Jason Brooks

Ive tried my hand at a number of open-source content management systems, and I can report without hesitation that Plone is my favorite. This Zope-based CMS is simple to install and ready to be useful right out of the box, but just as compelling is Plones potential for extension and customization. /zimages/2/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK Labs […]

Windows XP Service Pack 2, which became available Aug. 6, is Microsoft Corp.s bid to make its most prominent product adhere better to the promises of Trustworthy Computing. eWEEK Labs has been testing the new service pack throughout its beta cycle, and we are impressed with the security improvements in what is proving to be […]

Novell Inc.’s Mono 1.0 is an open-source implementation of Microsoft Corp.’s .Net development platform that provides companies with the opportunity to pursue the latest Microsoft development technologies while leaving open the door to cross-platform support. While the .Net Framework targets only Windows, Mono 1.0 supports Linux and Unix platforms, as well as systems running Windows […]

With Suns decision at the end of June to release its prototype three-dimensional desktop environment, known as Project Looking Glass, under the GPL, the flashy project took the first step toward being more than a fancy trade-show demo. After downloading and installing Release 0.5 of Looking Glass, I can report the project has matured enough […]

The upcoming version of Sun Microsystems Inc.s flagship operating system, Solaris 10, will be the most feature-packed release in some time. One compelling new Solaris component is DTrace, a facility that opens to developers and system administrators a window onto the workings of the operating system and the applications that run on it. DTrace lets […]

IT departments charged with integrating Linux clients among the Windows desktops theyre running can make life easier by administering Linux user accounts with Microsoft Corp.s Active Directory. Samba, the open-source project for providing Windows-compatible file and print services, makes this possible, but it doesnt make it easy. After some time spent consulting documentation and tweaking […]

When Bluetooth, a standard for ad hoc wireless connectivity, was first released in 1998, the technology was billed as a cable replacement cure-all. However, as Bluetooth-enabled gear started hitting the market, early adopters began to realize that the vision of what Bluetooth could one day do didnt match the reality of what was actually possible […]

SanDisks SD 256MB + Wi-Fi card, which is slated to ship this month, may be the coolest Pocket PC add-on Ive seen yet. /zimages/6/82624.jpg As the name implies, this card combines a 256MB storage card and an 802.11b wireless adapter into a single Secure Digital card, helping solve the problem of expansion-slot scarcity on handheld […]

Is your enterprise safe running Microsofts Internet Explorer browser? In many cases, no, and its time that organizations started taking security seriously enough to consider a switch. IE, along with the rest of Windows, is designed with the primary goal of making life easier for developers while hiding the resulting complexity for users. Unfortunately, this […]

Almost a year ago, RealNetworks announced plans to develop an open-source version of its media player. A couple of weeks ago, the fruit of that project reached a beta state of ripeness with the release of test versions of Reals Helix Player and RealPlayer 10 clients for Linux and Unix. I took both clients out […]

The Linux kernel and the open-source software components that surround it have progressed to a point where Linux on the desktop has become attractive for certain enterprise deployments. However, several challenges remain for desktop Linux, many of which relate to supporting the galaxy of hardware devices that exist for desktop and laptop computers. /zimages/2/28571.gifClick here […]

Sun Microsystems Inc.s Java Desktop System and Red Hat Inc.s Red Hat Desktop are built on free software, but neither is free of cost. Both desktop Linux products have annual, per-machine subscription fees, although its possible, with either product, to cancel a subscription and continue using the software indefinitely without updates or support. However, the […]