Operating Systems

Analysis: Why Linux is a desktop flop

It's free, easier to use than ever, IT staffers know it and love it, and it has fewer viruses and Trojans than Windows.

By Maria Korolov | 30 April, 2012 21:28

Tags: Android, Configuration / maintenance, consumer electronics, Data Center, desktop, desktop pcs, Gartner, hardware systems, IDC, Linux, open source, operating systems, smartphones, software

A deep dive into Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Windows 8 Consumer Preview is one of the biggest changes that Microsoft has made to Windows, moving it from an operating system aimed at a single class of hardware (PCs and laptops) to one that spans a wide range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

By Preston Gralla | 06 March, 2012 05:04

Tags: Desktop Apps, Microsoft, mobile, Mobile OSes, operating systems, software, Windows

Windows 8: What you need to get started

Early yesterday, Microsoft shipped the Consumer Preview for Windows 8, the drastically different refresh of the venerable operating system.

By Gregg Keizer | 01 March, 2012 22:54

Tags: App Development, Microsoft, operating systems, software, Windows

In depth: Hands on with Apple's new OS X, Mountain Lion

Apple updates its iOS mobile operating system once a year. But why should the iPhone and iPad have all the fun? Apple has announced that it will release a new version of OS X—Mountain Lion—this summer, just a year after the release of OS X Lion.

By Jason Snell | 17 February, 2012 01:38

Tags: Apple, Mac OS, operating systems, software

20 popular Ubuntu Linux apps you may want to try

As Ubuntu Linux continues to grow in popularity, most discussions of it tend to focus on the basics of the operating system itself, including especially details about its desktop environment and user interface.

By Katherine Noyes | 10 February, 2012 07:01

Tags: Linux, non-Windows, open source, operating systems, software, ubuntu, unix

Insight: Why Microsoft's vision of the future will really happen

Microsoft released a video in 2008 and another one this week that together predict the sleek, wireless, connected gadgets we'll all enjoy by the year 2019.

By Mike Elgan | 01 November, 2011 02:32

Tags: consumer electronics, hardware systems, Microsoft

Windows XP: Pros and cons of not upgrading

Windows XP users, your favorite operating system is a decade old, and if you're still using it, you're not cool anymore, at least according to Microsoft. That's the software giant's recent take on its aging OS, which is still more popular than Vista or Windows 7 worldwide. Microsoft is hoping the final cadre of users hanging on to XP will start to dump it and move to the more modern Windows 7.

By Ian Paul | 27 October, 2011 04:41

Tags: Microsoft, operating systems, software, windows xp

Patent madness! A timeline of the Android patent wars

History may look at Android as the tech industry's Helen of Troy: The OS that launched a thousand suits.

By Brad Reed | 21 September, 2011 06:26

Tags: Android, Apple, consumer electronics, Google, Microsoft, networking, smartphones, software, wireless

Why IT won't like Mac OS X Lion Server

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server adds innovative features and a new low price tag, but cuts in services and the elimination of advanced GUI administration tools may force some enterprise departments to think twice about the role of Mac servers on their networks.

By John Rizzo | 25 July, 2011 23:40

Tags: Apple, applications, Mac OS X, management, Microsoft, networking, Network management, operating systems, software

Apple iOS: Why it's the most secure OS, period

In June 2007, Apple released the iPhone, and the device quickly took off to become a major brand in the smartphone market. Yet when the iPhone shipped, security on the mobile operating system was nearly nonexistent. Missing from the initial iOS (then called iPhone OS) were many of the security features that modern-day desktop software has as a matter of course, such as data-execution protection (DEP) and address-space layout randomization (ASLR). Apple's cachet lured security researchers to test the platform, and in less than a month, a trio had released details on the first vulnerability: an exploitable flaw in the mobile Safari browser.

By Robert Lemos | 06 June, 2011 20:04

Tags: Apple, consumer electronics, hardware systems, iOS, iPad, iPhone, laptops, mobile security, mobile technology, Phones, security, smartphones, tablet PCs, twitter

Ubuntu Linux Satanic Edition (666.9) review

Getting ready to review a Linux distribution is usually pretty straightforward. After some background research into the distribution's history, you download the latest ISO and beseech the head of IT to lend you a netbook or scrounge up some moth-infested, aging desktop PC.

By Rohan Pearce | 10 May, 2011 15:30

Tags: Linux, open source, ubuntu

Android Honeycomb: Powerful, but not perfect

Honeycomb is a whole different beast from the Android we've come to know. While previous versions of Google's mobile operating system were built for smartphones, Honeycomb -- also known as Android 3.0 -- is the first to be designed specifically for tablet-size devices. And seeing it in action, it certainly shows.

By JR Raphael | 05 March, 2011 06:26

Tags: Android, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, applications, Google, Google Android, Google Android 3.0, mobile, Mobile operating systems, software, tablets, Telecommunication

Six things I love about Google's Android 3.0

Android has always frustrated me. I've tracked Google's mobile operating system ever since its debut on the T-Mobile G1, and time and again I've seen new versions fall short of overhauling the interface into a clean, user-friendly experience that can compete with -- and push -- Apple's iOS.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 26 February, 2011 02:30

Tags: Android, Android tablets, Apple, consumer electronics, Google, Google Android, Motorola, Phones

Why Android users are such a happy lot

Smartphone users tend to hold strong opinions about the various mobile platforms out there, often displaying feverish loyalty to the one they use and outright disdain for all others.

By Katherine Noyes | 20 January, 2011 05:51

Tags: Android, Cell Phones, consumer electronics, Google, ICM Research, mobile phones, open source, Phones, smartphones, software

For an old or slow PC, try Puppy Linux 5.2

There's no doubt Canonical's popular Ubuntu Linux distribution gets the majority of attention in the Linux world these days, but there are myriad others equally worthy of consideration.

By Katherine Noyes | 12 January, 2011 08:58

Tags: canonical, Linux, non-Windows, open source, operating systems, software, unix

Massive Mac OS X update shatters illusion of security

Perhaps you've heard that the Apple Mac OS X operating system is simply more secure by design and not prone to the security flaws and vulnerabilities that plague the dominant Microsoft Windows operating system? Well, don't believe the hype. Apple unleashed an update for Mac OS X this week which fixes a massive 134 vulnerabilities.

By Tony Bradley | 12 November, 2010 02:15

Tags: Apple, Mac OS, Mac OS X, malware, online security, operating systems, security, software

Open source helps Facebook achieve massive app scalability

People all over the world spend a total of eight billion minutes a day on Facebook. Some 3.5 billion pieces of content are shared every week, 400 billion Web pages are viewed every month and the site logs a staggering 25TB of data every day. David Recordon, senior open programs manager at Facebook, talks about how the social networking giant uses open source tools to achieve its massive app scalablilty.

By Rodney Gedda | 24 February, 2010 09:40

Tags: apache, cloud computing, databases, Facebook, high performance computing (HPC), lamp, Linux, memcached, mysql, open source, php, SaaS, software development

9-year-old plots his fifth Microsoft certification

Born with a passion for computing, 9-year-old Marko Calasan hasn't wasted any time becoming a high-tech pro with four Microsoft IT certifications.

By Denise Dubie | 05 February, 2010 17:01

Tags: certification, Microsoft, Windows 7

Is Windows 7 the last major chapter in Windows story?

Microsoft Windows 7 may represent the last ever, large in-mass upgrade of the Windows client environment and define the line where the desktop PC was no longer the center of the end-user universe, according to IDC.

By John Fontana | 17 December, 2009 08:40

Tags: Microsoft, Windows 7

Digital Gear: Android tablets charge ahead

As users eagerly await tablets from companies like Apple and Microsoft, Fusion Garage jumped ahead with the demonstration of JooJoo, a handheld Internet and entertainment gadget with a 12.1-inch touch screen. Tablets are a new category of handheld devices with large screens for users to surf the Web and watch videos. JooJoo is due for release in a few months but could be held if a lawsuit is filed by TechCrunch, which originally partnered with Fusion Garage to develop the device under the name Crunchpad.

By Agam Shah | 10 December, 2009 06:24

Tags: Android, Google Android, smartphones, tablet PCs, touchscreens, ultraportables

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