Apple updates Java for OS X systems

Apple has issued an update to the Java components for the two most recent versions of its Mac OS X operating system.

The update addresses a number of flaws in Java for systems running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, including security flaws which could allow for elevation of privileges and remote code execution.

One flaw could allow an attacker to remotely execute code by way of a malformed Java applet embedded in a web page, while another could allow an untrusted applet to elevate user privileges.

The company is recommending users of both versions of OS X to install the update immediately.

The news comes just days after researchers issued yet another warning to Mac users about a malicious Trojan aimed at OS X.

Security vendors have said that Mac OS X users are not generally accustomed to dealing with malware threats, and could be in increasing danger as more attacks emerge

WWDC 2009:شركة Apple تعلن عن “Find My iPhone” خدمة أيجاد الهاتف

WWDC 2009:شركة Apple تعلن عن “Find My iPhone” خدمة أيجاد الهاتف

Kingston targets SMEs with easy SSD upgrades

Memory maker Kingston Technology has launched a combination package aimed at helping individuals, and small and medium sized enterprises to upgrade from existing traditional hard drives to its SSDNow V value series of solid state drives (SSDs).

"We are trying to garner mass-market adoption of SSDs by bundling all of the software, hardware and step-by-step instructions in a couple of low-cost options aimed squarely at everyday users," said Steve Hall, EMEA branded product manager at Kingston.

"The V Series upgrade kits are a perfect complement to our existing line of SSDNow products that target enterprise customers and power users."

The new kits are available in 64GB and 128GB versions and, along with the drive itself, provide cloning software and instructions on how to transfer the data and swap out the drives, thereby removing the need to reinstall the operating system or lose any settings.

Once cloned, desktop users can have the operating system and applications reside on the SSD drive, while the old hard drive is used to store data such as music, videos, files and photos.learn more>>

Microsoft confirms Windows 7 release date

Microsoft has confirmed that the official release date for the new Windows 7 operating system will be 22 October.

In an announcement on the company's Windows blog Brandon LeBlanc, Windows communications manager, said that the launch date was now set and the company would begin selling the new operating system earlier than the previously announced date of 2010.

Final code development will be finished this month, he said, and manufacturers will start getting the code next month, at which point Windows Server 2008 R2 should also be ready.

"Release to manufacturing [RTM] is an important milestone," wrote LeBlanc. " We anticipate making the RTM code for Windows 7 available to our partners sometime in the second half of July. We also expect to be able to make RTM code for Windows Server 2008 R2 available to our partners in this time frame as well. "

The release will mean that Windows 7 will be in place for the crucial Christmas shopping period, when hardware sales are strongest. Microsoft is also instituting a scheme to ensure that sales do not die off in the meantime called Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program.

Intel releases beta of Moblin 2.0 for netbooks

Intel has released a beta version of its Linux-based Moblin 2.0 operating system designed for netbooks and nettops.

The latest release is part of an ongoing partnership with Novell, and is optimised for use with Intel's Atom processors. Developers will be able to test the interface as well as dive into the source code.

"We would like to invite and encourage all developers to test the beta. We feel the code has reached a level where both developers and enthusiasts can play with it," said Imad Sousou, director of the Intel Open Source Technology Center, in a blog post.

Sousou stressed that this is a beta version, and that there are still some rough edges and performance issues to be ironed out, many of which will be addressed in upcoming weekly builds.

"We encourage anyone to test it and provide feedback to us through Bugzilla or on the developer mailing list. Only with your feedback can we further enhance the user experience," he said.

The interface has been built from the ground up using the Clutter Animation Framework. The toolbar and panels across the top of the screen have been designed to easily integrate internet access through a Mozilla browser, as well as to social networks, synchronised calendars, tasks, appointments and media content.Learn more>>

Google puts Chrome 2 out on final release

Google has released the final code for the second version of its Chrome browser, eight months after the official launch.

Chrome 2 comes with a claimed 30 per cent speed boost, thanks to the revised V8 JavaScript engine that processes downloads from multiple pages and allocates resources to most used items.

"Web applications are becoming more complex," wrote Google software engineers Mads Ager and Kasper Lund on the Chromium blog.

"An increased number of objects puts additional stress on the memory management system of the JavaScript engine, which has to scale to deal efficiently with object allocation and reclamation. If engines do not scale to handle large object heaps, performance will suffer when running large web applications."

More cosmetic changes include the ability to run the browser in full screen mode, an auto-fill function for remembering form information, and a new way to edit the opening screen which displays the browser's most visited sites.

"It's useful if you end up with a site in there that you'd rather not admit to visiting quite as often as you actually do," said Google Chrome product manager Brian Rakowski.

Google also claimed that the browser is now much more stable, as more than 300 bugs in the system had been fixed since launch.

Existing Chrome users will be updated "very soon", Rakowski said on the Google Chrome blog, and updates will be pushed out regularly in the future.

Visual Studio 2010 beta launches this week

Microsoft is set to release the first beta of its long-awaited Visual Studio 2010 tools suite next week.

The firm will first release the beta to its developer customers on Monday, followed by general release to the public on Wednesday, according to a blog posting by Microsoft developer tools solution specialist Jihad Dannawi.

"On 18 May Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 (Professional, Suite and Team Foundation Server) will be available to MSDN subscribers through MSDN Subscriber Downloads and to the general public on 20 May through Microsoft Downloads," he wrote.

When it was announced to much fanfare last September, Microsoft explained that the new version of its flagship developer platform would try to democratise the application lifecycle by allowing all contributors on a software project to participate throughout the lifecycle.

Earlier this week, Jason Zander, general manager for Visual Studio's developer division, highlighted some of the changes that Microsoft has already made in readying the product for its first beta.learn more>>