Linux vs Windows vs Mac

This simple guide will bring up the Windows start menu inside GNOME and allow you to run, use and install any Windows app (that can run in a VM) inside your existing desktop. It takes about 10 minutes to setup, minus the time to install Windows, and involves one command in total.

Final Update September 2007: Virtualbox 1.5 includes seamless virtualization! Go read about that instead!

Update: If you’ve been having trouble getting this working, make sure the key is correct - our site layout chopped the last part of the registry key earlier. Note this requires Windows XP Pro. XP home won’t do.

Update 2: To install the vmware-server package just use the Add/Remove… program.

Update 3: If RDesktop starts a blue background, instead of just the taskbar, click Start ? Control Panel ? User Accounts ? Change the way users log on and off, and enable the welcome screen and fast user switching.

This is a newer version of a rather popular article I wrote a while ago. This updated version is a lot simpler and allows multiple apps to be run.

• Click Applications ? Add/Remove… install the vmware-server package.
• Click System ? Administration ? Synaptic Package Manager. Install the rdesktop package.
• Click Applications ? System Tools ? VMware Server Console When VMware Server Console starts, click Connect to attach to your local machine. Then Create a New Virtual Machine. Use all the defaults, but pick NAT networking. Pop in your Windows CD, and install Windows
• Once Windows has started:

1. Enable Terminal Services by clicking Start ? Control Panel ? System. Click the Remote tab, and enable Allow users to connect remotely to this computer
2. Turn off the desktop for the user you’ll use to run your Windows apps, by clicking Start ? Run typing regedit and selecting HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/ CurrentVersion/Policies/Explorer. Create a DWORD called NoDesktop set to 1.
3. Note the IP address of Windows. Clicking Start ? Connect to ? Show All Connections. Select the Local Area Connection and hit the Support tab
4. Download SeamlessRDP, then extract it to C:\seamlessrdp
5. Log out of Windows, and close VMware Server Console (leave the VM running)

• Back in Ubuntu, open a Terminal, and run:

rdesktop -A -s ‘c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe c:\windows\explorer.exe’ IPAddress -u user -p password

substituting the IP address you noted earlier.

• The top of the Windows taskbar should appear above your GNOME panel on the bottom of the screen. Right click it, select Properties, and disable Lock the Taskbar. Then drag the taskbar to the left hand side of your screen.

That’s it. You can now run launch any Windows app you want from your VM (and install more if you need them). They’ll appear on the GNOME desktop, and you can switch between them from the panel.

Heileen is a dating sim for Mac, which revolves around a young woman onboard a ship, as she is traveling to the New World. Set in the 17th century, the game has players finding Heileen’s true love.

“I’ve finished the first 2 chapters of the game,” accordin to the game’s developer.  “Writing in my own native language is much faster even if it means I’ll have to get all texts translated…! Hopefully they’ll do a good job at it. I’m really proud of the aspect of the game. The art is even better than Summer Session one” he added.

The developer confirms Heileen is indeed a dating sim. Best of all, the scenarios are allegedly thought out from a woman’s perspective.

“The fun thing is that I’m attempting a sort of new genre: dating sim (or romance adventure) from a woman’s perspective,” the Winter Wolves post reads on. “It means that the game will have his [sic] own variety of characters and some will be more polite than others,” the developer explains. “There will be also some very cute characters (two cats) and in general a more relaxing atmosphere. For now I’m not going to put any sort of scheduling mechanism, also because the game takes place for almost all its length onboard of the Cat’s Dream (the ship name).”

Talking about the gameplay features Heileen will boast on Mac, Winter Wolves reveals that a feature called “Quests” has been added. “In practice during the game you’ll be able to find quests to solve, that will award points,” the developer explains. “Discovering a new quest will grant you 2 points, and solving it another 3 points.”

Heileen’s creator concludes by noting that development on this dating sim is “very relaxing compared to coding huge games like Supernova 2.” Be sure to check out Heileen’s development blog for more screenshots and info on the upcoming Mac game.

The update is recommended for all MacBook Air computers, and addresses issues with video playback and processor core idling.

Third-party software that modifies processor operating characteristics such as frequency and voltage is not supported and should be removed before installing this update.

Installation requires Mac OS X 10.5.4 or later.

About MacBook Air

Ultrathin, ultraportable, and ultra unlike anything else, but you don’t lose inches and pounds overnight. It’s the result of rethinking conventions. Of multiple wireless innovations. And of breakthrough design. With MacBook Air, mobile computing suddenly has a new standard.

Mac gamers will be pleased to find out that Runesoft’s Dream Pinball 3D is now available for Mac.

Description:

A great pinball game should not only be amazing from the start, but should continue to be entertaining every time you play it. This was the thinking behind the development of the newest pinball sensation - Dream Pinball 3D - with its’ 6 cutting edge tables that are beckoning you to try your luck.
We did not skimp on the technology with this game as there are six different style balls, made of different materials, that not only look different, but whose ballistic characteristics will affect the very rolling behaviour of each one of them. Add to that incredible acoustics, state of the art particle technology, HDRI and multiplayer 3D sound, realistic tilt function and motion blur effects, and you have the best pinball experience.

Features:

• 6 tables with various themes
• Balls made out of 6 materials (steel, two kinds of wood, marble, ivory, gold) with various ballistic characteristics
• Multi-ball with up to 3 balls at once
• Supports state of the art particle effects
• Motion-blur-effects
• Brilliant lightning because of HDRI-textures
• Individual sounds and music for each table
• Multiplayer mode for up to 4 gamers
• 6 dynamic and one fixed camera position
• Individual graphic settings for less powerful systems

System requirements:

• Mac: OS: MacOS 10.4.11 or higher
• CPU: MacIntel with 1.66 GHz or faster
• Memory: 512 MB RAM
• Graphic: 3D graphic card like ATI X1600 or better or GeForce7300 or better with 64 MB or better
• DVD drive
• Internet access

More info and screenshots with Dream Pinball 3D on game’s page.

After two quick RC versions, the Opera Software Desktop team has now finished and release the Opera 9.52 browser.

The new version features the following changes:

User Interface

• Added several improvements to the icons and skin
• Added a bookmark path to autocompleted bookmarks in the address bar to better distinguish them from visited pages
• Added a Help button to "Engine Init() Failed" error message on start-up to inform users about a problem

Mail, News, Chat

• Fixed an issue where "Mark all as read" in Opera Mail would also mark as read some mails not visible in the current view
• Fixed the creation of the POP AOL/aim.com account
• Fixed a problem with POP accounts where message bodies were not downloaded
• Added work-arounds for problems with various POP servers
• Fixed mail appearance when Opera is installed in a folder with a "#" character in its name
• Fixed a problem that could occur when opening mail notification popups on a secondary monitor
• Fixed a problem connecting to online.no (Users experiencing problems with online.no should change their incoming server to use Plaintext authentication)
• Fixed a problem updating signature when switching accounts
• Fixed a problem where UI would not update after unsubscribing an IMAP folder Fixed an issue where IRC would disconnect users without informing them

Display and Scripting

• Fixed an issue with history navigation: an iframe with document.write is not added to history anymore
• window.close() now functions after invoking a context menu - now also works in widgets
• Fixed a URL encoding issue: java script: URLs
• Fixed an issue with lists not displaying correctly when text is rendering in RTL
• Fixed a problem where content blocker adds a generalized block rule when using the Details button

Security

• Fixed a startup crash that could allow execution of arbitrary code
• Sites can no longer change framed content on other sites
• Fixed an issue that could allow cross-site scripting, as reported by Chris Weber of Casaba Security
• Custom shortcuts no longer pass the wrong parameters to applications, as reported by Michael A. Puls II
• Prevented insecure pages from showing incorrect security information, as reported by Lars Kleinschmidt
• Feed links can no longer link to local files
• Feed subscription can no longer cause the wrong page address to be displayed

Miscellaneous

• Fixed a problem where Gmail would not load
• Fixed the opening of files in external applications when disk cache is off
• Fixed an issue with low quality on YouTube video previews
• Embedded YouTube videos should work more often now without having to reload
• Fixed RealPlayer on BBC
• Fixed a small memory leak in the BitTorrent code
• Fixed some translation errors

Windows-specific changes:

• Returned the Windows shell menu to the Transfer context menu
• Fixed the opening of PDF files in Acrobat Reader plug-in when the folder contains special characters
• Added a "Close Tab" entry to the File menu

UNIX-specific changes:

• Made the -geometry command line argument work even when Opera was previously maximized
• Added a "Close Tab" entry to the File menu

To get the fresh Opera 9.52 visit opera.com/download.

Robosoft announced that Battlestations: Midway had been fully ported to Mac.

The complete version of the game packs around 60 war machines including bombers, battleships, destroyers, carriers, planes and submarines for massive air, sea and undersea battles in WWII’s Pacific theatre. Players commanding multiple warships, planes and submarines have to step up to the controls of the war machines whilst commanding the entire fleet, offline or online in huge multi-unit battles with up to eight players. Up to 100 Warships, Aircraft and Subs face off over the Mac multiplayer gaming service that is GameRanger. Battlestations Midway is a blend of action and strategy, featuring memorable battles, from Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Midway.

Battlestations: Midway reinforces Robosoft¹s commitment to being a market leader in porting AAA titles from PC and Consoles to the Mac. The Robosoft engineering team has managed to bring this popular title to the Macintosh using a combination of OpenGL and some of Apple’s own developer tools.

Our collaboration with Feral Interactive has been an extraordinary experience

said Rohith Bhat, MD and CEO, Robosoft Technologies.

Battlestations was one of the graphics intensive AAA titles handled by us with extensive use of vertex and fragment programs. Our experience with XCode, in-depth knowledge on both Windows and Mac technologies has enabled us to successfully map the advanced game features from Windows and optimize performance for the Mac.

Battlestations: Midway minimum system requirements call for a 1.83GHz processor, 512MB RAM, a 128MB graphics card, 4.3GB HDD space, a DVD drive and mouse. For the optimum gameplay experience, you will need: Processor - 2.4GHz, RAM 1.5GB, Graphics - 256MB, Hard Disk - 4.3GB, Drive - DVD, Input - Multi-button Mouse. Battlestations Midway does not support GMA graphics cards with shared RAM.

Apple is preparing to release an new revision of the MacBook Air. While the MacBook Air’s external design will be the same,  the hardware will receive a significant revision from the initial release back in January.

The MacBook Air is currently powered by a custom version of the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, from the Merom-class,  modified with a lower voltage process to conserve power.

The new MacBook Air however, will own a standard Penryn-class Core 2 Duo. The CPU will be able to dramatically increase, from 2.0 GHz and potentially beyond. As such however, power drain will increase. Apple will curb that constraint with a higher-capacity battery. The new MacBook Air will require a 60W power adapter to fully charge, much like the current MacBook family.

In fact, the new revision of the MacBook Air will draw it much more in-line with the current MacBook internals. Expect to see SSD prices in-line with the current revision, however the hard drive version of the MacBook Air will likely be upgraded to 120 GB, and optionally 160 GB, due to falling prices for 1.8-inch hard drives.

The MacBook Air is Apple’s first foray into the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) market. At its release, the machine claimed the title of the world’s thinnest notebook, and added new features such as a multi-touch trackpad. It is also the first modern Mac to lack an optical drive, a user-replaceable battery, as well as FireWire ports.

Blizzard Entertainment has announced a new patch for Warcraft III for Mac - new features, a slew of fixes and new maps.

The new Warcraft III update is aimed at both the standalone game and its expansion, The Frozen Throne. This latest update brings the game to version 1.22 introducing the following feature additions and bug fixes:

What’s new:

• A replay auto-save feature in the options menu. Replays are automatically saved to the "replay" folder.
• The game is now automatically saved in the event of a potential disconnect. These saved games are placed in the "save" folder.

Bug fixes:

• The cooldown on unlimited usable items (example: the staff of preservation) now persists after the item is dropped or traded.
• A cooldown exploit with potions has been fixed.
• When you unburrow a Crypt Fiend, its auto-cast will no longer be toggled off.
• An exploit bug in which items could lose their cooldowns when transferred between heroes has been fixed.
• Fixed DotA-specific sound effects on Intel Macs.
• Fixed sound falloff on Intel Macs. Distant sounds should now still be audible.

The first patch for the free office suite, NeoOffice 2.2.4 Patch-1 it’s out!

If you are wondering what is NeoOffice, then we can tell you that is a full-featured set of office applications developed especially for Mac OS X. It includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and database programs and it’s based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, with native Mac features. It has the ability to import, edit and exchange files with other office programs. Most Microsoft Office 2007 Word, Excel and PowerPoint files are supported, as well as Excel VBA Macros.

With the release of NeoOffice 2.2.3, the app suite offered QuickTime video support for the first time (but only for Mac OS X 10.4.x and higher), with the ability to import images from scanners and cameras, for different types of projects. NeoOffice 2.2.3 also brought command-clicking on window title bar and Mac OS X Leopard grammar checking support.

NeoOffice 2.2.4 adds native floating tool windows and magnify & swipe trackpad gestures for MacBook users; horizontal scroll wheel support has also been added in 2.2.4.

Fixed bugs by the first patch for NeoOffice 2.2.4:

• an issue where clipping of background images failed when printing
• a problem where Fontwork was missing or banded when printing
• possible crashes at startup or when editing a form in Base due to preferences corruption

Note: NeoOffice 2.2.4 Patch-1 requires a full installation of NeoOffice 2.2.4 or NeoOffice 2.2.3 with NeoOffice 2.2.4 Patch-0 and will not install on any version of NeoOffice 2.2.2. Patch-1 includes all fixes and additions of previous patches.

Good news for Apple fans, as is expected that the Mac will continue taking share from traditional PCs as users become more familiar with Apple products and enjoy the enhanced media capabilities.

With new products  for 2008, like the iPhone 3G, MacBook Air, Mac Pro, iTunes Movie Rentals, and major software upgrade and developer platform for the iPhone 3G, Apple has a bright future. The new iPhone3G should drive increased share of the smartphone market.