Longhorn still a 'compelling` release

Microsoft`s much anticipated Longhorn update is still worth the update despite it being stripped of some of its key technologies, says Microsoft lead project manager Greg Sullivan.

"There are a host of new attributes and capabilities that will make Longhorn compelling."

He adds that it should be a better performing, more stable and more secure operating system because it will be based on the Windows Server 2003 SP1 (Service Pack 1) code base.

Longhorn will also offer a new user interface and improved desktop search capabilities, says Sullivan. "In 2006, if I am running Longhorn on my machine and you`re running XP with Avalon and Indigo (the graphics and communications subsystems Microsoft developed specifically for Longhorn) on yours, you`re going to look at my machine and you will want mine."

Microsoft will also include tools to ease desktop deployment, management and diagnostics, making it simple to spot and fix problems, reports Computerworld.

Longhorn will ship in 2006 but without Windows File System, which the software giant plans to offer as an update after the Longhorn release.

Intel has speeded up production of its dual-core chips in reaction to Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) showcasing its own dual-core x86 Opteron microprocessor this week.

CoolTechZone reports that AMD`s new CPUs, housed in a HP ProLiant DL585 server, will be based on the Socket 940 pin count in order to avoid any compatibility issues.

Analysts are predicting that competition between the two chipmakers will be fierce, as both try to outdo each other with their launch dates. Gartner reports that almost all processors by mid-2006 will be based on the upcoming dual-core architecture.

The delayed version of Oracle`s E-Business Suite 11i.10 will be ready to ship within 60 days, delegates at the OpenWorld conference in London were told.

Oracle president Charles Phillips says the new release will offer a host of new functionalities to business. Oracle is adding "at least 2 100 capabilities to 11i.10", says Phillips.

According to Computerworld, both Oracle Procurement Contracts and Oracle Services Procurement will be included with 11i.10. The applications form part of the company`s Advanced Procurement range of applications.

Oracle says the Procurement Contracts product includes a terms and conditions library tool for legal departments to create reusable terms and conditions and contract authoring.

The Service Procurement product is aimed at helping companies enforce corporate services procurement policies as well as helping managers to normalise service rates, limit over-billing errors and enforce contract terms, the company says.

Scientists at CERN have achieved a new land-speed transfer record using the new Internet2.

In the experiment, researchers were able to send 859GB of data in under 17 minutes at a transfer rate of 6.63Gbps, dvhardware reports. Similar speeds would allow a user to download a full-length DVD movie in four seconds.

The experiment was carried out between the Geneva, Switzerland, home of CERN, and Pasadena, California, where Caltech is based - a distance of approximately 15 766km.

It is the first time that the 100 petabit metre per second mark has been broken. One petabit equals 1 000 000 000 000 000 bits.