be looking at moving to Tizen OS. So Samsung, who is doing very well with Android, wants to move to a different OS?! What am I missing here?
- Quick Read
- 2 comments
- Like
- Tweet

Operating SystemsWhite Papers & Webcasts

White Paper

Consolidating Lotus Domino x86 Workloads on IBM Power Systems

Read the white paper to learn how moving up to Lotus Domino 8.5 and consolidating with IBM Power Servers can help you boost performance results and ROI.

White Paper

A Comparison of PowerVM and VMware vSphere (4.1 & 5.0) Virtualization Performance

This technical white paper presents benchmark results showing greater VM consolidation ratios than demonstrated in previous benchmarks and demonstrating the extent of the performance lead that PowerVM virtualization technologies deliver over x86-based add-on virtualization products.

White Paper

How Nimsoft Service Desk Speeds Deployment and Time to Value

For years, many support teams have been hamstrung by their traditional service desk platforms, which require complex, time-consuming coding for virtually every aspect of customization. This complexity makes it costly and difficult for support organizations to adapt-and places an increasingly substantial burden on the agility and efficiency of the business as a whole.

Webcast On Demand

Best Practices in Monitoring VMware

The benefits of virtualization are unassailable: increased agility, scale, and cost savings to name a few. However, so too are the monitoring challenges posed by these environments-including complexities, lack of visibility and control, and inefficiency.

See more White Papers | Webcasts