Ubuntu 8.10 Alpha 6

Steve Langasek has announced the availability of the sixth and final alpha release of Ubuntu 8.10, code name "Intrepid Ibex": "Welcome to Intrepid Ibex Alpha 6, which will in time become Ubuntu 8.10. New features: the newest GNOME 2.23.91 desktop environment with tons of bug-fixes and new features; X.Org 7.4 with much better support for hot-pluggable input devices such as tablets, keyboards, and mice; Linux kernel 2.6.27 with better hardware support and numerous bug-fixes; encrypted private directory; guest session; Network Manager 0.7; DKMS, allowing kernel drivers to be automatically rebuilt when new kernels are released; Samba 3.2 with clustered file server support, encrypted network transport, IPv6 support; PAM authentication framework." Find more details in the release announcement and release notes. Download (MD5): intrepid-desktop-i386.iso (696MB, torrent), intrepid-desktop-amd64.iso (698MB, torrent). Also available are alpha 6 CD images for Kubuntu 8.10, Xubuntu 8.10 and Ubuntu Studio 8.10.

Pardus Linux 2008.1

Ekin Meroğlu has announced the release of Pardus Linux 2008.1: "We're happy to announce Pardus Linux 2008.1 'Hyaena Hyaena', the first update release in Pardus 2008 series. It contains all the bug fixes, enhancements and new feature additions since the release of Pardus Linux 2008. Features: new and improved Network Manager with Ad-Hoc and 802.1x wireless support; two live CD variants with KDE 3 and KDE 4; support for Swedish; international installation CD with support for 11 languages; updated applications - KDE 3.5.10, Linux kernel 2.6.25.16 with improved hardware support, Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, KDE 4.1.1; hundreds of free software applications with fewer bugs and updated to the most recent versions...." Read the release announcement and release notes for more details. Download the English/Turkish installation CD or one of the "Calisan" live CDs: Pardus_2008.1.iso (696MB, MD5), Pardus_Calisan_2008.1-KDE3.iso (695MB, MD5), Pardus_Calisan_2008.1-KDE4.iso (687MB, MD5).

DirectX 11: A look at what's coming

It doesn't seem all that long ago when Microsoft first started talking about what DirectX 10 would bring to game development. In fact, it was less than two years ago when we described the new pipeline and since then we've had a couple of generations of hardware from both AMD and Nvidia.

With the release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft introduced DirectX 10.1 – we covered this in our RV670 architectural analysis and so far only AMD has adopted the updated API. Nvidia claims that developers wanted other things—like GPU-accelerated game physics—and so it chose to focus on those features in the GT200 architecture.

Some would say it was stifling progression in graphics, while others believe it's the first major shift away from just focusing on just graphics in games. Whichever way you look at it, it was a little controversial given what happened to Assassin's Creed.

And so we arrive at DirectX 11, the next major update to Microsoft's fabled graphics API. Microsoft's DirectX architects haven't been resting on their laurels since DirectX 10's release – in fact, even before DirectX 10.1 shipped with Vista SP1, the company had already started work on what is now known as DirectX 11, but that's certainly not the end of it because developers we've spoken to have even made comments about what they need in DirectX 12!

Microsoft announced the new API at GameFest 2008 in Seattle but it's still a work in progress. Since then we've had the chance to listen to Kevin Gee of Microsoft outline the API at Nvision 2008, and then following that we were able to catch up with a number of developers in order to discuss the new API and its aims. Additionally, we've listened to what was discussed at GameFest as well, since Microsoft has conveniently made all of its presentations—and accompanying audio recordings—available for public consumption.

What follows is the result of all of this information gathering I've done ever since the original announcement was made in July. However, because it's still a work in progress, things may change between now and DirectX 11's RTM date.

sidux 2008-03 Pre 1

The first preview release of sidux 2008-03, a distribution and live CD based on Debian's unstable branch, is available for testing: "Later than planned (due to a hard-to-find bug in VirtualBox), sidux 2008-03 'Ourea' is now ready to enter the preview season for amd64 and i686 systems. As usual, the previews are shipping only as a small, but fully functional, 'KDE-lite' flavours, accompanied by a combined 'Xfce-lite' flavour for amd64 + i386. 'Ourea' concentrates on integrating the changes caused by kernel 2.6.26 and on post-install experiences - by propagating the default user profile to new users as well. As a welcome side effect, hardware for common netbooks and newer chipsets is now supported by sidux. Furthermore, a large number of individual functionality enhancements and bug fixes have been applied to the full package line-up. Read the detailed release notes for further information. Download: sidux-2008-03-pre1-kde-i386.iso (454MB, MD5), sidux-2008-03-pre1-kde-amd64.iso (460MB, MD5), sidux-2008-03-pre1-xfce-i386-amd64.iso (696MB, MD5).

FreeBSD 7.1-BETA, 6.4-BETA

Ken Smith has announced the release of FreeBSD 7.1-BETA (production branch) and 6.4-BETA (production legacy branch): "The FreeBSD 7.1-BETA and 6.4-BETA builds are now available on the FreeBSD FTP mirror sites. This is the first step in the release process for FreeBSD-7.1 and FreeBSD-6.4. These sets of builds do not include pre-built packages. We encourage people to help out with the testing. Problems can be reported through Gnats or on the freebsd-stable at freebsd.org mailing lists. At this point we expect the 6.4-RC1 builds to start in about two weeks, and the 7.1-RC1 builds a week after that." Here is the complete release announcement. Download: 7.1-BETA-i386-disc1.iso (426MB, MD5), 7.1-BETA-amd64-disc1.isoMD5), 6.4-BETA-i386-disc1.iso (536MB, MD5), 6.4-BETA-amd64-disc1.iso (617MB, MD5). (451MB,

CentOS 4.7

Johnny Hughes has announced the release of the CentOS 4.7, a distribution created by recompiling the source code for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.7: "The CentOS development team is pleased to announce the release of CentOS 4.7 for i386 and x86_64. This release corresponds to the upstream vendor 4.7 release. Also released in the updates repository for CentOS 4.7 are all updates through September 12th, 2008. Major changes for this version are: password hashing using the SHA-256 and SHA-512 hash functions is now supported; this update implements the use of paravirtualized block device and network drivers, which improve the performance of fully-virtualized guests; there is a technology preview of OpenOffice.org 2.0 included in the updates directory; Firefox is now rebased to version 3.0.x." Read the complete release announcement for further details. Download: CentOS-4.7-i386-binDVD.iso (2,324MB, MD5, torrent), CentOS-4.7-x86_64-binDVD.iso (2,574MB, MD5, torrent).

Realtek High Definition Audio Driver R2.04

The ALC882 series 7.1+2 Channel High Definition Audio codecs with UAA (Universal Audio Architecture), featuring five 24-bit stereo DACs and three 20-bit stereo ADCs, are designed for high performance multimedia PC systems.
The ALC882 series incorporates proprietary converter technology to achieve over 100dB Signal-to-Noise ratio playback quality; easily meeting PC2001 requirements and also bringing PC sound quality closer to consumer electronic devices.

The ALC882 series provide 10 channels of DAC that simultaneously support 7.1 sound playback, plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple streaming) through the Front-Out-Left and Front-Out-Right channels. Flexible mixing, mute, and fine gain control functions provide a complete integrated audio solution for next generation multimedia PCs.

Features of Realtek High Definition Audio Driver :
- High-performance DACs with 103dB SNR are ideal for Dolby Master Studio
- ADCs with 90dBA SNR
- Meets performance requirements for audio on PC2001 systems
- 10 DAC channels support 16/20/24-bit PCM format for 7.1 sound playback, plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple streaming) through the - Front-Out-Left and Front-Out-Right channels
- 3 stereo ADCs support 16/20-bit PCM format, two for microphone array, one for legacy mixer recording
- All DACs support 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rate
- All ADCs support 44.1k/48k/96kHz sample rate
- Applicable for DVD-Audio solutions
- 16/20/24-bit S/PDIF-OUT supports 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rate
- 16/20/24-bit S/PDIF-IN supports 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rate
- Up to four channels of microphone input are supported for AEC/BF application
- High-quality analog differential CD input
- Supports external PCBEEP input and built-in digital BEEP generator
- Software selectable 2.5V/3.75V VREFOUT
- Six VREFOUTs are supported by default, with additional four VREFOUTs available by sharing unused analog I/O pins
- Two jack detection pins each designed to detect up to 4 jacks
- Reserve analog mixer architecture for backward compatibility with AC'97
- Wide range (–80dB ~ +42dB) volume control with 1.5dB resolution of analog to analog mixer gain
- All analog jacks are stereo input and output re-tasking for analog plug & play
- Built-in headphone amplifiers for each re-tasking jack
- Supports both analog DC volume control and GPI digital volume control
- 2 GPIOs (General Purpose Input/Output) for customized applications
- Optional EAPD (External Amplifier Power Down) is supported
- Power support: Digital: 3.3V; Analog: 5.0V (Minimum AVDD is 3.6V)
- Power management and enhanced power saving features
- 48-pin LQFP lead (Pb)-free package
- Meets Microsoft WHQL/WLP 2.0 audio requirements
- EAX 1.0 & 2.0 compatible
- Direct Sound 3D compatible
- A3D compatible
- I3DL2 compatible
- HRTF 3D Positional Audio
- Emulation of 26 sound environments to enhance gaming experience
- 10 Software Equalizer Bands
- Voice Cancellation and Key Shifting in Karaoke mode
- Realtek Media Player
- Enhanced Configuration Panel and device sensing wizard to improve user experience
- Microphone Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC), Noise Suppression (NS) and Beam Forming (BF) technology for voice application
- ALC882D features Dolby Digital Live output for consumer equipment
- ALC882H features Dolby Home Theater software
- ALC882M features Dolby Master Studio software

Changes in Driver Package R2.02:
Realtek HD Audio Driver support all of Realtek HD Audio Codec in Vista/WinXP/Win2000/Win2003 .
1. Vista WHQL Supporting: ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC260, ALC262,ALC267, ALC268, ALC269, ALC272, ALC273
2. Windows 2000/XP WHQL Supporting: ALC880, ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC861VC, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC260, ALC262, ALC267,ALC268, ALC269, ALC272, ALC273
3. HDMI Device WHQL Support: ATI HDMI Devices
4. OS Supporting: Microsoft WindowsXP, Widnows2000, Vista x86/x64
5. Pack with Microsoft High Definition Audio UAAV1.0a(5013)
6. Add/Fix
1.) Driver :
1. Customizations.
2. Update ForteMedia microphone effect library.

Homepage - http://www.realtek.com.tw

Size: 27.6 MB

Download Driver for Windows 2000, Windows XP/2003 (32/64 bits)

Download Driver for Vista (32/64 bits)

All Downloads from Page

Frugalware Linux 0.9

Miklós Vajna has announced the release of Frugalware Linux 0.9, code name "Solaria": "The Frugalware developer team is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Frugalware 0.9, our ninth stable release. No new features have been added since 0.9rc2, but about 40 changes have been made to fix minor bugs. If you didn't follow the changes during the pre-releases, here are the most important changes since 0.8: up to date base system - Linux kernel 2.6.26, glibc 2.8 and GCC 4.3.1; updated desktop packages - GNOME 2.22, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1 and Firefox 3.0.1; setup - improved support for machines with multiple network cards, the USB installer is now easier to start, fixed/documented installation in VirtualBox and VMware; improved graphical tools - FUN (update notifier) now supports news notifications." Here is the complete release announcement. Download: (SHA1): frugalware-0.9-i686-dvd1.iso (4,254MB, torrent), frugalware-0.9-x86_64-dvd1.iso (4,120MB, torrent).

Pardus Linux 2008.1 RC

Ekin Meroğlu has announced the availability of a release candidate for Pardus Linux 2008.1: "We're happy to announce Pardus 2008.1 RC, the last test release for the upcoming Pardus 2008.1. This release candidate includes a major difference form earlier versions of Pardus Linux - from now on, it will be released as two flavours of live and install CDs: one install CD in English and Turkish and one in all supported languages, one live CD with KDE 3, and finally one live CD with KDE 4." Read the full release announcement for a detailed description of all the different Pardus flavours. Quick download links to the English/Turkish installation CD and the two live CDs (Pardus "Calisan"): Pardus_2008.1-tr_RC.iso (697MB, MD5), Pardus_Calisan_2008.1-KDE3_RC.iso (697MB, MD5), Pardus_Calisan_2008.1-KDE4_RC.iso (695MB, MD5).

Linux Mint 5 "Xfce"

Clement Lefebvre has announced the release of Linux Mint 5 "Xfce" edition: "We are proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 5 Xfce Community edition." Some of the new features found in this release include: miscellaneous improvements to Mint tools, such as a new layout and more options to customise desktop in mintDesktop; desktop improvements that allow checking the MD5 checksum of an ISO image or install TrueType fonts with a right click; performance improvements that have drastically reduced memory usage; upstream improvements from Ubuntu, including the new ufw firewall and better printing; better look and feel through subtle refinements of the existing GTK+ widgets and a variety of new themes; better localization thanks to ongoing translation effort by the Linux Mint community; more available software via CNR.com." There is a lot more so read the comprehensive release notes for details. Download: LinuxMint-5-XFCE.iso (681MB, MD5).

Nvidia to quit chipset business

Nvidia has decided to throw in the towel and quit the chipset business, sources close to the situation at one of Taiwan's top motherboard makers have revealed. As the story is told, Nvidia called a meeting earlier this week with its motherboard partners to gauge support for it continuing to develop chipsets in the future.

The motherboard makers' response? Silence.

It is still early days and not all the facts are known at the time of writing, but it is believed Nvidia will transfer the chipset team to working on GPU projects. On the motherboard makers' side, some makers have already canceled upcoming high-end motherboard projects based on the nForce 7-series chipset.

The loss of its chipset business is expected to have a significant impact on Nvidia's GPU business in the short-term. Reception to the nForce 200 chip (BR04) which will enable SLI technology on Intel X58 motherboards has been lukewarm at best, with many makers saying they will not bother adding the chip on their boards. This means Nvidia needs to find a way of licensing and enabling multi-GPU support on motherboards using Intel and/or AMD chipsets fast. Otherwise it will have to cede the top-end of the graphics card market to AMD, which now has the benefit of Crossfire.

The news would also debunk any recent speculation that Apple will be adopting Nvidia chipsets for its upcoming notebook products. It would be unfortunate if Apple really has poured water on the close relationship it has built with Intel over the past few years, only to have its new best friend exit the market before products are even announced

VectorLinux 6.0 Alpha 2

Robert Lange has announced the availability of the first public alpha release of VectorLinux 6.0. It's main new feature? A graphical system installer: "VectorLinux Standard 6.0-alpha2 is up and ready to be tested. There are many changes since the first alpha release. The testers were pretty unanimous in stating that GNOME was not the proper development environment for the Standard edition and Xfce 4 should remain, with LXDE as the secondary choice. So with this release there is no GNOME and Xfce 4 has been reinstated as the primary desktop. We have spent a tremendous amount of time on the new GUI installer and we really need you to test that part as 80% of our effort has been on improving the installer. The GUI installer is not complete yet, but we need your feedback as to the present state of development." Read the rest of the release announcement for more details. Download: VL6.0-STD-A0.12.iso (526MB).