Linux vs Windows vs Mac

New DirectX downloads are available for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3. The August 2008 DirectX Software Development Kit and DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer went live on the Microsoft Download Center this past week. In addition to the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Vista RTM, SP1, as well as XP SP2 and SP3, x86 and x64 versions of DirectX End-User Runtime and SDK Available (August 2008) have also been delivered for Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008.

The Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime provides updates to 9.0c and previous versions of DirectX — the core Windows technology that drives high-speed multimedia and games on the PC. Microsoft DirectX is a group of technologies designed to make Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and displaying applications rich in multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, 3D animation, and rich audio. DirectX includes security and performance updates, along with many new features across all technologies, which can be accessed by applications using the DirectX APIs

The August 2008 release of the DirectX SDK offers a bundle of DirectX Runtime and adjacent DirectX solutions designed to permit developers to take advantage of the graphics technology included in Windows. With every DirectX SDK version, Microsoft essentially offers an update, helping DirectX resources, from tools to utilities, but also samples, runtime debug files as well as the associated documentation, evolve.

The August 2008 DirectX SDK brings to the table new samples, the Games for Windows Branding Tool, Echo Effect Added to XAPO Effects Library, Notch Filter Added to XAudio2 and PIX enhancements. "This release introduces the Games for Windows Branding tool. This tool helps developers and publishers test their compliance against the Games for Windows technical requirements and test requirements," said Microsoft.

Fedora Core 6, Fdora 7/8 & RHEL5

If you wish to install the NVIDIA Linux graphics driver on a Fedora Core 6, Fedora 7/9 or RHEL5 system, please ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

* the latest update kernel is installed and in use
* a kernel-devel RPM is installed that corresponds to the kernel that is in use. Note, FC6 has a known bug which occasionally installs a kernel-devel RPM that is a different arch than the kernel (i586 & i686 mixed). See: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla….cgi?id=211941
* the pkgconfig and xorg-x11-server-sdk RPMs are installed (only applies to FC6)
* Xen kernels are not currently supported

The items above can be addressed with the following commands (they need to be run as  root):

# yum install kernel-devel xorg-x11-server-sdk pkgconfig
# yum update
# reboot

If you are using an SMP (multi-CPU and/or multi-core) enabled system in FC5(only), please replace kernel-devel with kernel-smp-devel in the command above.

The SELinux requirement can be addressed via two mechanisms after the NVIDIA Linux graphics driver has been installed:

1)  If you do not wish to use SE Linux  enforcement, you can disable it by running the `setenforce 0` command before starting X, or by adding selinux=0  to the end of the kernel  line in  /etc/grub.conf  and rebooting.

2) If you wish to use SELinux enforcement, you will need to change the security context of the NVIDIA X driver module and of the server-side NVIDIA GLX extension module. To achieve this, please run the commands listed for your platform below:

Linux/x86

(32-bit):

# chcon -t texrel_shlib_t /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/nvidia_drv.so
# chcon -t texrel_shlib_t /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so.1.0.9631
# chcon -t texrel_shlib_t /usr/lib/tls/libnvidia-tls.so.1
# chcon -t texrel_shlib_t /usr/lib/libGLcore.so.1.0.9631

Linux/x86-64

(64-bit):

# chcon -t texrel_shlib_t /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/drivers/nvidia_drv.so
# chcon -t texrel_shlib_t /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so.1.0.9631
# chcon -t texrel_shlib_t /usr/lib64/libGLcore.so.1.0.9631
# chcon -t texrel_shlib_t /usr/lib64/tls/libnvidia-tls.so.1

Debian GNU/Linux or [K]Ubuntu with Xorg 7.x

If you wish to install the NVIDIA Linux graphics driver on a Debian GNU/Linux or Ubuntu system that ships with Xorg 7.x, please ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

              * development tools like make and gcc are installed               
              * the linux-headers package matching the installed Linux kernel is installed
              * the pkg-config and xserver-xorg-dev packages are installed
              * the nvidia-glx package has been uninstalled with the –purge option and the files /etc/init.d/nvidia-glx and /etc/init.d/nvidia-kernel do not exist

If you use Ubuntu, please also ensure that the linux-restricted-modules or  linux-restricted-modules-common packages have been uninstalled. Alternatively, you can edit the /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules or /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common configuration file and disable the NVIDIA  linux-restricted  kernel modules (nvidia , nvidia_legacy ) via:

DISABLED_MODULES="nv nvidia_new"

Additionally, delete the following file if it exists:

/lib/linux-restricted-modules/.nvidia_new_installed

Please note: unfortunately, it has become difficult to keep track of the pre-/post-installation steps required for [K]Ubuntu, and the above instructions may be incomplete. If in doubt, it is recommended that you use your distributor’s NVIDIA Linux graphics driver packages, exclusively.

Updates for xorg-server 1.4.99.901 and higher and Fedora 9

Fedora 9 ships with a prerelease version of xorg-server 1.5. This server has improved autoconfiguration that allows it to function without a configuration file. Because /etc/X11/xorg.conf does not exist, nvidia-xconfig will create an /etc/X11/XF86Config file instead. While this will work, some people may find it confusing.

Unfortunately, xorg-server 1.4.99.901 removed support for the RgbPath option, so X configuration files generated by nvidia-xconfig will not work. For these servers, I recommended that you delete everything but the "Device" section and leave the rest up to the X server’s autoconfiguration:

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "NVIDIA Device"
    Driver         "nvidia"
EndSection

Future releases of nvidia-xconfig will be better equipped to handle these minimalist configuration files.

New DirectX releases are available for download, tailored to the latest versions of the Windows server and client operating systems including Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

Microsoft is continually hammering away at the graphics technology included in its platforms, and the June 2008 releases are just the latest versions of DirectX 9.0 and DirectX 10.1. Three updated items are up for grabs: DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer, DirectX Software Development Kit and DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2008) all dropped at the end of the past week.

"The Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime provides updates to 9.0c and previous versions of DirectX - the core Windows technology that drives high-speed multimedia and games on the PC," Microsoft revealed. "Microsoft DirectX is a group of technologies designed to make Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and displaying applications rich in multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, 3D animation, and rich audio. DirectX includes security and performance updates, along with many new features across all technologies, which can be accessed by applications using the DirectX APIs."

The DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer is designed with support for Vista SP1 and XP SP3, as well as for Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Home Server, and even older operating systems starting with Windows 98, both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. Just as the Runtime Web Installer, the DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2008) also brings to the table all the previous available DirectX releases, with the sole difference that this package is addressed at developers and is set up for integration into third-party products. In this context, the DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2008) comes not only in English but also in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian and Swedish. The support is the same as for the Web Installer version.

The June 2008 DirectX Software Development Kit complements the Runtimes downloads, with improvements for versions 9.0, 10 and 10.1. According to Microsoft, the June 2008 DirectX SDK delivers stability, performance and usage enhancements to PIX for Windows, but also to Direct3D 9.0, 10 and 10.1, additional Bitrate options for xWMA Audio Compression and a new xAPO Effects Library.

SOURCE: Softpedia

Microsoft readies patches for critical vulnerabilities affecting its Windows client and server operating systems, as well as components that ship by default with the platform.

The Redmond company is wrapping up no less than seven security bulletins for an unspecified number of vulnerabilities impacting even Windows Vista and Windows XP, updated with Service Pack 1 and respectively Service Pack 3. The seven security bulletins are scheduled for delivery on June 10, 2008, in accordance with the Redmond company’s monthly patch cycle.

"It is important to remember that while the information posted below is intended to help with your planning, because it is preliminary information, it is subject to change. As part of our regularly scheduled bulletin release, we’re currently planning to release: three Microsoft Security Bulletins rated Critical, three Important, and one Moderate. As we do each month, the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool will be updated," revealed Bill Sisk, security response communications manager for Microsoft.

The three Critical security bulletins will impact both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista RTM and SP1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2 and SP3. The patches will address vulnerabilities which could allow for Remote Code Execution in the eventuality of successful exploits. According to Microsoft, the Bluetooth service is at risk, along with various versions of Internet Explorer, including 7, 6, 5.01 SP4, and DirectX 10, 9.08.1 and 7.0. Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP1 contain all the high-risk security holes which will be patched by the Critical bulletin on June 10.

"Finally, we are planning to release high-priority, non-security updates on Windows Update and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) as well as high-priority, non-security updates on Microsoft Update and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)," Sisk added.

SOURCE: softpedia.com