So will Chrome OS notebooks also have the option to dual-boot another operating system like Windows? Google says no, as “certified” Chrome OS notebooks will only be able to run the single operating system. Part of that may be due to Chrome OS’s use of protected flash memory, which is great for security, but isn’t so great for custom installs and for spaciousness.

The LWN.net Weekly Edition for December 9, 2010 is available.

From the Dis Harmony dept.:
The Apache Software Foundation – one of tech’s most influential open-source groups – is closer to quitting Java’s governing body after losing a stand-off vote against Oracle on Java.

The Reg has learned that with 75 per cent of qualifying Java Community Process (JCP) members having voted on whether to ratify Oracle’s proposed roadmap for Java 7 and 8, Oracle’s plan has been accepted.

From the Some Lost Reference dept.:
Today we are introducing Crankshaft, a new compilation infrastructure for V8, Google Chrome’s JavaScript engine. By using aggressive optimizations, Crankshaft dramatically improves the performance of compute-intensive JavaScriptapplications – often by more than a factor of two! This will give users a faster and more responsive experience loading web pages and applications built with complex JavaScript.

From the GPad dept.:
Google Mobile Platform VP Andy Rubin literally arrived with a bag full of tricks at the D: Get Into Mobile Conference, showing publicly for the very first time an Android “Honeycomb” tablet.

The roughly 10-inch, Motorola device was sleek, black, thin and sported an Android interface unlike any we’ve seen before. There was a very clean homepage, but the app page looked almost Apple iPad-like. Plus, when Rubin brought up the Gmail app, it looked almost exactly like Gmail on the iPad.

“If there’s one place you don’t want to be caught wandering around right now, it’s the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea. Especially since South Korean military hardware manufacturer DoDAMM used the recent Korea Robot World 2010 expo to display its new Super aEgis 2.

“Samsung on Tuesday announced a new 8GB dual inline memory module (DIMM) that stacks memory chips on top of each other, which increases the density of the memory by 50% compared with conventional DIMM technology. Samsung’s new registered or buffered (RDIMM) product is based on its current Green DDR3 DRAM and 40 nanometer (nm)-sized circuitry.

“Google has unveiled a beta version of its Chrome OS notebook, dubbed CR48. The device will have a 12.1-inch screen and full-size keyboard, as well as an oversized, clickable touchpad. It will also include world-mode 3G and 802.11 dual-band Wi-Fi. Google promised eight hours of active use and eight days of standby, as well as a webcam.

“VMware is teaming with LG to sell Android smartphones that are virtualized, allowing a single phone to run two operating systems, one for business use and one for personal use.

“The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been arrested by London police on behalf of Swedish authorities on allegation of rape. Assange has admitted that he is exhausted by the ongoing battle against authorities. The Swiss Government has confiscated $37K in his Swiss Bank account.