New Mandrake could kill LG CD-ROM

The makers of Mandrake Linux have warned that the latest release, 9.2, could damage some LG-based CD-ROMS. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that MandrakeSoft has posted an advisory stating that some users who installed 9.2 got an error message reading "unable to install the base system".

A subsequent reboot would reveal that the CD-ROM drive was physically dead. The advisory said LG Electronics` optical disk drive products do not support Linux, nor are they tested with Linux. The problem is still being investigated.

Apple Computer`s latest version of its Mac OS X operating system went on sale on Friday. Dubbed "Panther", version 10.3 is the third major release of OS X since its debut in March 2001.

Costing $129 for a single-user licence, the latest version has 150 new features, including a new Finder that gives one-mouse-click access to a user`s favourite files and folders, what Apple calls Expose. It also has a new way to instantly see all open windows. Different users also have the ability to sign on immediately while leaving untouched a first user`s applications and open files.

A supercomputer built from 1 100 Apple Macs by staff and students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute has achieved a speed of 8.7 teraflops, reports Information Week. The supercomputer, built at a relatively low cost of just over $5 million, has achieved a speed of 8.7 trillion operations per second, putting it in line to be third fastest in the world. The system was assembled from off-the-shelf Apple Macintosh computers running 2 200 64-bit IBM microprocessors.

CNET News.com reports that Intel and Advanced Micro Devices will cut desktop chip prices in the next few days ahead of the holiday season.

Intel is expected to cut the cost of its Pentium 4 chips by 7% to 35%, while AMD may also announce price cuts early this week.

This year, PC shipments are showing double-digit growth and exceeding analysts` expectations, CNET News reports.