It’s platform independent, but is it open source? Well sorry to ruin it for you open source hard core fans but this application isn’t completely free, you’ll have to pay the around $40 to get it. Which kind of sucks as I would have loved to see it ship for free. However we have to still consider the huge price cut compared to what Photoshop costs.

The interface in Pixel looks as if it’s copied directly from photoshop, sure there are maybe slight differences but the most important things seem to be at the same place as in the “original”.

At present Pixel still in a beta phase but contains the base function that you find in both Phtoshop and Gimp. You’ll find support for Layers, Paths, Channels, masks, selections and support for RGB, CMYK, grey scales, CIE Lab modes and HDR.

You can read more about it on the project’s official website. More screenshot can be found at this link. Pixel is platform independent and is available for among others Windows, MacOSX, Linux and FreeBSD.

Anyone that has tried this yet, I’d love to hear your comments on Pixel, also how much better is it than me downloading gimpshot, that makes Gimp behave like photoshop?

If you wonder why there has not been any posts made lately, it’s because I’m currently conducting my military service, this was the first break I had. It should get more relaxed in the middle of February.

It’s CNews.ru that reported about Window’s advances and plans on the Russian operating system market.

Microsoft in Russia has become allied together with Intel and Volnye Delo Fund with an agenda to double the amount of school computers in Russia.

Already next year, 200 000 new machines will be shipped and if the project is successful another shipment of the same size will be performed during the next four years. The experts state that at the present time there are about 700 000 computers found in Russian schools. And this means that Microsoft will more than double that figure.

The software on the machines will cost one fourth of the regular price for the licences, for Windows XP and Microsoft Office. According to some sources, the license will land on a cost of about $3 per machine.

This means that Microsoft will use the same strategy to meat the threat from open source in Russia, as they did to deal with the massive pirate copying in Kine - which is to work on a close level with authorities, subsidize hardware and push down the prices on software.

Source: linuxworld.idg.se

Dell

After a phone call to Dell, where the question was delivered to their marketing department, and a call from Lars Kristensen at Dell a couple of hours later in Denmark, Lars gives a positive answer to the constumers in the Nordic countries who want to save a couple of bucks on the buy:

- It’s not possible to buy the computer without Windows preinstalled via our site, if you instead phone us then it’s possible to get the computer delivered without the operating system. I can’t tell you right away how much cheaper it will get but I would guess around 500 SEK ($80), sais Lars Kristensen.

No answer on the question whether the buyer can go about to get the money back for a windows license, but the fact that it is possible to buy the computer without any operating system makes Dell pass this “test”.

Dell: Past

Fujitsu Siemens Computers

When they called Fujitsu Siemens Computers, they got a positive answer as well, and clear directions on how you go about to do this. At Fujitsu Siemens Computers they spoke with Mats Mileblad who is in charge of consumer questions:

- Can I get the money back as a costumer if I do not wish to use the preinstalled Windows Vista?

- Yes, actually you can. This is stated very clearly in the warranty specifications, how you go about to claim your money and the information about EULA is also found on Microsoft’s site. Sure you can experience the tech support being a little rusty when you call about this matter. After all we only get 3 to 4 people calling with questions about that.

- How much money are we talking about?

- It’s about 400 SEK ( around $60) I would say.

- Does the money come from you or Microsoft?

- The money comes from us, no money comes from Microsoft.

- And the sum paid, depends on what type of software is installed on the machine I assume?

- Indeed.

Fujitsu Siemens has routines to handle Microsoft’s EULA and even pays back money to the costumers that are not interested in Windows.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers: Past

Hewlett Packard

HP chose to answer the question through email and writes that the buyer has an option to buy the computer without an operating system by using their web based configuration tool - Top Config.

This is how HP responded:

HP offers computers with Microsoft CP, Microsoft Vista or Free Dos as operating system. The products we posses comes explicitly with Microsoft XP or Vista, but by using our configuration tool Top Config, our costumers order Free Dos as an operating system. The costumer can avoid the costs of a windows operating system if he doesn’t aim to be using it by customizing their PC through Top Config. In the cases where a costumer has bought a HP PC with a Windows operating system and doesn’t accept the conditions in EULA, the PC can be returned immediately to the vendor in the case where the computer is in new condition and in it’s original packaging.

A search on HP’s Swedish site after Top Config didn’t give us any sensible hits at all. In their Webshop there is no option where you can choose a operating system, so their answer is pretty much useless for you as a buyer. “Top Config” is presumably a service for bigger companies that you as a normal costumer doesn’t have a chance to use. So if you do not accept EULA you’re option is to send back the computer, claim your money back and choose another PC brand.

Hewlett Packard: Failed

Acer

Acer responded after a couple of days and sends a clear flowchart on how the costumer has to proceed to get the money back for an operating system the person isn’t interested in. Great that Acer has routines but after reading how the costumer has to go about in doing this, it’s clear that the profit is minimal:

To get back the couple of bucks that Acer has bought the license from Microsoft for, you have to act within 30 days after your purchase. Contact Acer to get a paper sent where you have to fill out that you aren’t interested in Windows. The paper and the computer must then be sent to a service center - on your own costs, where technicians will uninstall the operating system. Then the computer will be sent back to you, this also is on your own cost which in the end means that the money you would save on not choosing Windows will go to paying the fee for sending the computer instead. You can minimize the cost to hand in the computer to the service center yourself (if you have one somewhere near your location), but this means that Acer passes the test but is on the edge of failing.

Acer: Barely Passes

Lenovo

When we get contacted by Lenovo, the response is unfortunately not good. According to Eva Forsgren, in charge of market question, there are no way to avoid paying for Microsoft software.

- We see it as the costumer buys a package solution. You can compare it to let say buying a car where you suddenly don’t want the engine anymore, maybe a little funny example but that’s how it is right now anyway. Windows comes along. You can also compare it to a hard drive - it comes along.

- But, don’t you think that you break Microsoft EUALA if you don’t let people get their money back for a license they do not agree with?

- No, our costumers usually put their own image on the machine after they get it.

- What costumers are that? Do you have any examples?

- The big company costumers.

- So you say that they put in their own operating system - but they too cannot buy machines without an operating system?

- No, exactly. It’s a package solution as we see it. I don’t know how the competing manufacturers do and how much a loose operating system costs today. Say it costs 1000 SEK ($160). That isn’t the actual cost for the operating system.

- Fujitsu pays back 400 SEK.

- all right, but we see it as a package solution. It is probable that we will come with a change in this matter in the future but that isn’t anything we know right now.

Despite the fact that Lenovo puts all their effort on windows, the confidence for Vista isn’t on top - not according to their costumer support that also was called to find out if they knew how one could go about:

- Hi, I’m interested in buying a Thinkpad but I don’t need windows. I will install Linux on it, so I would want to know if I have the option to get a refund for Windows Vista. Is it possible?

- I can’t answer that. I’m with the technical support so I guess that, that’s a question you have to take with the vendor. Dustin, Techdata for example (Swedish vendors). You can search for vendors on the net, then simply take the question with them.

- But how should I go about to get the machine without windows - I want to run Linux?

- I guess you have to reinstall the PC and simply take out Windows and install Linux, said the support dude on the other end of the line.

But.. he continues, if you choose to put in your own operating system, I recommend that you burn the restore CDs, so you can restore the machine if you would get into any trouble. When or if Windows Vista becomes stable some time in the future, you would have the possibility to restore it and upgrade to the latest service-packs….

Lenovo: Fails

Source: linuxworld.idg.se

OpenSolaris is Sun’s response to Ubuntu 7.10, openSUSE 10.3 and Mandriva 2008.
The distribution will according to some statements, have everything but the Linux kernel which Sun has switched to their own. Well won’t this become a little problematic with having their own kernel instead of Linux? Just take drivers like an example. The Linux kernel contains a big amount of drivers, does Sun’s have these drivers? If not then openSolaris will only work with a small amount of hardware. Presumable the most common ones, as soon as you have some strange or not so popular hardware this will mean trouble.

The desktop used in OpenSolaris is Gnome 2.20, the same as in pretty much every other distribution.

ISO-files can be found at Sun via this link.

Source: linuxworld.idg.se

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So what’s new in this web 2.0 looking dashboard?

Well basically it’s all the same with some minor changes. The changes you can see are mainly done to the looks of the interface. But one of the new things that I appreciate is the statistics on how many people have come to your blog. How popular a post was and how many syndication that post has earned.

The category issue isn’t solved yet, but there is a text saying that the added categories will be available on Friday.

Anyway I’m not seeing any great numbers of traffic coming through the widget, however it’s an improvement since they cleaned out all the spam and non English blogs.

It seems as the “Buzz’o'meter” is just there too look good, as it doesn’t fulfill what it was meant to do. I mean three visitors and you have it displaying hot is just hilarious…

Also I don’t see a section for outgoing traffic, I would like to see how many people I send versus how many I get. But as I said in earlier blogrush posts, I’ll give this widget a chance to the end of this year. Then it will either be taken down or stay depending on how well it’s doing. Right now it seems as it will be kicked of if its performance continues to be this disappointing.

The interface in KDE 4 is significantly more attractive than the one we are used to in KDE 3.5. The icons and windows have become more appealing to the eyes. KDE 4’s esthetic looks makes it climb to the same level as Mac OS X.

You’ll find the ISO at “KDE Four LiveCD”

The screenshots are found at Phoronix

Source: linuxworld.idg.se

In a school in England, RFID-chips are used to keep track of pupils going in and out of class rooms. The manufacturers of the chip see a lucrative market they sure want to get into.

- The school follows the project and performs several different tests to see if the test is compatible with other information systems already running at the school, said Graham Wakeling, principal in the school.

Also the manufacturer follows this test closely and are hoping to create a very lucrative market if this tests outcome is good.

Not surprisingly these tests also have received criticism.

- Criminals that are released on probation from prisons, usually get this chip installed. Now when our pupils have to verify their fingerprints and now this chip thing, it seems as we are treating our kids in the same fashion as we traditionally treat criminals, said David Clouter, founder of the organisation Leave Them Kids Alone.

Source:The Register
sakerhet.idg.se

The developers have polished pretty much every detail in the operating system since their last version. More than 18000 changes have been made and you’ll also find several new things.

According to the presentation the team behind FreeBSD has done, we see improvements in the file system, network, improved security, several programs for the uses, better tools for developers and the biggest new thing - a completely redone processor architecture.

Earlier, FreeBSD scaled very poorly ( Like every other BSD compared to Linux). The operating system wasn’t capable of increasing its performance with more processors and threads. Thanks to the new architecture this problem is now just a part of the past, FreeBSD is back in the game.

Graphs from FreeBSD indicate that the new architecture scales almost linearly as the number cores and threads used increases. The curve is almost straight.

FreeBSD also comes with the file system Zetta Byte Filesystem - something that will definitely make the Linux administrators green of envy.

Several drivers has found their way into FreeBSD. The case here is the same as in Linux, the majority of the drivers are for wireless hardware. 802.11 is now stable, Atheros, Intel’s circuits and more works automatically. WPA (Wifi Protected Access) is included.

You readers who want to use FreeBSD as a desktop can be happy as X.org 7.3, KDE 3.5.7 and Gnome 2.18.3 is included.

You can read more about the news in “Introducing FreeBSD 7.0″ (PDF File!).
You can download a beta of FreeBSD 7.0 through their ftp-archieve.

Source: linuxworld.idg.se

Elcom has even a patent pending for the method of using GPU (powerful internal computing engine) to crack passwords. Only by using a regular Geforce 8800-card, cracking a password becomes 25 times faster than by traditional methods.

Thanks to the fact that the GPUs are so fast, a task that earlier took two years can now be shortened to two weeks if you have a computer with twin graphic cards. The reason why graphic cards are so effective is due to the fact that they can handle multiple tasks parallely, which means hundreds of calculations at the same time.

A lot of the advanced graphic cards available today on the market, offers a computing capacity of 500 gigaflops. If you connect several cards together you can basically achieve a capacity of over one teraflop.

Read more at: TG Daily

The Outcome

The results of the toolbar pagerank update are various, some are happy from an increased one and others are wondering why theirs were lowered.

What happened is illustrated best by the image above. Google started their update by lowering the pagerank on various sites. This was discussed by many blogers, the question if google was punishing them came up. The fact that paid links, reviews and other similar issues were disliked by Google was known, so it everyone pretty much settled with the idea that this was in fact a move of punishment.

Then the time came for the rest of the site updates. This seems to have started last night. And the results are various, and the process seemed a bit odd as well. Take thingsbymike.com their site went down to a pr 2 from 3 before it changed up to 4.

So the question I have now is whether the pr you see now on some pages is the final one or if Google will do something more? Impossible to know, we’ll have to wait and see.

I have spoken to some webmasters which also feel, as I do, that Google had to have changed or added something new to their algorithm that calculates the pr for a page.

We had some expected pr calculated for the pages, and the outcome was much different once Google performed the update. Many people said that the tool was pretty much accurate; if it wasn’t dead on, you usually got a number lower. So if it said 5 you could get anything between 4 and 5.

So the question now is, was that tool wrong when it came to our sites for the first time with such a huge margin, or did Google modify something in their algorithm?

So could the drops in PR, be nothing more than the accurate pr according to the new algorithm and not just a punishment? Or maybe it is a mix between them both a new value due to the new method of calculating it and a punishment?

It is hard to say, but it I find it as a plausible idea. I would like to see what others have to say about all these questions that have risen with the latest Google toolbar update.