Grafpup 2.00 final was released yesterday around the world and it brings bleeding edge features such as:

• Linux kernel 2.6.20.2
• A revamped package management with dependency resolution
• The Gimp 2.3.14
• Cinepaint 0.22 with the cvs Ufraw plug-in
• A brand new control panel
• cdrkit replaces cdrtools
• Openbox replaces IceWM

I think the most exciting feature in this release, is the Openbox WM, which is a standards compliant, fast, light-weight, extensible window manager. Openbox works with your applications, and makes your desktop easier to manage. It is fully functional as a stand-alone working environment, or can be used as a drop-in replacement for the default window manager in the GNOME or KDE desktop environments.

The Grafpup team setup a very nice repository, with more than 1100 applications, from which you can install very easily other desktop environments like XFCE4 or KDE. This version of Grafpup comes in three editions: with Opera, with SeaMonkey and with Dillo web browsers.

Grafpup Linux is a desktop operating system which provides a complete and stable workflow for digital imaging professionals and graphic artists in a very compact package.

Grafpup Linux runs very well as a Live CD, but with persistent storage for your data, and a nice package management system to add on the software. When running the Live CD, you can also install extra packages that will remain after reboot.

Of course, Grafpup Linux can also be installed quite easily onto a USB thumbdrive or your hard disk, and it will run equally well. Grafpup Linux is based on the structure of Puppy Linux, which is an amazing distribution created from scratch by Barry Kauler. The total size of the Grafpup Linux Live CD is around 100 MB, and the whole operating system loads into RAM for amazing performance.

Download Grafpup Linux now from Softpedia.

[via softpedia news]

40 millions of Windows Vista sold licenses later, Mac OS X and Linux bite the dust, and the latest Microsoft operating system is directly responsible. At the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2007 in Los Angeles in mid May 2007, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates revealed that in the first 100 days of availability the company had shipped approximately 40 million Vista licenses.

Must Read:
Mac OS X vs Vista. The Fight Goes On

With an impressive rate of adoption Windows Vista is right on track to “become the standard version of Windows” as Gates put it. Microsoft’s Chairman and Co-founder also took a swing at rivals by claiming that just in the first five weeks on the market Windows Vista has surpassed the installed base of all other alternative operating systems.

Recent data made available by Market Share by Net Applications comes to confirm Gates’ claims for Vista. According to the Market Share statistics, Vista now controls no less than 3.74% of the operating system market. In this context, Linux was the first road-kill produced by Vista in the very first month on the shelves. However, in May, Linux’s market share dropped to 0.70% from 0.80% in April 2007.

Market Share by Net Applications separated in its statistics Apple’s market share according to platform. In this regard, both MacIntel and MacOS have experienced minuscule growth from April to May. MacOS jumped from 3.89% to 3.95%, just 0.06%, and MacIntel managed an un-spectacular growth from 2.32% to 2.51%.

The superb market performance delivered by Windows Vista has already led to an adoption rate superior to both Mac OS X and Linux put together. Before Vista was launched to consumers at the end of January, there had been voices forecasting the fact that Microsoft was alienating users with the operating system and that Apple and Linux would rip the benefits. Nothing could be further from the truth judging by what Vista has showed so far.
[thanks softpedia for the great article]

25th October 2006, Oracle announced same enterprise class support for Linux as for its database. They received huge positive response from the Linux community and they promised to keep a close watch on the compatibility issues.

“We think it’s important not to fragment the market,” said Oracle’s Chief Corporate Architect Edward Screven. “We will maintain compatibility with Red Hat Linux. Every time Red Hat distributes a new version we will resynchronize with their code. All we add are bug fixes, which are immediately available to Red Hat and the rest of the community. We have years of Linux engineering experience. Several Oracle employees are Linux mainline maintainers.”

IBM at that time also welcomed oracle’s move. “Oracle’s support for Red Hat Linux will encourage broader adoption of Linux in the enterprise,” said Bill Zeitler, Senior Vice President & Group Executive, IBM Systems and Technology Group. “IBM shares Oracle’s goal of making Linux a reliable, highly standard, cost effective platform for mission critical applications backed by world class support.”

But now IBM is not ready to guarantee that its computer programs are compatible with Oracle Corp.’s recently launched version of the Linux operating system, an IBM spokesman said on Friday. This means that if IBM software programs turn out to be incompatible with Oracle Enterprise Linux, then it will be up to Oracle — and not IBM — to resolve the issue, said IBM spokesman Matthew McMahon.

Oracle, which started selling Linux in October, has said its product is identical to one from Red Hat Inc. the No. 1 vendor of the popular open-source operating system, and will seamlessly run software written for the Red Hat system. But users need outside critics to support the move for oracle to win over this field. Once a giant like IBM starts supporting oracle, then there would be no one stopping them.

“What Red Hat is selling to the customer is peace of mind. Oracle cannot do that because it is unable to certify comparability,” said Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with Global Equities Research.

With February coming to an end, Oracle is eagerly waiting for outside support to be somewhere around the leaders in the real race. Time will do the judgment.

Image Source: Here
Text Source: Reuters