Were you a LEGO-lover as a kid? If so, Radical Breeze thinks you'll find its new Illumination Software Creator 1.0, a visual software application builder, extremely intuitive. A user—even a non-programmer—can easily experiment with software building blocks, in a completely visual and understandable way, and create software that can be run on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows computers. The application converts visual concepts into source code. No virtual machine is involved. In addition, software built with Illumination Software Creator can be run as a rich Internet Web page or an Internet tablet application (for Nokia Internet Tablets). The languages utilized are Python and GTK for desktop and mobile applications, and JavaScript for Web applications.
Our old friend Robert Love, whose popular Kernel Korner column long graced these pages, has updated his classic book Linux Kernel Development to a new 3rd edition. Published by Addison-Wesley, this work details the design and implementation of the Linux kernel, presenting the content in a manner that is beneficial for those writing and developing kernel code, as well as for programmers seeking to better understand the operating system and become more efficient and productive in their coding. The book details the kernel's major subsystems and features, including its design, implementation and interfaces. It covers the Linux kernel with both a practical and theoretical eye, which is intended to appeal to readers with a variety of interests and needs. Updated content includes an all-new chapter on kernel data structures, details on interrupt handlers and bottom halves, extended coverage of virtual memory and memory allocation and more.
Hosting service providers may want to read on about the new LVE Wrappers from CloudLinux, tools that let the server owner control the exact CPU usage for individual users and applications. LVE Wrappers are based on CloudLinux's Lightweight Virtual Environment technology that allows administrators to control CPU usage on a server at the tenant or application level. It does so by isolating specific hardware resources in a lightweight container and prevents one tenant on a shared server from affecting others. LVE Wrappers, which start individual applications and dæmons inside LVE environments, allow for control of resources for each application, which allows for greater flexibility and stability on the overall server infrastructure. The software is available to all CloudLinux subscribers.
Authors Tony Mullen and Claudio Andaur have set out to prove that the amazing open-source 3-D animation software Blender isn't just for hobbying anymore. Their new book Blender Studio Projects: Digital Movie-Making, now out from Sybex, shows readers how to do on Blender what one typically has done with high-end (and high-priced) apps Maya and 3ds Max. Sybex bills the book as “a real-world, roll-up-your-sleeves guide that plunges straight into step-by-step instructions designed to help you build skills and create solid assets for film, video and games.” The companion DVD includes starter, intermediate and final files, as well as movie files to help you every step of the way.
Managing ERP apps can require the patience of Job, which is why CAST Software released its new Analysis and Measurement Software for SAP, Siebel and PeopleSoft. The product's mission is to bring consistent and objective measurement of these platforms and eliminate costly customization errors in critical business applications. CAST's own studies of ERP installations showed a large percentage of issues that normally go undetected in functional testing and result in serious performance, stability and maintainability problems. For instance, 80% of database interactions in ERP installs are handled improperly, leading to significant business disruption. Environments like SAP, Siebel and PeopleSoft, says CAST, require a deceptively high level of customization. Because manual measurement of quality is expensive and time consuming, automation is useful for exposing flaws that cause applications to perform erratically.
The “team” of Linux-based CAD programs just added a new star player to its roster, namely Bricscad V10 from Bricsys NV, a high-end DWG-based CAD platform that previously was only for Windows. Bricsys calls Bricscad V10 “the most application-friendly CAD platform in the industry”, thanks in part to DCL and LISP APIs that allow existing applications and customizations written for Windows-based Bricscad and/or AutoCAD to run without modification. Besides essential CAD functions for users in GIS, AEC, mechanical CAD and civil engineering, additional core product benefits include a recognizable interface, comprehensive support and reasonable price points. Initially, Bricscad will support Red Hat and Ubuntu Linux.
The developers at RiverMuse have given their IT operations management platform RiverMuse Pro its vitamins for a stronger, more robust offering. Now in version 2.0, RiverMuse Pro combines the power of a robust Manager of Managers (MoM) functionality—centralizing event collection from other management systems as well as from the infrastructure—with real-time event correlation and analysis (ECA) capabilities to detect and alert on business-impacting incidents. RiverMuse says that the platform's architecture “offers a number of disruptive innovations that are critical to managing dynamic and virtualized environments that are common in IT environments today.” The new version 2 focuses on mid-market service providers and enterprises, enabling them to assure delivery of dynamic IT services through advanced event capture, correlation and alerting. A free and open-source RiverMuse Core also is available.
Our zany friends over at CrossOver were on the verge of mutiny since the grand poobah boss, Jeremy White, scheduled the release of CrossOver Games 9.0 just when Iron Man 2 was hitting the theaters. We're told that in order to ensure programmers continued working weekends without break, White created a makeshift “electric whip” and paced around the office screaming “full Steam ahead, minions!” in a mediocre Russian accent. The intimidation apparently worked, because the team pushed out both Linux and Mac versions of CrossOver Games, which allows one to play Windows-based games on these platforms. Version 9.0 supports the new Steam UI, StarCraft 2 (beta) and StarTrek Online, as well as enables users to install games from a single screen and a single click on CodeWeavers' compatibility center. Furthermore, users who figure out how to use CrossOver to install a Windows-compatible game can upload the installation recipe to the company's database.