The Latest Linux, Open Source, And Tech News

Leftovers 3
Ten myths that plague Linux
In many people's minds, Linux comes heavily laden with baggage. But that perception is fundamentally misplaced, says Jack Wallen.
Misconceptions about Linux run as deep as Bill Gates's pockets. Yet it's not the untruths that concern me, but the certainty with which they are expounded. Not all these issues are important but cumulatively they can combine to put people off the operating system. more
In many people's minds, Linux comes heavily laden with baggage. But that perception is fundamentally misplaced, says Jack Wallen.
Misconceptions about Linux run as deep as Bill Gates's pockets. Yet it's not the untruths that concern me, but the certainty with which they are expounded. Not all these issues are important but cumulatively they can combine to put people off the operating system. more
Unity on Wayland
Mark Shuttleworth
The next major transition for Unity will be to deliver it on Wayland, the OpenGL-based display management system. We’d like to embrace Wayland early, as much of the work we’re doing on uTouch and other input systems will be relevant for Wayland and it’s an area we can make a useful contribution to the project.
We’re confident we’ll be able to retain the ability to run X applications in a compatibility mode, so this is not a transition that needs to reset the world of desktop free software. Nor is it a transition everyone needs to make at the same time: for the same reason we’ll keep investing in the 2D experience on Ubuntu despite also believing that Unity, with all it’s GL dependencies, is the best interface for the desktop. We’ll help GNOME and KDE with the transition, there’s no reason for them not to be there on day one either. more
Mark Shuttleworth
The next major transition for Unity will be to deliver it on Wayland, the OpenGL-based display management system. We’d like to embrace Wayland early, as much of the work we’re doing on uTouch and other input systems will be relevant for Wayland and it’s an area we can make a useful contribution to the project.
We’re confident we’ll be able to retain the ability to run X applications in a compatibility mode, so this is not a transition that needs to reset the world of desktop free software. Nor is it a transition everyone needs to make at the same time: for the same reason we’ll keep investing in the 2D experience on Ubuntu despite also believing that Unity, with all it’s GL dependencies, is the best interface for the desktop. We’ll help GNOME and KDE with the transition, there’s no reason for them not to be there on day one either. more
What Microsoft Linux Would Mean
Telling me that it is a bad idea does no good. Like that bad song you hear on your clock radio first thing in the morning and it stays in your head all day, it is an idea that won’t go away. My son who is a Linux user and advocate and I had this conversation about five years ago. I think that it was even before Microsoft and Novell struck a deal. It was pre-Vista because we thought that Microsoft’s next OS could be Linux-based. We thought that it would happen, but are still waiting. (I’m being a Devil’s advocate, so don’t take me seriously or send hate messages)
So, this is just a pretend game. What would happen if…? more
Telling me that it is a bad idea does no good. Like that bad song you hear on your clock radio first thing in the morning and it stays in your head all day, it is an idea that won’t go away. My son who is a Linux user and advocate and I had this conversation about five years ago. I think that it was even before Microsoft and Novell struck a deal. It was pre-Vista because we thought that Microsoft’s next OS could be Linux-based. We thought that it would happen, but are still waiting. (I’m being a Devil’s advocate, so don’t take me seriously or send hate messages)
So, this is just a pretend game. What would happen if…? more
After Gnome Shell, Ubuntu Ditches X Server
Mark Shuttleworth created quite a wave when he announced that Ubuntu will be using Unity as the default UI in the next release, replacing the upcoming Gnome Shell. There were mixed reactions. Now he has revealed another plan which may stir up a hornets nest.
Canonical is planning to replace X Server with Wayland, the OpenGL-based display management system. Wayland is lightweight display server started by Kristian Høgsberg, one of Intel OSTC member.
One of the reasons for Mark to choose Wayland seems to be Canonical's ongoing crusade to polish Ubuntu at the level of perfection. Wayland's started goal is 'every frame is perfect, by which I mean that applications will be able to control the rendering enough that we'll never see tearing, lag, redrawing or flicker'. more
Mark Shuttleworth created quite a wave when he announced that Ubuntu will be using Unity as the default UI in the next release, replacing the upcoming Gnome Shell. There were mixed reactions. Now he has revealed another plan which may stir up a hornets nest.
Canonical is planning to replace X Server with Wayland, the OpenGL-based display management system. Wayland is lightweight display server started by Kristian Høgsberg, one of Intel OSTC member.
One of the reasons for Mark to choose Wayland seems to be Canonical's ongoing crusade to polish Ubuntu at the level of perfection. Wayland's started goal is 'every frame is perfect, by which I mean that applications will be able to control the rendering enough that we'll never see tearing, lag, redrawing or flicker'. more
Microsoft responds to Firesheep cookie-jacking tool
The Firesheep developers continue to be under fire for releasing their cookie-jacking plug-in. However, in doing so they have already made Microsoft promise that it will fully convert its Hotmail / Windows Live email service to SSL. According to a report from US news web site Digital Society, the services are to be converted before the end of November. The current default is that only the log-in data is encrypted in the browser, but subsequent pages and log-in cookies are transmitted in plain text. Firesheep can collect these details, for instance, on public Wi-Fi networks, and make them available to access accounts without authorisation. The tool is so easy to operate that even those who are new to scripting can wreak havoc with it in such places as a local coffee shop. more
The Firesheep developers continue to be under fire for releasing their cookie-jacking plug-in. However, in doing so they have already made Microsoft promise that it will fully convert its Hotmail / Windows Live email service to SSL. According to a report from US news web site Digital Society, the services are to be converted before the end of November. The current default is that only the log-in data is encrypted in the browser, but subsequent pages and log-in cookies are transmitted in plain text. Firesheep can collect these details, for instance, on public Wi-Fi networks, and make them available to access accounts without authorisation. The tool is so easy to operate that even those who are new to scripting can wreak havoc with it in such places as a local coffee shop. more
Distribution Release: Sabayon Linux 5.4 “Experimental Spins”
Fabio Erculiani has announced the release of five new “spins” of Sabayon Linux 5.4: “Our crew, is happy to announce the immediate availability of E17, Xfce, LXDE, SpinBase/OpenVZ, ServerBase Sabayon 5.4 ‘spins’ built on top of Sabayon ‘SpinBase’ ISO images. more
Fabio Erculiani has announced the release of five new “spins” of Sabayon Linux 5.4: “Our crew, is happy to announce the immediate availability of E17, Xfce, LXDE, SpinBase/OpenVZ, ServerBase Sabayon 5.4 ‘spins’ built on top of Sabayon ‘SpinBase’ ISO images. more
Can You Hack Microsoft Kinect?
Microsoft just 'forced' Adafruit to double the bounty prize to $2000. Adafruit initially offered a bounty of $1000 to anyone who can write open source driver for the Microsoft Kinect device.
Adafruit says in a blog, "Open source drivers for this cool USB device, the drivers and/or application can run on any operating system – but completely documented and under an open source license. To demonstrate the driver you must also write an application with one “window” showing video (640 x 480) and one window showing depth. Upload all of this to GitHub. more
Microsoft just 'forced' Adafruit to double the bounty prize to $2000. Adafruit initially offered a bounty of $1000 to anyone who can write open source driver for the Microsoft Kinect device.
Adafruit says in a blog, "Open source drivers for this cool USB device, the drivers and/or application can run on any operating system – but completely documented and under an open source license. To demonstrate the driver you must also write an application with one “window” showing video (640 x 480) and one window showing depth. Upload all of this to GitHub. more
$2,000 Bounty for first open source Microsoft Kinect drivers
The team at Adafruit Industries is offering a bounty for the first open source drivers for Microsoft's Kinect hardware for its Xbox 360 gaming console. According to a post on the Adafruit blog, the first person or group to upload their code, examples and documentation to the GitHub project hosting service will win the team's first ever "X prize" project bounty. The reward for the Kinect driver began at $1,000 but was later increased to $2,000 following Microsoft's response to CNET, which said that the company "does not condone the modification of its products". more
The team at Adafruit Industries is offering a bounty for the first open source drivers for Microsoft's Kinect hardware for its Xbox 360 gaming console. According to a post on the Adafruit blog, the first person or group to upload their code, examples and documentation to the GitHub project hosting service will win the team's first ever "X prize" project bounty. The reward for the Kinect driver began at $1,000 but was later increased to $2,000 following Microsoft's response to CNET, which said that the company "does not condone the modification of its products". more
Oracle should not sue Google over Java use, readers say
Big thumbs down to court battle
Computerworld UK readers have given an emphatic ‘no’ to Oracle’s move to sue Google over its use of Java.
Last week, Oracle alleged that Google had “directly copied” the Java code in its Android mobile phone operating system. Oracle inherited control of Java after buying Sun Microsystems in 2009.
Google denies the allegations.
Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of readers agreed with a statement, in a poll on the Computerworld UK site, that Oracle would “risk the future” of the hugely popular programming language by making the move. more
Big thumbs down to court battle
Computerworld UK readers have given an emphatic ‘no’ to Oracle’s move to sue Google over its use of Java.
Last week, Oracle alleged that Google had “directly copied” the Java code in its Android mobile phone operating system. Oracle inherited control of Java after buying Sun Microsystems in 2009.
Google denies the allegations.
Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of readers agreed with a statement, in a poll on the Computerworld UK site, that Oracle would “risk the future” of the hugely popular programming language by making the move. more
Windows 7 'I'm a PC' man quits Microsoft
Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” bloke is reportedly leaving the software maker.According to an email, seen by SeattlePI.com, Sean Siler has quit the company for personal reasons, after five years of service. more
Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” bloke is reportedly leaving the software maker.According to an email, seen by SeattlePI.com, Sean Siler has quit the company for personal reasons, after five years of service. more
Review: SalixOS 13.1.2 KDE
Ever heard of SalixOS? Well, it’s only the best (hands-down?) Slackware based Operating System! There are other competitors; Zenwalk, Vector Linux, and my own nFluxOS Slackware -current build. However; only SalixOS is 100% compatible with Slackware 13.1, all the other’s differ in many respects, as both Vector and Zenwalk have drifted a bit to their own identities, which is why SalixOS was created in the first place. Quoted from Wikipedia SalixOS article, “Salix OS was originally initiated by some ex-members/contributors/developer of Zenwalk project who wanted to come back to a closer compatibility with Slackware as well as to the FOSS truly cooperative & open philosophy.” more
Ever heard of SalixOS? Well, it’s only the best (hands-down?) Slackware based Operating System! There are other competitors; Zenwalk, Vector Linux, and my own nFluxOS Slackware -current build. However; only SalixOS is 100% compatible with Slackware 13.1, all the other’s differ in many respects, as both Vector and Zenwalk have drifted a bit to their own identities, which is why SalixOS was created in the first place. Quoted from Wikipedia SalixOS article, “Salix OS was originally initiated by some ex-members/contributors/developer of Zenwalk project who wanted to come back to a closer compatibility with Slackware as well as to the FOSS truly cooperative & open philosophy.” more
Adobe: hole closed, hole open
Keeping track of which versions of which Adobe products have how many holes is beginning to be difficult. Adobe has confirmed a further unpatched hole in Adobe Reader that can very likely be exploited to infect a PC. Apparently, a flawed JavaScript function (Doc.printSeps) is responsible for the critical hole. An exploit is already in circulation, but it only causes the application to crash. Adobe brought forward the release of the announced update for Flash Player to today (Friday), although the originally scheduled release date was the 9th of November. The update closes 18 security holes and includes the hole discovered last week. Flash Player 10.1.102.64 is available to download for Windows, Linux and Mac OS. An update for Android is to be released next week. more
Keeping track of which versions of which Adobe products have how many holes is beginning to be difficult. Adobe has confirmed a further unpatched hole in Adobe Reader that can very likely be exploited to infect a PC. Apparently, a flawed JavaScript function (Doc.printSeps) is responsible for the critical hole. An exploit is already in circulation, but it only causes the application to crash. Adobe brought forward the release of the announced update for Flash Player to today (Friday), although the originally scheduled release date was the 9th of November. The update closes 18 security holes and includes the hole discovered last week. Flash Player 10.1.102.64 is available to download for Windows, Linux and Mac OS. An update for Android is to be released next week. more
Microsoft releases F# under open source license
Microsoft has released the source code for its F# functional programming language
November 5, 2010, 01:15 PM — IDG News Service — Microsoft has released into full open source the code of its functional programming language, called F#.
The company has made version 2.0 of F# compiler and core library available under an Apache 2.0 open source license, according to a blog item posted by Don Syme, a Microsoft principal researcher who developed and maintains the code. more
Microsoft has released the source code for its F# functional programming language
November 5, 2010, 01:15 PM — IDG News Service — Microsoft has released into full open source the code of its functional programming language, called F#.
The company has made version 2.0 of F# compiler and core library available under an Apache 2.0 open source license, according to a blog item posted by Don Syme, a Microsoft principal researcher who developed and maintains the code. more
3 Media Conversion Apps That Will Make You a True Believer
Dealing with the mind-numbing array of formats present in digital media can be intimidating for a user of any platform, and users considering Linux may be hesitant to switch if they think certain types of files simply cannot be made to play on an open source OS. There's really nothing to fear, though -- here are three applications that can transform common and obscure media types into ones easily digested by Linux.
One of the lingering concerns potential Linux users have is the worry of leaving behind Windows software they have relied on for playing audio and video files. That used to be a valid concern. But it isn't something to worry about any more.
Three relatively new Linux apps make it possible to convert sound and video files so that most Linux distros can play them. Arista Transcoder, SoundConverter and OggConvert together or separately can enable all of your media passions in Linux. more
Dealing with the mind-numbing array of formats present in digital media can be intimidating for a user of any platform, and users considering Linux may be hesitant to switch if they think certain types of files simply cannot be made to play on an open source OS. There's really nothing to fear, though -- here are three applications that can transform common and obscure media types into ones easily digested by Linux.
One of the lingering concerns potential Linux users have is the worry of leaving behind Windows software they have relied on for playing audio and video files. That used to be a valid concern. But it isn't something to worry about any more.
Three relatively new Linux apps make it possible to convert sound and video files so that most Linux distros can play them. Arista Transcoder, SoundConverter and OggConvert together or separately can enable all of your media passions in Linux. more
Slackware review
— Current version 13.1
Introduction From Wikipedia:
Slackware is a free and open source operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993. The current stable version is 13.1, released on May 24, 2010. Slackware aims for design stability and simplicity, and to be the most “Unix-like” Linux distribution, using plain text files for configuration and making as few modifications to software packages as possible from upstream.
Slackware has been around a long time, it is stable, reliable and secure.
User Friendly One of the most common statements about Slackware is that, it is difficult to maintain, and not user friendly. This is only partially true and depends on what is easy for you. If you know nothing about Linux then it may be complicated to start with Slackware, but if you know a little bit about Linux, then it could actually be easier to have a server on Slackware than for example Fedora or Ubuntu. Why?. Well mainly because it is more difficult to break things in Slackware than in others, the lack of a dependency resolution official tool, makes installing and maintaining software more time consuming, but at the same time, more stable. So if easy for you means less time finding and installing software, then Slackware is not easy, but if on the other hand easy for you, means less problems and down times, then Slackware may be your solution.
So, Slackware is not for experienced users only, but it certainly doesn’t do everything for you like Ubuntu, Fedora, PCLinuxOS or others. more
— Current version 13.1
Introduction From Wikipedia:
Slackware is a free and open source operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993. The current stable version is 13.1, released on May 24, 2010. Slackware aims for design stability and simplicity, and to be the most “Unix-like” Linux distribution, using plain text files for configuration and making as few modifications to software packages as possible from upstream.
Slackware has been around a long time, it is stable, reliable and secure.
User Friendly One of the most common statements about Slackware is that, it is difficult to maintain, and not user friendly. This is only partially true and depends on what is easy for you. If you know nothing about Linux then it may be complicated to start with Slackware, but if you know a little bit about Linux, then it could actually be easier to have a server on Slackware than for example Fedora or Ubuntu. Why?. Well mainly because it is more difficult to break things in Slackware than in others, the lack of a dependency resolution official tool, makes installing and maintaining software more time consuming, but at the same time, more stable. So if easy for you means less time finding and installing software, then Slackware is not easy, but if on the other hand easy for you, means less problems and down times, then Slackware may be your solution.
So, Slackware is not for experienced users only, but it certainly doesn’t do everything for you like Ubuntu, Fedora, PCLinuxOS or others. more
Why Windows is Better Than Linux
Don’t be fooled by the title. I use Linux. I avoid Windows. However, all is not rosy in the Linux world. I am active on many Linux help forums. I know the types of problems that most new Linux users face. This is my list of things that could make Linux better, courtesy of Windows users that I have encountered. more
Don’t be fooled by the title. I use Linux. I avoid Windows. However, all is not rosy in the Linux world. I am active on many Linux help forums. I know the types of problems that most new Linux users face. This is my list of things that could make Linux better, courtesy of Windows users that I have encountered. more
Video: Linus Torvalds Dives Tonight: "If I Don't Come Back, Go On Without Me"
Linus Torvalds just finished his soon-to-be infamous scuba dive among the sea life in the Giant Ocean Tank at the New England Aquarium. The tank simulates a Caribbean coral reef, but I don't expect Linus felt quite that tranquil given that attendees of the Linux Kernel Summit and Linux Plumbers Conference were watching through 52 windows as he socialized with penguins, sea turtles, stingrays, eels, barracuda and fish. more
Linus Torvalds just finished his soon-to-be infamous scuba dive among the sea life in the Giant Ocean Tank at the New England Aquarium. The tank simulates a Caribbean coral reef, but I don't expect Linus felt quite that tranquil given that attendees of the Linux Kernel Summit and Linux Plumbers Conference were watching through 52 windows as he socialized with penguins, sea turtles, stingrays, eels, barracuda and fish. more
Google Chrome OS Is Now Beta !
My RSS feed reader is full of the rumor that says Chrome OS is coming this month, with a Google branded netbook. ( I do not post every rumor that is around about chrome os , hope its ok with you all ! )
If those rumor are correct, we will see Google selling their own netbook online like they did for Android with Nexsus One. more
My RSS feed reader is full of the rumor that says Chrome OS is coming this month, with a Google branded netbook. ( I do not post every rumor that is around about chrome os , hope its ok with you all ! )
If those rumor are correct, we will see Google selling their own netbook online like they did for Android with Nexsus One. more
LibreOffice, Firefox 4, Banshee - New Default Applications for Ubuntu 11.04
Ubuntu Developer Summit(UDS) is finally over and one of the major decisions taken was the adoption of Unity for both desktop and netbook interfaces of Ubuntu for the future. Default applications for next major Ubuntu release has also been chosen.
Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal and the Future of Ubuntu
Ubuntu Developer Summit 2010 announced *the* major decision they has ever took. Ubuntu is moving away from GNOME and its next generation desktop environment, GNOME Shell.
Instead, Ubuntu 11.04 will be having a new desktop interface in the form of Unity. Unity is already the default desktop environment for Ubuntu 10.10 netbook edition. Mark Shuttleworth consider this shift to Unity as the most significant change ever for Ubuntu.
New Default Applications in Ubuntu 11.04
No big surprises here. Mark Shuttleworth himself has made it clear that future Ubuntu releases will be shipped with LibreOffice. Now, UDS has made the decision to include LibreOffice as default office suite in Ubuntu 11.04 if it's ready by then. more
Ubuntu Developer Summit(UDS) is finally over and one of the major decisions taken was the adoption of Unity for both desktop and netbook interfaces of Ubuntu for the future. Default applications for next major Ubuntu release has also been chosen.
Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal and the Future of Ubuntu
Ubuntu Developer Summit 2010 announced *the* major decision they has ever took. Ubuntu is moving away from GNOME and its next generation desktop environment, GNOME Shell.
Instead, Ubuntu 11.04 will be having a new desktop interface in the form of Unity. Unity is already the default desktop environment for Ubuntu 10.10 netbook edition. Mark Shuttleworth consider this shift to Unity as the most significant change ever for Ubuntu.
New Default Applications in Ubuntu 11.04
No big surprises here. Mark Shuttleworth himself has made it clear that future Ubuntu releases will be shipped with LibreOffice. Now, UDS has made the decision to include LibreOffice as default office suite in Ubuntu 11.04 if it's ready by then. more
WatchVideo Can Download, Rip, Convert And Play Videos From YouTube And Many Other Video Sharing Websites
WatchVideo is a QT application (but also comes with a command-line version) to play, download, rip or convert (to Ogg) videos from Bliptv, Break, CaracolTV, CineGratis24h, CollegeHumor, Current, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Sapovideos, TheOnion, Vimeo, YouTube, and others. What makes WatchVideo special is that besides being able to download videos from many video sharing websites, it can also rip/convert and play them, either using an external player (such as Totem or VLC) or you can use the internal player (mplayer - this is an experimental feature in the latest version). The rip/convert/play actions can be set to occur once a video has finished downloading which is a real time-saver feature. WatchVideo also comes with NotifyOSD notifications for Ubuntu users. more
WatchVideo is a QT application (but also comes with a command-line version) to play, download, rip or convert (to Ogg) videos from Bliptv, Break, CaracolTV, CineGratis24h, CollegeHumor, Current, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Sapovideos, TheOnion, Vimeo, YouTube, and others. What makes WatchVideo special is that besides being able to download videos from many video sharing websites, it can also rip/convert and play them, either using an external player (such as Totem or VLC) or you can use the internal player (mplayer - this is an experimental feature in the latest version). The rip/convert/play actions can be set to occur once a video has finished downloading which is a real time-saver feature. WatchVideo also comes with NotifyOSD notifications for Ubuntu users. more
TweetDeck 0.36 Adds Real-Time Streaming
Even though personally I am not a fan of Adobe Air applications and prefer native Twitter clients on Linux, I cannot ignore an amazing application such as TweetDeck which comes with some very interesting features like real-time Twitter streaming - a feature that has been added for all users (it was previously enabled in a test version) in the latest TweetDeck 0.36. more
Even though personally I am not a fan of Adobe Air applications and prefer native Twitter clients on Linux, I cannot ignore an amazing application such as TweetDeck which comes with some very interesting features like real-time Twitter streaming - a feature that has been added for all users (it was previously enabled in a test version) in the latest TweetDeck 0.36. more
Using Unity – Day 7
(If you are jumping into this series a little late, have a read from the Introduction HERE.)
Day Seven.
I know it is late, apologies for that.
Here it is though, a partial Day Seven, and the finale to this series.
Good Decision or not?
Should Ubuntu switch to Unity? It is hard to say, really. If you take Unity as the interface that it is today, you are looking at disaster.
If you look past the most obvious faults, and assume that many of them will be fixed in due course then you are looking at something that will really set Ubuntu apart from other Linux Distros.
Controversial as this may be, I think Unity is a good direction for Ubuntu to move in – IF there is ongoing work to improve it. more
(If you are jumping into this series a little late, have a read from the Introduction HERE.)
Day Seven.
I know it is late, apologies for that.
Here it is though, a partial Day Seven, and the finale to this series.
Good Decision or not?
Should Ubuntu switch to Unity? It is hard to say, really. If you take Unity as the interface that it is today, you are looking at disaster.
If you look past the most obvious faults, and assume that many of them will be fixed in due course then you are looking at something that will really set Ubuntu apart from other Linux Distros.
Controversial as this may be, I think Unity is a good direction for Ubuntu to move in – IF there is ongoing work to improve it. more
Ubuntu's Game-Changing Quest for 'Unity'
Human beings are creatures of habit, it seems safe to say, and tend to have a hard time embracing change.
So it has been no great surprise to see the widespread shock and dismay -- mixed, still, with considerable excitement -- over the decision to make Unity the next desktop Ubuntu's default interface.
Yes, for those who missed it, Natty Narwhal -- or Ubuntu 11.04 -- will not use the distribution's longtime GNOME Shell as the default desktop interface. Rather, it will feature the 3D and multitouch-enabled Unity, which just appeared in the netbook edition of Maverick Meerkat earlier this month. more
Human beings are creatures of habit, it seems safe to say, and tend to have a hard time embracing change.
So it has been no great surprise to see the widespread shock and dismay -- mixed, still, with considerable excitement -- over the decision to make Unity the next desktop Ubuntu's default interface.
Yes, for those who missed it, Natty Narwhal -- or Ubuntu 11.04 -- will not use the distribution's longtime GNOME Shell as the default desktop interface. Rather, it will feature the 3D and multitouch-enabled Unity, which just appeared in the netbook edition of Maverick Meerkat earlier this month. more
iPhone and Android Crush BlackBerry
The latest quarter saw an unwelcome shift in the smartphone market from Research In Motion's perspective. Once dominant with its BlackBerry line, RIM has slipped behind iPhone. Meanwhile, Google's Android OS powered the most smartphones shipped in the period, claiming 44 percent of the U.S. market.
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) ousted Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) from its top spot in the U.S. smartphone market in the third quarter, according to a report Canalys released on Monday, which showed no letup in iPhone shipments.
In terms of smartphone operating systems, Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android OS held a commanding lead, with a 44 percent share of the U.S. market. more
The latest quarter saw an unwelcome shift in the smartphone market from Research In Motion's perspective. Once dominant with its BlackBerry line, RIM has slipped behind iPhone. Meanwhile, Google's Android OS powered the most smartphones shipped in the period, claiming 44 percent of the U.S. market.
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) ousted Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) from its top spot in the U.S. smartphone market in the third quarter, according to a report Canalys released on Monday, which showed no letup in iPhone shipments.
In terms of smartphone operating systems, Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android OS held a commanding lead, with a 44 percent share of the U.S. market. more
88 High-Risk Defects Found in Android Kernel
PC World —
This is the story of a cloud and its silver lining.
First, the cloud: Numerous programming flaws in the Android kernel include 88 high-risk defects that could leave users' sensitive information exposed, analysis firm Coverity announced today.
Specifically, in a study whose results are due to be published tomorrow, Coverity examined the code in version 2.6.32 of the open source Android kernel, which is used in phones including the HTC Droid Incredible. Some 359 software defects were revealed by Coverity's analysis, and roughly 25% of those were considered high-risk, with the potential to cause security breaches and crashes, the firm reported.
The study is part of the 2010 edition of the Coverity Scan Open Source Integrity Report, which details the analysis of more than 61 million lines of open source code from 291 popular and widely used open source projects. Included among those projects analyzed were also Linux, Apache, Samba and PHP.
Coverity has notified both Google and HTC about the Android flaws. If verified, they could be fixed via a wireless update. more
PC World —
This is the story of a cloud and its silver lining.
First, the cloud: Numerous programming flaws in the Android kernel include 88 high-risk defects that could leave users' sensitive information exposed, analysis firm Coverity announced today.
Specifically, in a study whose results are due to be published tomorrow, Coverity examined the code in version 2.6.32 of the open source Android kernel, which is used in phones including the HTC Droid Incredible. Some 359 software defects were revealed by Coverity's analysis, and roughly 25% of those were considered high-risk, with the potential to cause security breaches and crashes, the firm reported.
The study is part of the 2010 edition of the Coverity Scan Open Source Integrity Report, which details the analysis of more than 61 million lines of open source code from 291 popular and widely used open source projects. Included among those projects analyzed were also Linux, Apache, Samba and PHP.
Coverity has notified both Google and HTC about the Android flaws. If verified, they could be fixed via a wireless update. more
Top hacker 'retires'; experts brace for his return
WASHINGTON — The programmer who wrote ZeuS — malicious software used to steal an estimated $100 million so far this year from U.S. towns, companies and individuals — says he is retiring.
But security experts believe there is a good chance he will soon emerge with even more powerful ways to steal, a pattern of behavior seen after previous retirements in 2007 and 2008.
ZeuS' anonymous programmer, who lives in Russia and seems to like nice cars and powerful trucks, first introduced ZeuS in 2007 as spyware that would hide in users' computers and log keystrokes to steal passwords, said Don Jackson, director of threat intelligence at the security firm SecureWorks.
The programmer, rather than doing the stealing himself, used a middleman to sell the spyware software to criminal gangs. A basic version would run as low as $1,000 but could be customized for an extra fee. He would also offer 24/7 support. more
WASHINGTON — The programmer who wrote ZeuS — malicious software used to steal an estimated $100 million so far this year from U.S. towns, companies and individuals — says he is retiring.
But security experts believe there is a good chance he will soon emerge with even more powerful ways to steal, a pattern of behavior seen after previous retirements in 2007 and 2008.
ZeuS' anonymous programmer, who lives in Russia and seems to like nice cars and powerful trucks, first introduced ZeuS in 2007 as spyware that would hide in users' computers and log keystrokes to steal passwords, said Don Jackson, director of threat intelligence at the security firm SecureWorks.
The programmer, rather than doing the stealing himself, used a middleman to sell the spyware software to criminal gangs. A basic version would run as low as $1,000 but could be customized for an extra fee. He would also offer 24/7 support. more
Install Dropbox on KDE desktops
Dropbox is a popular and great cloud based application, which allows you to synchronize files across different computers. I use it extensively, not only because it allows me to work with a single version of each file, but also because those files are always available, secure and they are virtually impossible to lose in a potential computer crash
As you may imagine, I spend quite some time installing new distros for my own tests or reviews. I have learnt that Dropbox is extremely handy for such activity. I use it to store my scripts, icon themes, wallpapers, emerald themes, etc., so I just need to synch the computer with Dropbox, as opposed to searching for files, downloading them, etc. more
Dropbox is a popular and great cloud based application, which allows you to synchronize files across different computers. I use it extensively, not only because it allows me to work with a single version of each file, but also because those files are always available, secure and they are virtually impossible to lose in a potential computer crash
As you may imagine, I spend quite some time installing new distros for my own tests or reviews. I have learnt that Dropbox is extremely handy for such activity. I use it to store my scripts, icon themes, wallpapers, emerald themes, etc., so I just need to synch the computer with Dropbox, as opposed to searching for files, downloading them, etc. more
London Stock Exchange delays Linux launch after live test
The London Stock Exchange has postponed the launch of its Linux-based IT system for cash markets, after a third live test was completed with customers over the weekend.The Millennium Exchange system – built in a C++ environment around Linux, linked into Oracle databases – had been due to be switched on today.
It is now expected to go live on or around the contingency date of 15 November. But an exact date has not yet been decided. more
The London Stock Exchange has postponed the launch of its Linux-based IT system for cash markets, after a third live test was completed with customers over the weekend.The Millennium Exchange system – built in a C++ environment around Linux, linked into Oracle databases – had been due to be switched on today.
It is now expected to go live on or around the contingency date of 15 November. But an exact date has not yet been decided. more
Desktop Unity: Your questions Answered
Since the announcement last week that Ubuntu 11.04 will be shipping with a desktop-orientated version of the Unity interface as default the OMG! Inbox! has been inundated by anxious readers.
We’ve directed a lot of you over to askubuntu.com where Ubuntu’s Jorge Castro, amongst others, has been diligently answering questions on the new Unity Desktop.
With so much confusion still rife over the controversial change – and with the OMG! Inbox! continuing to fill up with the confused – I’ve decided to highlight some of the most-oft asked questions we get about the Unity Desktop here in super-succinct form.
Brevity as the point here so for more information click the question title to view the full answer. more
Since the announcement last week that Ubuntu 11.04 will be shipping with a desktop-orientated version of the Unity interface as default the OMG! Inbox! has been inundated by anxious readers.
We’ve directed a lot of you over to askubuntu.com where Ubuntu’s Jorge Castro, amongst others, has been diligently answering questions on the new Unity Desktop.
With so much confusion still rife over the controversial change – and with the OMG! Inbox! continuing to fill up with the confused – I’ve decided to highlight some of the most-oft asked questions we get about the Unity Desktop here in super-succinct form.
Brevity as the point here so for more information click the question title to view the full answer. more
Google's New VP8 Codec SDK Is Better, Faster
Following Google opening up the VP8 video codec specification in May and launching the WebM container format, in July the developers behind FFmpeg created the ffvp8 decoder that was much faster than Google's own VP8 decoding library. Google has now, however, provided a new version of the VP8 Codec SDK that they have codenamed "Aylesbury" and it's designed to be better and much faster than their original release. more
Following Google opening up the VP8 video codec specification in May and launching the WebM container format, in July the developers behind FFmpeg created the ffvp8 decoder that was much faster than Google's own VP8 decoding library. Google has now, however, provided a new version of the VP8 Codec SDK that they have codenamed "Aylesbury" and it's designed to be better and much faster than their original release. more
Windows XP falls under 60%, IE8 loses share for the first time
Last month was a mix of good news and bad news for Microsoft. The good? Windows XP finally fell below the 60 percent mark. The bad? Internet Explorer continues to explore new market share lows as IE8 lost market share for the first time and the IE9 beta failed to capture the attention of the browsing public. Meanwhile Firefox slips a tad farther away from the 25 percent market share mark, while Chrome and Safari continue their growth. more
Last month was a mix of good news and bad news for Microsoft. The good? Windows XP finally fell below the 60 percent mark. The bad? Internet Explorer continues to explore new market share lows as IE8 lost market share for the first time and the IE9 beta failed to capture the attention of the browsing public. Meanwhile Firefox slips a tad farther away from the 25 percent market share mark, while Chrome and Safari continue their growth. more
Mass resignations from OpenOffice.org
Following the fork in the open office suite development and the foundation of The Document Foundation, the dispute with main sponsor Oracle appears to have come to a head. More than 30 leading figures in the German-language section who have previously donated their time to the OpenOffice.org project have announced their resignations. They include almost all of the core figures in the German-language branch of the project, which now finds itself without leadership. more
Following the fork in the open office suite development and the foundation of The Document Foundation, the dispute with main sponsor Oracle appears to have come to a head. More than 30 leading figures in the German-language section who have previously donated their time to the OpenOffice.org project have announced their resignations. They include almost all of the core figures in the German-language branch of the project, which now finds itself without leadership. more
Microsoft to charge royalty fees to prevent Acer, Asustek from using Android in netbooks, say Taiwan makers
Microsoft plans to impose royalty fees on Taiwan-based vendors of Android handsets for using its patents in e-mail, multimedia and other functions, with Acer and Asustek Computer being targets in an actual attempt to prevent the two vendors from adopting Android and Chrome OS for their netbook and tablet PCs, according to Taiwan-based makers. more
Microsoft plans to impose royalty fees on Taiwan-based vendors of Android handsets for using its patents in e-mail, multimedia and other functions, with Acer and Asustek Computer being targets in an actual attempt to prevent the two vendors from adopting Android and Chrome OS for their netbook and tablet PCs, according to Taiwan-based makers. more
People Who Should Not Run Linux
Let’s face it. Nothing is perfect and everybody is different. So it follows that no one operating system can be for everybody. With that in mind, I came up with this list of people who should not use Linux.
1) People with money to burn. There are people who buy a new car every year, have a chateau in the south of France and do not have to save to buy a house. That’s not me, but I hear that they exist. So if you are not money conscious, then you can afford to pay Microsoft or Apple for their latest creation. In fact, you can buy their super, deluxe edition with all of the bells and whistles and probably pay someone else to install it for you. For the rest of us, there is Linux, which is free as in beer and free as in speech, meaning that it costs you nothing and you can give away the disk after you have installed it. more
Let’s face it. Nothing is perfect and everybody is different. So it follows that no one operating system can be for everybody. With that in mind, I came up with this list of people who should not use Linux.
1) People with money to burn. There are people who buy a new car every year, have a chateau in the south of France and do not have to save to buy a house. That’s not me, but I hear that they exist. So if you are not money conscious, then you can afford to pay Microsoft or Apple for their latest creation. In fact, you can buy their super, deluxe edition with all of the bells and whistles and probably pay someone else to install it for you. For the rest of us, there is Linux, which is free as in beer and free as in speech, meaning that it costs you nothing and you can give away the disk after you have installed it. more
Linux authentication login with USB device
This article describes a method how to use a USB memory device as an authentication token to log in into a Linux system instead of traditional password. This can be accomplished by use of Pluggable Authentication Modules ( PAM ) and some sort of USB storage device such as USB memory stick of Mobile phone with SD card attached.
This authentication technique can be also further expanded into Two-Factor authentication where two authentication methods involving USB token and one-time password can be merged together to produce a greater security. This article is written using Ubuntu Linux systems. However, users of other Linux distributions should be able to follow below described steps to achieve the same results. more
This article describes a method how to use a USB memory device as an authentication token to log in into a Linux system instead of traditional password. This can be accomplished by use of Pluggable Authentication Modules ( PAM ) and some sort of USB storage device such as USB memory stick of Mobile phone with SD card attached.
This authentication technique can be also further expanded into Two-Factor authentication where two authentication methods involving USB token and one-time password can be merged together to produce a greater security. This article is written using Ubuntu Linux systems. However, users of other Linux distributions should be able to follow below described steps to achieve the same results. more
Readers' Choice Awards 2010
The votes are in! Read on to find out how your favorites fared in this year's awards.
Welcome to the 2010 Linux Journal Readers' Choice Awards. We love doing these awards because we get to interact with you, our readers, more than usual. This year, more than 12,000 of you generously took time to participate and share your perspectives on what tools are helping you work and play. We always are fascinated by your preferences and how your usage patterns change over time. This year, we have more categories than ever, so let's get right to the results. Here, ladies and gentlemen, Linux geeks of all kinds, are the winners of your 2010 Linux Journal Readers' Choice Awards. more
The votes are in! Read on to find out how your favorites fared in this year's awards.
Welcome to the 2010 Linux Journal Readers' Choice Awards. We love doing these awards because we get to interact with you, our readers, more than usual. This year, more than 12,000 of you generously took time to participate and share your perspectives on what tools are helping you work and play. We always are fascinated by your preferences and how your usage patterns change over time. This year, we have more categories than ever, so let's get right to the results. Here, ladies and gentlemen, Linux geeks of all kinds, are the winners of your 2010 Linux Journal Readers' Choice Awards. more
Use Bluefish as your HTML editor
Do people still code HTML by hand? Of course they do. And when they do, what tools do they use? Some use a simple text editor like nano or vi. Some prefer a little more GUI-goodness like Gedit or Kate. Still, some others prefer an application dedicated to the task at hand.
For those Linux (and BSD, and Mac, and Windows) users, the tool by which most measure the standard is Bluefish. Bluefish is a GPL software that was started in 1997 to facilitate web development on the Linux platform. Although the programmers and the name has changed over time, the intent has not. Bluefish was and is a fantastic HTML editor. more
Do people still code HTML by hand? Of course they do. And when they do, what tools do they use? Some use a simple text editor like nano or vi. Some prefer a little more GUI-goodness like Gedit or Kate. Still, some others prefer an application dedicated to the task at hand.
For those Linux (and BSD, and Mac, and Windows) users, the tool by which most measure the standard is Bluefish. Bluefish is a GPL software that was started in 1997 to facilitate web development on the Linux platform. Although the programmers and the name has changed over time, the intent has not. Bluefish was and is a fantastic HTML editor. more
Back in time- A powerfull and easy to use backup tool for Linux
Back In Time is a simple backup tool for Linux inspired from “flyback project” and “TimeVault”. The backup is done by taking snapshots of a specified set of directories.Currently there are two GUI available: Gnome and KDE 4 (>= 4.1). All you have to do is configure: Where to save snapshot, What directories to backup, When backup should be done (manual, every hour, every day, every week, every month). more
Back In Time is a simple backup tool for Linux inspired from “flyback project” and “TimeVault”. The backup is done by taking snapshots of a specified set of directories.Currently there are two GUI available: Gnome and KDE 4 (>= 4.1). All you have to do is configure: Where to save snapshot, What directories to backup, When backup should be done (manual, every hour, every day, every week, every month). more
Adoption of Unity is the Most Significant Change Ever for Ubuntu, Says Mark Shuttleworth
It's going to be Unity all the way for Ubuntu's next major release codenamed Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal". During Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) at Florida, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth announced that the Unity shell will become Ubuntu's default interface not just for netbook editions, but also for Ubuntu desktop editions. more
It's going to be Unity all the way for Ubuntu's next major release codenamed Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal". During Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) at Florida, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth announced that the Unity shell will become Ubuntu's default interface not just for netbook editions, but also for Ubuntu desktop editions. more
Why do people accept faulty operating systems?
Average people, the kind you see walking down the street, buying milk at the grocery store and frequenting Walmart, Kmart and other similar retail chains are a very fickle bunch. They are also very demanding. Not one of them would accept damaged goods willingly. If they buy a television and it doesn't work they take it back. If they buy an item of clothing and it is damaged in some manner it is sent back post haste. If they buy a piece of meat and two hours later it is green, that piece of meat is forcefully returned to the butcher (LLBC).
Yet, when it comes to computers. These same people who throw a raving screaming tantrum when a button on their new DVD player is loose will accept a computer with a faulty operating system.
Sure they will throw the same tantrums with a physical computer fault however, on the software side of things they will accept without a murmur and actually request to install the most bug ridden, virus infected and unstable operating systems in the history of computing. They will use these systems and not care that it is sending spam to the four corners of the world (why do people say that? The world is round) or some fifty odd viruses are siphoning off their passwords, credit card numbers and personal details for sale on the black market. more
Average people, the kind you see walking down the street, buying milk at the grocery store and frequenting Walmart, Kmart and other similar retail chains are a very fickle bunch. They are also very demanding. Not one of them would accept damaged goods willingly. If they buy a television and it doesn't work they take it back. If they buy an item of clothing and it is damaged in some manner it is sent back post haste. If they buy a piece of meat and two hours later it is green, that piece of meat is forcefully returned to the butcher (LLBC).
Yet, when it comes to computers. These same people who throw a raving screaming tantrum when a button on their new DVD player is loose will accept a computer with a faulty operating system.
Sure they will throw the same tantrums with a physical computer fault however, on the software side of things they will accept without a murmur and actually request to install the most bug ridden, virus infected and unstable operating systems in the history of computing. They will use these systems and not care that it is sending spam to the four corners of the world (why do people say that? The world is round) or some fifty odd viruses are siphoning off their passwords, credit card numbers and personal details for sale on the black market. more
Linux Can Be Complicated … Or Not!
Windows and OS/X are fairly straightforward in comparison. Mac OS runs on Macs and that is about it. Windows runs on desktop PCs, servers and a few devices. There are several versions of Windows, XP, NT, Vista, Windows 7 and Window Phone 7 to name a few. Linux is quite a bit more complicated.
Linux runs on servers, desktops, and devices, just like Windows does, but that is just the beginning. Linux runs on just about any architecture from mainframes to TiVo. It supports the PowerPC, Intel, AMD, ARM, Atom on desktop computers alone. You will find it on the world’s fastest computer and on your Tom Tom. It runs many music players, TVs, phones, tablets and most e-book readers. It is the backbone of the internet and you probably are using it without even realising it. more
Windows and OS/X are fairly straightforward in comparison. Mac OS runs on Macs and that is about it. Windows runs on desktop PCs, servers and a few devices. There are several versions of Windows, XP, NT, Vista, Windows 7 and Window Phone 7 to name a few. Linux is quite a bit more complicated.
Linux runs on servers, desktops, and devices, just like Windows does, but that is just the beginning. Linux runs on just about any architecture from mainframes to TiVo. It supports the PowerPC, Intel, AMD, ARM, Atom on desktop computers alone. You will find it on the world’s fastest computer and on your Tom Tom. It runs many music players, TVs, phones, tablets and most e-book readers. It is the backbone of the internet and you probably are using it without even realising it. more
Oracle copying SCO playbook for Google fight
Oracle has amended its complaint against Google to include copyright claims, saying that Google "directly copied" code from Java's API packages. The claims are getting a bit more sympathy for Oracle, since many folks regard software patents as a nuisance, but plagiarism has no friends. But not so fast — there's much more here than it seems.
The problem is that most of the people who are looking at the "line by line" example don't actually understand code. SCO did this, through the same legal team (Boies Schiller) with its claims that Linux had direct copied code from UnixWare. That was debunked pretty quickly. The only thing missing here is Larry Ellison running around issuing open letters or ranting about Google to anyone who will listen. Never let it be said that Ellison isn't classier than Darl McBride. more
Oracle has amended its complaint against Google to include copyright claims, saying that Google "directly copied" code from Java's API packages. The claims are getting a bit more sympathy for Oracle, since many folks regard software patents as a nuisance, but plagiarism has no friends. But not so fast — there's much more here than it seems.
The problem is that most of the people who are looking at the "line by line" example don't actually understand code. SCO did this, through the same legal team (Boies Schiller) with its claims that Linux had direct copied code from UnixWare. That was debunked pretty quickly. The only thing missing here is Larry Ellison running around issuing open letters or ranting about Google to anyone who will listen. Never let it be said that Ellison isn't classier than Darl McBride. more
Squeezing Linux Mint Debian Edition
Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is awesome! Based on Debian Testing it is a rolling distro. That means if you are running LMDE you will always have an up-to-date system running, and as the saying and experiences go, Debian testing base is more stable than the so called final/stable releases of most other distros. But if you are a stability freak like me, you can make your Linux Mint Debian stable by pointing the apt sources.lst to squeeze. This ways you won't have to install point updates of applications every now and then. You will always have the most stable and workable system for quite a long period, till squeeze becomes obsolete. Here is how I did it. more
Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is awesome! Based on Debian Testing it is a rolling distro. That means if you are running LMDE you will always have an up-to-date system running, and as the saying and experiences go, Debian testing base is more stable than the so called final/stable releases of most other distros. But if you are a stability freak like me, you can make your Linux Mint Debian stable by pointing the apt sources.lst to squeeze. This ways you won't have to install point updates of applications every now and then. You will always have the most stable and workable system for quite a long period, till squeeze becomes obsolete. Here is how I did it. more
From information overload to Dark Ages 2.0?
Professionally and personally, we are an increasingly digital culture. The physical distribution channels for information, data, news, stories, and conversation we learned from as young minds are waning in popularity. Books, TV, tapes, CDs, radio, newspapers, and magazines are in decline as the music, entertainment, business information, personal conversations, and current events we demand get delivered to us in an inbox, feed, app, or social network.
But where will it all go when we're done with it? There is a disturbing lack of serious discussion among content producers and consumers alike about long-term preservation of this electronic residue that we're all creating these days.
Who among us hasn't had a little thrill of the adventurer, the explorer, the treasure-hunter opening up a dusty box of old letters or photographs? Of unearthing an artifact that showed how our great-grandparents lived? Of piecing together a sense of what our town or city looked like and sounded like decades ago? How will generations in the future be able to piece together our lives, worries, hopes, and dreams when so much of it exists only in bits and bytes? more
Professionally and personally, we are an increasingly digital culture. The physical distribution channels for information, data, news, stories, and conversation we learned from as young minds are waning in popularity. Books, TV, tapes, CDs, radio, newspapers, and magazines are in decline as the music, entertainment, business information, personal conversations, and current events we demand get delivered to us in an inbox, feed, app, or social network.
But where will it all go when we're done with it? There is a disturbing lack of serious discussion among content producers and consumers alike about long-term preservation of this electronic residue that we're all creating these days.
Who among us hasn't had a little thrill of the adventurer, the explorer, the treasure-hunter opening up a dusty box of old letters or photographs? Of unearthing an artifact that showed how our great-grandparents lived? Of piecing together a sense of what our town or city looked like and sounded like decades ago? How will generations in the future be able to piece together our lives, worries, hopes, and dreams when so much of it exists only in bits and bytes? more
Banshee is to be the default music player in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal – providing issues with disc space can be overcome.
The decision, taken as part of the Default Package Selection session at this weeks Ubuntu Developer Summit, will result in a few compromises made in the number of plugins that ship with Banshee by default. more
The decision, taken as part of the Default Package Selection session at this weeks Ubuntu Developer Summit, will result in a few compromises made in the number of plugins that ship with Banshee by default. more
Install And Change Plymouth Themes In Ubuntu Using Zorin Splash Screen Manager
If you want a simple Plymouth manager to easily change, install and remove Plymouth themes, try the the new Zorin Splash Screen Manager.Besides options to install / remove and change the Plymouth theme, Zorin Splash Screen Manager also allows you to change the theme text (for a text mode Plymouth). more
If you want a simple Plymouth manager to easily change, install and remove Plymouth themes, try the the new Zorin Splash Screen Manager.Besides options to install / remove and change the Plymouth theme, Zorin Splash Screen Manager also allows you to change the theme text (for a text mode Plymouth). more
Spotlight on Linux: Arch Linux 2010.05
One of the top 10 most popular distributions on Distrowatch.com's page hit ranking is Arch Linux. It attracts a lot of users because of its ability to give the user a feeling of ownership without an excessive amount of time and effort. It began life in 2002 and has been increasing in popularity since. Besides the great operating system, the project offers a moderate sized community, a friendly and active user forum, and lots of easy-to-follow documentation. more
One of the top 10 most popular distributions on Distrowatch.com's page hit ranking is Arch Linux. It attracts a lot of users because of its ability to give the user a feeling of ownership without an excessive amount of time and effort. It began life in 2002 and has been increasing in popularity since. Besides the great operating system, the project offers a moderate sized community, a friendly and active user forum, and lots of easy-to-follow documentation. more
Russian government to invest in open source desktop
The Russian government is planning to invest 150 million rouble (about 3.5 million Euro) in developing an secure open source desktop for public administrations, a Russian business newspaper reported on Wednesday and confirmed by the AFP news agency.
According to the news item in Vedomosti, the government wants to reduce it's dependence on single vendor of a proprietary operating system and increase the security of its desktops. more
The Russian government is planning to invest 150 million rouble (about 3.5 million Euro) in developing an secure open source desktop for public administrations, a Russian business newspaper reported on Wednesday and confirmed by the AFP news agency.
According to the news item in Vedomosti, the government wants to reduce it's dependence on single vendor of a proprietary operating system and increase the security of its desktops. more
Get Your Music Fix From Amazon MP3 on Linux with Clamz
Music loving Linux users take note: Though Amazon hasn't updated its Linux downloader for Amazon MP3 in ages, you can still get your MP3 fix off Amazon using clamz.
Amazon MP3 offers a really good selection of DRM-free music, including a fairly hefty selection of free songs and sampler albums. But Linux users have been getting the short end of the stick from Amazon lately, because the retail giant rarely updates the MP3 download client for Linux. That's not a big deal if you're just buying a single song, but it's a prerequisite for downloading Amazon albums.
Unless you're running Ubuntu 9.04, Fedora 11, or openSUSE 11.1 (all of which are past or nearly past their support lifecycle), you're out in the cold. Or are you? Linux users have at least two options for getting their MP3 fix from Amazon: recent releases of Banshee with Amazon MP3 Store support, and clamz. Since many Linux users already have a favorite media player, we'll take a look at clamz and how you can use it to take the place of the official Amazon downloader.
The other nice thing about clamz is that it's Free software, released under the GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3). more
Music loving Linux users take note: Though Amazon hasn't updated its Linux downloader for Amazon MP3 in ages, you can still get your MP3 fix off Amazon using clamz.
Amazon MP3 offers a really good selection of DRM-free music, including a fairly hefty selection of free songs and sampler albums. But Linux users have been getting the short end of the stick from Amazon lately, because the retail giant rarely updates the MP3 download client for Linux. That's not a big deal if you're just buying a single song, but it's a prerequisite for downloading Amazon albums.
Unless you're running Ubuntu 9.04, Fedora 11, or openSUSE 11.1 (all of which are past or nearly past their support lifecycle), you're out in the cold. Or are you? Linux users have at least two options for getting their MP3 fix from Amazon: recent releases of Banshee with Amazon MP3 Store support, and clamz. Since many Linux users already have a favorite media player, we'll take a look at clamz and how you can use it to take the place of the official Amazon downloader.
The other nice thing about clamz is that it's Free software, released under the GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3). more
Oracle: Google 'directly copied' our Java code
IDG News Service - Oracle has updated its lawsuit against Google to allege that parts of its Android mobile phone software "directly copied" Oracle's Java code.
Oracle filed a surprise lawsuit against Google in August, claiming portions of Google's mobile OS platform infringe Java-related copyrights that Oracle acquired when it bought Sun Microsystems.
Oracle's original lawsuit provided few details about the alleged infringement, but in an amended complaint filed Wednesday it gets more specific, providing examples of code attached as exhibits. more
IDG News Service - Oracle has updated its lawsuit against Google to allege that parts of its Android mobile phone software "directly copied" Oracle's Java code.
Oracle filed a surprise lawsuit against Google in August, claiming portions of Google's mobile OS platform infringe Java-related copyrights that Oracle acquired when it bought Sun Microsystems.
Oracle's original lawsuit provided few details about the alleged infringement, but in an amended complaint filed Wednesday it gets more specific, providing examples of code attached as exhibits. more
The Perfect Desktop - Ubuntu Studio 10.10
This tutorial shows how you can set up an Ubuntu Studio 10.10 desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge.
I want to say first that this is not the only way of setting up such a system. There are many ways of achieving this goal but this is the way I take. I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you! more
This tutorial shows how you can set up an Ubuntu Studio 10.10 desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge.
I want to say first that this is not the only way of setting up such a system. There are many ways of achieving this goal but this is the way I take. I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you! more
How To Make An Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop Resemble A Mac (With Elementary, Docky & Gloobus-Preview)
This article shows how you can change the appearance of your Ubuntu 10.10 desktop so that it resembles a Mac. This can be achieved with the help of Elementary, Docky, and Gloobus-Preview. Elementary is a project that provides a popular icon set and GTK theme; Docky is an interactive dock (like the one you know from a Mac) that provides easy access to some of the files, folders, and applications on your computer, and more; and Gloobus-Preview is an extension for the Gnome Desktop Environment designed to enable a full screen preview of any kind of file or directory. more
This article shows how you can change the appearance of your Ubuntu 10.10 desktop so that it resembles a Mac. This can be achieved with the help of Elementary, Docky, and Gloobus-Preview. Elementary is a project that provides a popular icon set and GTK theme; Docky is an interactive dock (like the one you know from a Mac) that provides easy access to some of the files, folders, and applications on your computer, and more; and Gloobus-Preview is an extension for the Gnome Desktop Environment designed to enable a full screen preview of any kind of file or directory. more
Using Unity – Day One
My first day of using Unity for work. I have showed it off to a few colleagues and the “ooh” is strong with this one.
I haven’t hit any major snags yet, but I have added to my wishlist for Unity.
This post will be updated as the day drags on…
Yep, let me dive into this before I get dragged into the quagmire of “real” work…
My first day of using Unity for work. I have showed it off to a few colleagues and the “ooh” is strong with this one.
I haven’t hit any major snags yet, but I have added to my wishlist for Unity.
This post will be updated as the day drags on…
Yep, let me dive into this before I get dragged into the quagmire of “real” work…
- Panel Applets in the top panel.
Yes, I know the top panel becomes part of maximised windows, but I need my applets. The Unity sidebar will not work for this, and there is a lot of space between the window control buttons on the left, and the clock et al on the right. Perfect for stuff like Hamster (the Time Tracker I use at the moment,) or Tomboy notes. (I see now that the Tomboy notification has been added to the clock area…) - The ability to click on the Unity Launcher menu to add programs.
Currently you need to find the program you want to add to the launcher via the Applications menu (which thankfully has a launcher on the Unity Launcher) and right-click on it, then select “keep in launcher.” This is a bit convoluted and can be made easier. - The ability to open a second window of an application from the Unity Launcher.
Right now if I have one terminal open, I cannot open another (new) terminal from that button. I know Unity is aimed at netbooks that use one window per desktop, but for the desktop this will be a must. Maybe on the pretty right-click menu you can have a “new $application” option? more
Gnome-Do: The Little App That Could
Gnome-Do is a great little application that enhances the Linux-desktop experience. The application, which I recently started using, provides quick access to your applications, email contacts, music, and can be modified with a variety of plug-ins.
Gnome-Do is essentially a launcher, but is much more innovative and handy than most. In addition to its handiness, Gnome-Do has a real sleek interface. The look of Gnome-Do can be changed by using various skins. more
Gnome-Do is a great little application that enhances the Linux-desktop experience. The application, which I recently started using, provides quick access to your applications, email contacts, music, and can be modified with a variety of plug-ins.
Gnome-Do is essentially a launcher, but is much more innovative and handy than most. In addition to its handiness, Gnome-Do has a real sleek interface. The look of Gnome-Do can be changed by using various skins. more
Linux Review
Ultimate Edition 2.8
Earlier this week I wrote a quick look over on EOL about Super OS 10.10. Super OS…well…it didn’t exactly live up to its name, though it does have its place among the many Ubuntu remasters out there. I ran into another distro though that does a more credible job of living up to its name. Ultimate Edition 2.8 is the latest release of yet another Ubuntu-based distro. As you can tell by the name, there’s very little about Ultimate Edition that’s subtle. It could rightfully be described as Ubuntu on steroids, lots and lots and lots of steroids. This distro is on so many steroids that this is the first time I’ve actually been scared to write a review of a distro, roid rage and all that. Heh. more
Ultimate Edition 2.8
Earlier this week I wrote a quick look over on EOL about Super OS 10.10. Super OS…well…it didn’t exactly live up to its name, though it does have its place among the many Ubuntu remasters out there. I ran into another distro though that does a more credible job of living up to its name. Ultimate Edition 2.8 is the latest release of yet another Ubuntu-based distro. As you can tell by the name, there’s very little about Ultimate Edition that’s subtle. It could rightfully be described as Ubuntu on steroids, lots and lots and lots of steroids. This distro is on so many steroids that this is the first time I’ve actually been scared to write a review of a distro, roid rage and all that. Heh. more
Teacher 'Fired' Over Software Plea
A battle over whether open-source or proprietary software should be used in Moscow's public schools spilled into the open Wednesday when a schoolteacher said he was forced to quit for complaining about being forced to use Microsoft programs.
Vladimir Sorokin, deputy director at School No. 572 in southeastern Moscow who teaches computer science, said by telephone that education officials had pressured him into resigning after he complained to President Dmitry Medvedev about an online training system for students that requires Microsoft Office to run properly.
The federal government decreed in 2007 that all schools nationwide have to switch to software based on the free operational system Linux by next year. Sorokin said the training system Moscow schools are forced to use defies this order.
"The education directorate is giving preference to Microsoft," Sorokin said.
"There has to be freedom of choice," he added. more
A battle over whether open-source or proprietary software should be used in Moscow's public schools spilled into the open Wednesday when a schoolteacher said he was forced to quit for complaining about being forced to use Microsoft programs.
Vladimir Sorokin, deputy director at School No. 572 in southeastern Moscow who teaches computer science, said by telephone that education officials had pressured him into resigning after he complained to President Dmitry Medvedev about an online training system for students that requires Microsoft Office to run properly.
The federal government decreed in 2007 that all schools nationwide have to switch to software based on the free operational system Linux by next year. Sorokin said the training system Moscow schools are forced to use defies this order.
"The education directorate is giving preference to Microsoft," Sorokin said.
"There has to be freedom of choice," he added. more
LimeWire forced to shut down
LimeWire, arguably one of the world’s most well-known peer-to-peer file-sharing services, has been ordered to permanently shut down operations after a U.S. Federal judge found it liable for copyright infringement on a ‘massive scale’.
The injunction, issued late Tuesday night, forces the Lime Group to disable all searching, upload and downloading features within the application – which was also available for Linux. more
LimeWire, arguably one of the world’s most well-known peer-to-peer file-sharing services, has been ordered to permanently shut down operations after a U.S. Federal judge found it liable for copyright infringement on a ‘massive scale’.
The injunction, issued late Tuesday night, forces the Lime Group to disable all searching, upload and downloading features within the application – which was also available for Linux. more
Addictive retro-style arcade Linux game bundle only $5
UK based award-winning independent games studio PuppyGames are currently offering up a triple pack of their retro-styled, addictive arcade games for the insane price of of $4.97 – saving you well over $50 on the original sale prices! more
UK based award-winning independent games studio PuppyGames are currently offering up a triple pack of their retro-styled, addictive arcade games for the insane price of of $4.97 – saving you well over $50 on the original sale prices! more
Two-year wait for Windows 8, MS blurts
Console yourself with a Windows 7 SP
A posting on Microsoft's Dutch site suggests we'll have to wait until 2012 for the next release of Windows.
Microsoft declined to comment and the message was rapidly deleted, but was grabbed by Ina Fried at CNet and a host of bloggers.
more
Console yourself with a Windows 7 SP
A posting on Microsoft's Dutch site suggests we'll have to wait until 2012 for the next release of Windows.
Microsoft declined to comment and the message was rapidly deleted, but was grabbed by Ina Fried at CNet and a host of bloggers.
more
A Banshee scream
Back when I started writing articles in this blog, Songbird was one of the applications that I covered. In my opinion, it was the best Audio player available in the GNOME desktop manager. Unfortunately, the Songbird Linux project was cut and since then I had not really found any proper alternative, so I was just settling down with Audacious.
Come Ubuntu 10.10, I had the opportunity to try Banshee 1.8.0, which was getting rave reviews and I have to say I am impressed. more
Back when I started writing articles in this blog, Songbird was one of the applications that I covered. In my opinion, it was the best Audio player available in the GNOME desktop manager. Unfortunately, the Songbird Linux project was cut and since then I had not really found any proper alternative, so I was just settling down with Audacious.
Come Ubuntu 10.10, I had the opportunity to try Banshee 1.8.0, which was getting rave reviews and I have to say I am impressed. more
Ubuntu 11.04 Desktop To Get Rid Of GNOME's Shell
While GNOME 3.0 is expected to roll out in March and will boast the brand new GNOME Shell interface with the Mutter compositing window manager, this will not appear by default in the Ubuntu desktop. Certainly not in Ubuntu 11.04 and it doesn't look like it will be used at all in the future by default (granted, you'll be able to install the shell from a package repository). It's just been announced that beginning with Ubuntu 11.04, the desktop spin will begin using the Unity shell that Canonical originally developed for netbooks. more
While GNOME 3.0 is expected to roll out in March and will boast the brand new GNOME Shell interface with the Mutter compositing window manager, this will not appear by default in the Ubuntu desktop. Certainly not in Ubuntu 11.04 and it doesn't look like it will be used at all in the future by default (granted, you'll be able to install the shell from a package repository). It's just been announced that beginning with Ubuntu 11.04, the desktop spin will begin using the Unity shell that Canonical originally developed for netbooks. more
Gemalto Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Over Android
Gemalto N.V., a digital security outfit based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, just announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States against Google, HTC, Motorola, and Samsung for use of Gemalto’s security products in the Android operating system, Dalvik virtual machine and associated development tools and products. According to the Gemalto, the patents involved in the suit were developed at the company’s research and development facilities in Texas in the 1990s. more
Gemalto N.V., a digital security outfit based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, just announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States against Google, HTC, Motorola, and Samsung for use of Gemalto’s security products in the Android operating system, Dalvik virtual machine and associated development tools and products. According to the Gemalto, the patents involved in the suit were developed at the company’s research and development facilities in Texas in the 1990s. more
Old hardware a handicap? Au contraire!
I spat out my metaphorical coffee this morning, when I read this line, in regard to a 1.7Ghz Athlon with 256Mb and a 60Gb hard drive.
A machine that underpowered (mainly the ram size) will be a serious handicap when learning Linux. … All your choices will be driven by the limited ram. Even so, your time will be wasted waiting for even the lightweight applications you chose to do simple things.
Whoa, waitaminute. A 1.7Ghz machine with a healthy 256Mb will be a handicap to learning Linux? A handicap? Even when armed with lightweight applications?
I have to disagree, but before I do that, I have to ask a small question: What is meant by “learning Linux?” more
I spat out my metaphorical coffee this morning, when I read this line, in regard to a 1.7Ghz Athlon with 256Mb and a 60Gb hard drive.
A machine that underpowered (mainly the ram size) will be a serious handicap when learning Linux. … All your choices will be driven by the limited ram. Even so, your time will be wasted waiting for even the lightweight applications you chose to do simple things.
Whoa, waitaminute. A 1.7Ghz machine with a healthy 256Mb will be a handicap to learning Linux? A handicap? Even when armed with lightweight applications?
I have to disagree, but before I do that, I have to ask a small question: What is meant by “learning Linux?” more
4 Reasons to Give Linux Mint 10 a Try
Canonical's newly released Ubuntu 10.10 -- or "Maverick Meerkat" -- may still be dominating the headlines in the Linux world these days, but it's by no means the only excellent distribution of the open source operating system. Following just behind Ubuntu on DistroWatch's list of popularity, in fact, is not just Fedora, at No. 2, but also--of particular interest this week--Linux Mint. more
Canonical's newly released Ubuntu 10.10 -- or "Maverick Meerkat" -- may still be dominating the headlines in the Linux world these days, but it's by no means the only excellent distribution of the open source operating system. Following just behind Ubuntu on DistroWatch's list of popularity, in fact, is not just Fedora, at No. 2, but also--of particular interest this week--Linux Mint. more
Boxee Box is all set to start shipping from Nov 10th 2010. Boxee and D-Link will have a launch event in NYC to celebrate and demo the Boxee Box, complete with Boxee 1.0.

Boxee Revolution
Boxee is basically an open source media center application based on another critically acclaimed open source media center application called XBMC. I have been using Boxee since its early alpha releases in my Ubuntu and its been a wonderful journey. Boxee is incredibly stable and its ever growing number of apps is proving to be the real difference. more
Zero-day exploit for Adobe Shockwave
A Windows exploit for a previously undisclosed hole in Adobe's Shockwave player has been released. The demonstration version of the the exploit merely opens the Windows calculator when a specially crafted web page is accessed. However, criminals could exploit the hole to infect a PC with malware. The exploit currently only works under Windows XP SP3 and just triggered a browser crash when tested with Windows 7 and Internet Explorer by the The H's associates at heise Security. more
A Windows exploit for a previously undisclosed hole in Adobe's Shockwave player has been released. The demonstration version of the the exploit merely opens the Windows calculator when a specially crafted web page is accessed. However, criminals could exploit the hole to infect a PC with malware. The exploit currently only works under Windows XP SP3 and just triggered a browser crash when tested with Windows 7 and Internet Explorer by the The H's associates at heise Security. more
Quick Tip: Setup Ubuntu-style Sudo on other Distributions
Ubuntu's sudo command is something that I miss when I'm using other distributions. For the uninitiated, when using Ubuntu, you can execute privileged commands as the root user by prefacing them with sudo. This saves having to log in as root, do your work and then log out again (or if you're like me, forget to log out and keep doing things as root). Fortunately, it's a cinch to add the functionality to other distributions such as Debian or Fedora. more
Ubuntu's sudo command is something that I miss when I'm using other distributions. For the uninitiated, when using Ubuntu, you can execute privileged commands as the root user by prefacing them with sudo. This saves having to log in as root, do your work and then log out again (or if you're like me, forget to log out and keep doing things as root). Fortunately, it's a cinch to add the functionality to other distributions such as Debian or Fedora. more
First GNOME 3.0 development release arrives
The GNOME development team have issued the first development version of GNOME 3.0, the next major release of the popular open source desktop for GNU / Linux and Unix. Version 3 of GNOME was originally scheduled for release towards the end of last month, however, in July of this year the release date was moved back by six months to April of 2011 because the GNOME release team felt the code was not sufficiently mature. more
The GNOME development team have issued the first development version of GNOME 3.0, the next major release of the popular open source desktop for GNU / Linux and Unix. Version 3 of GNOME was originally scheduled for release towards the end of last month, however, in July of this year the release date was moved back by six months to April of 2011 because the GNOME release team felt the code was not sufficiently mature. more
London Stock Exchange smashes world record trade speed with Linux
The London Stock Exchange has said its new Linux-based system is delivering world record networking speed, with 126 microsecond trading times.
The news comes ahead a major Linux-based switchover in twelve days, during which the open source system will replace Microsoft .Net technology on the group’s main stock exchange. The LSE had long been criticised on speed and reliability, grappling with trading speeds of several hundred microseconds.
The record breaking times were measured on the LSE’s Turquoise smaller dark pool trading venue, where trades are conducted anonymously. That network switched over to Linux from Cinnober technology two weeks ago. Speed is crucial as more firms trade automatically at lightning speed, using advanced algorithms.
The 126 microsecond speed is “twice as fast” as its main international competitors, the London Stock Exchange said. BATS Europe and Chi-X, two dedicated electronic rivals to the LSE, are reported to have an average latency of 250 and 175 microseconds respectively. Netiher company immediately provided details. But many of the LSE’s older and more traditional rivals offer speeds of around 300 to 400 microseconds. Nevertheless, Linux is now standard in many exchanges more
The London Stock Exchange has said its new Linux-based system is delivering world record networking speed, with 126 microsecond trading times.
The news comes ahead a major Linux-based switchover in twelve days, during which the open source system will replace Microsoft .Net technology on the group’s main stock exchange. The LSE had long been criticised on speed and reliability, grappling with trading speeds of several hundred microseconds.
The record breaking times were measured on the LSE’s Turquoise smaller dark pool trading venue, where trades are conducted anonymously. That network switched over to Linux from Cinnober technology two weeks ago. Speed is crucial as more firms trade automatically at lightning speed, using advanced algorithms.
The 126 microsecond speed is “twice as fast” as its main international competitors, the London Stock Exchange said. BATS Europe and Chi-X, two dedicated electronic rivals to the LSE, are reported to have an average latency of 250 and 175 microseconds respectively. Netiher company immediately provided details. But many of the LSE’s older and more traditional rivals offer speeds of around 300 to 400 microseconds. Nevertheless, Linux is now standard in many exchanges more
Linux Creator Linus Torvalds Honored by NEC C&C Foundation
Torvalds to receive one of the world’s most prestigious awards for contributions to computer technologies and their social impact
SAN FRANCISCO, October 20, 2010 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Linux creator and Linux Foundation Fellow Linus Torvalds is one of three recipients to receive the prestigious C&C Prize in 2010.
Torvalds is being recognized for his “contributions to the advancement of the information technology industry, education, research, and the improvement of our lives,” according to NEC C&C Foundation.
Torvalds developed Linux in 1991 while a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland. He released the operating system (OS) under the General Public License and invited others to use it and share. Today, Linux is the leading OS for smartphones and is powering next-generation mobile computing devices. It has drastically reduced the cost for developing countries that want to put computing devices in the hands of students and citizens. Linux is also preferred among the world’s largest enterprises to support critical IT infrastructure.
“Linux is the fabric of computing today, and Linus Torvalds represents one of the strongest technologies to emerge over the last century,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “Linus’ sustained commitment to Linux and his contributions to technology innovation are valued more than ever.” more
Torvalds to receive one of the world’s most prestigious awards for contributions to computer technologies and their social impact
SAN FRANCISCO, October 20, 2010 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Linux creator and Linux Foundation Fellow Linus Torvalds is one of three recipients to receive the prestigious C&C Prize in 2010.
Torvalds is being recognized for his “contributions to the advancement of the information technology industry, education, research, and the improvement of our lives,” according to NEC C&C Foundation.
Torvalds developed Linux in 1991 while a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland. He released the operating system (OS) under the General Public License and invited others to use it and share. Today, Linux is the leading OS for smartphones and is powering next-generation mobile computing devices. It has drastically reduced the cost for developing countries that want to put computing devices in the hands of students and citizens. Linux is also preferred among the world’s largest enterprises to support critical IT infrastructure.
“Linux is the fabric of computing today, and Linus Torvalds represents one of the strongest technologies to emerge over the last century,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “Linus’ sustained commitment to Linux and his contributions to technology innovation are valued more than ever.” more
Parted Magic review
Parted Magic is one of the best standalone partition management Linux solutions out there. Sukrit explains why…
Parted Magic is a compact and lightweight distribution of Linux to help you manage your disk. It is a live distribution that can run off a CD/DVD or a USB drive. It comes packed with several useful disk and partition management tools such as GParted and Clonezilla. Unlike a number of live distributions of Linux out there, Parted Magic has a pretty specialised approach to things.
Take a break from the dozens of Ubuntu-Linux-based Linux distributions. Parted Magic is a live CD distribution of Linux based on Slackware. It specialises in helping users to manage the partitions on their computer.
Parted Magic is currently at version 5.6 and ships with partitioning tools such as GParted, Clonezilla, Partimage, TestDisk, Truecrypt, G4L, SuperGrubDisk and so on. This distribution of Linux boots from the PXE and USB as well as CDs and DVDs. Parted Magic is quite compact, and currently comes in a 130MB download from here. The version reviewed is version 5.5. more
Parted Magic is one of the best standalone partition management Linux solutions out there. Sukrit explains why…
Parted Magic is a compact and lightweight distribution of Linux to help you manage your disk. It is a live distribution that can run off a CD/DVD or a USB drive. It comes packed with several useful disk and partition management tools such as GParted and Clonezilla. Unlike a number of live distributions of Linux out there, Parted Magic has a pretty specialised approach to things.
Take a break from the dozens of Ubuntu-Linux-based Linux distributions. Parted Magic is a live CD distribution of Linux based on Slackware. It specialises in helping users to manage the partitions on their computer.
Parted Magic is currently at version 5.6 and ships with partitioning tools such as GParted, Clonezilla, Partimage, TestDisk, Truecrypt, G4L, SuperGrubDisk and so on. This distribution of Linux boots from the PXE and USB as well as CDs and DVDs. Parted Magic is quite compact, and currently comes in a 130MB download from here. The version reviewed is version 5.5. more
Google releases Chrome 7.0 stable
Nearly seven weeks after the arrival of Chrome 6 on its second birthday, Google has released version 7 of Chrome into the web browser's stable channel. The update includes hundreds of bug fixes, an updated HTML5 parser, support for directory upload and an HTML5 File API, which allows for web-based content to read files stored locally on a user's system. Full AppleScript support has also been added for Mac OS X UI automation, as well as a new options window for managing cookies. more
Nearly seven weeks after the arrival of Chrome 6 on its second birthday, Google has released version 7 of Chrome into the web browser's stable channel. The update includes hundreds of bug fixes, an updated HTML5 parser, support for directory upload and an HTML5 File API, which allows for web-based content to read files stored locally on a user's system. Full AppleScript support has also been added for Mac OS X UI automation, as well as a new options window for managing cookies. more
Reports of Linux’s Desktop Death Are Premature
Given all the dismal market-share statistics so lovingly reproduced by Microsoft and like-minded partners, it's not entirely surprising to see observers declare that the dream of the Linux desktop is dead.
After all, we've all seen the reports, month after month, suggesting that Linux's market share is stuck around 1 percent. For September, in fact, Net Applications says it was even lower, with a figure of .85 percent. Taken as evidence of Linux's success or failure on the desktop, such news appears grim indeed.
The problem with such statistics, however, is that they are not an appropriate way to measure the uptake of a free piece of software. In general, such market-share data is based on sales figures: "X copies of Windows sold per month translates into Y market share for the operating system," for example.
But how is Linux obtained? Unless it's purchased with paid support--surely a minority of cases--it's typically a free download, with no sales transaction involved.
Certainly there are sites, such as DistroWatch, which keep tabs on page hits for each Linux distribution, thereby providing a snapshot of market interest, if nothing else. Canonical, meanwhile, recently started tracking original equipment manufacturer (OEM) installations of its Ubuntu Linux. more
Given all the dismal market-share statistics so lovingly reproduced by Microsoft and like-minded partners, it's not entirely surprising to see observers declare that the dream of the Linux desktop is dead.
After all, we've all seen the reports, month after month, suggesting that Linux's market share is stuck around 1 percent. For September, in fact, Net Applications says it was even lower, with a figure of .85 percent. Taken as evidence of Linux's success or failure on the desktop, such news appears grim indeed.
The problem with such statistics, however, is that they are not an appropriate way to measure the uptake of a free piece of software. In general, such market-share data is based on sales figures: "X copies of Windows sold per month translates into Y market share for the operating system," for example.
But how is Linux obtained? Unless it's purchased with paid support--surely a minority of cases--it's typically a free download, with no sales transaction involved.
Certainly there are sites, such as DistroWatch, which keep tabs on page hits for each Linux distribution, thereby providing a snapshot of market interest, if nothing else. Canonical, meanwhile, recently started tracking original equipment manufacturer (OEM) installations of its Ubuntu Linux. more
Linux Mint 10 Release Candidate arrives
The Linux Mint development team have announced a release candidate for what will become version 10 of their Linux Mint operating system, code named "Julia". Linux Mint aims to be user friendly and to provide a more complete out-of-the-box experience by including support for DVD playback, Java, plug-ins and various media codecs. It is currently the third most popular distribution on DistroWatch.com behind Ubuntu and Fedora. more
The Linux Mint development team have announced a release candidate for what will become version 10 of their Linux Mint operating system, code named "Julia". Linux Mint aims to be user friendly and to provide a more complete out-of-the-box experience by including support for DVD playback, Java, plug-ins and various media codecs. It is currently the third most popular distribution on DistroWatch.com behind Ubuntu and Fedora. more
NEW • Distribution Release: Ultimate Edition 2.8
Glenn Cady has announced the release of Ultimate Edition 2.8, an Ubuntu-based distribution on a DVD with extra applications, media codecs and hardware drivers: "Ultimate Edition 2.8 was built off Ubuntu 10.10. All packages upgraded. The software you have came to love with previous editions of Ultimate Edition have been also pre-installed along with 12 new ones. more
Glenn Cady has announced the release of Ultimate Edition 2.8, an Ubuntu-based distribution on a DVD with extra applications, media codecs and hardware drivers: "Ultimate Edition 2.8 was built off Ubuntu 10.10. All packages upgraded. The software you have came to love with previous editions of Ultimate Edition have been also pre-installed along with 12 new ones. more
With Penguspy, Finding Good Linux Games Is Easier Than Ever
While many claim that gaming on Linux is like playing football in mangroves, the gaming scene for Linux has been changing, the past few years, mostly for good. While many popular games are not available for Linux and GNU based systems, many other open source, free or linux-only games have come up. So if you’re the gamer guy, it makes sense to keep a tab on a few gaming sites catering to linux exclusively, like Penguspu.
Penguspy is like a gallery of linux games. It has a collection of both free and commercial games which can be easily browsed by category, ratings, views or simply alphabetically. more
While many claim that gaming on Linux is like playing football in mangroves, the gaming scene for Linux has been changing, the past few years, mostly for good. While many popular games are not available for Linux and GNU based systems, many other open source, free or linux-only games have come up. So if you’re the gamer guy, it makes sense to keep a tab on a few gaming sites catering to linux exclusively, like Penguspu.
Penguspy is like a gallery of linux games. It has a collection of both free and commercial games which can be easily browsed by category, ratings, views or simply alphabetically. more
Manual Backups in Linux, DD
There are several different ways to make backups of data for any operating system. In the "glory days" of UNIX people would usually write a cron job that would create a Tape ARchive of their system and write that TAR to a tape drive. Well, those days are long gone, as are those scripts. What is here? DD. DD is very powerful and rather under appreciated tool. Do note that dd does NOT have a progress indicator. As such, I recommend that you apt-get install pv. more
There are several different ways to make backups of data for any operating system. In the "glory days" of UNIX people would usually write a cron job that would create a Tape ARchive of their system and write that TAR to a tape drive. Well, those days are long gone, as are those scripts. What is here? DD. DD is very powerful and rather under appreciated tool. Do note that dd does NOT have a progress indicator. As such, I recommend that you apt-get install pv. more
The Sheer Hypocrisy of Redmond's Stab at Internet Health
"Forcing every device to issue a 'health certificate' before being allowed to connect anywhere will restrict the OS market to corporate-backed players only," explained Montreal consultant Gerhard Mack. "No more Linux, *BSD or any experimental OS because they won't be able to generate the certificate." That, of course, just might be part of the idea.
One of the benefits of being an 800-pound gorilla in this world is that you can use your strength and influence to help others.
So, apparently, seems to be the altruistic thinking at Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) these days. Not content to rule the world -- or at least try to -- with its Windows desktop dominance, the software behemoth has now apparently paused to propose a way to tackle the Internet's malware problems too.
Isn't that thoughtful? more
"Forcing every device to issue a 'health certificate' before being allowed to connect anywhere will restrict the OS market to corporate-backed players only," explained Montreal consultant Gerhard Mack. "No more Linux, *BSD or any experimental OS because they won't be able to generate the certificate." That, of course, just might be part of the idea.
One of the benefits of being an 800-pound gorilla in this world is that you can use your strength and influence to help others.
So, apparently, seems to be the altruistic thinking at Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) these days. Not content to rule the world -- or at least try to -- with its Windows desktop dominance, the software behemoth has now apparently paused to propose a way to tackle the Internet's malware problems too.
Isn't that thoughtful? more
Arch Linux review
Introduction
Arch Linux is yet another Linux distribution. By the time of this writing Arch Linux is in the top ten list of Distro Watch.
Computers are mostly used to perform certain task, and to do that task well, the user should not have to spend much time configuring the computer, or tweaking it to make it work, Arch Linux aims to keep computer working as simple as possible. In fact its philosophy is summarized in the acronym KISS Keep It Simply Stupid. But do not think that because it is simple it is not powerful, Arch Linux can perform as Desktop, LAMP, firewall, router, cache server, or any other task you may want, while keeping it simple.
Some time ago, I have already written a review about Arch Linux, in this one year and seven months of being using it almost exclusively I have learned a lot, and realized it is (at least for me) one of the best Linux Distributions I have tested. Anyway I think it is time to write another review. more
Introduction
Arch Linux is yet another Linux distribution. By the time of this writing Arch Linux is in the top ten list of Distro Watch.
Computers are mostly used to perform certain task, and to do that task well, the user should not have to spend much time configuring the computer, or tweaking it to make it work, Arch Linux aims to keep computer working as simple as possible. In fact its philosophy is summarized in the acronym KISS Keep It Simply Stupid. But do not think that because it is simple it is not powerful, Arch Linux can perform as Desktop, LAMP, firewall, router, cache server, or any other task you may want, while keeping it simple.
Some time ago, I have already written a review about Arch Linux, in this one year and seven months of being using it almost exclusively I have learned a lot, and realized it is (at least for me) one of the best Linux Distributions I have tested. Anyway I think it is time to write another review. more
Top 5 Mistakes Made by Linux First-Timers
With the arrival of Ubuntu 10.10, the list of reasons to try Linux for your business just got a little longer. The free and open source operating system is now more user-friendly than it's ever been before while still offering the many security and other advantages it has over its competitors.If you're among the legions of new Linux users out there, congratulations on making a smart move! Now that you're on your way to a lifetime of freedom from high costs, vendor lock-in, constant malware attacks, and the many other disadvantages associated with Windows and Mac OS X, you should be aware of some of the classic mistakes Linux newcomers sometimes make. more
With the arrival of Ubuntu 10.10, the list of reasons to try Linux for your business just got a little longer. The free and open source operating system is now more user-friendly than it's ever been before while still offering the many security and other advantages it has over its competitors.If you're among the legions of new Linux users out there, congratulations on making a smart move! Now that you're on your way to a lifetime of freedom from high costs, vendor lock-in, constant malware attacks, and the many other disadvantages associated with Windows and Mac OS X, you should be aware of some of the classic mistakes Linux newcomers sometimes make. more
Two million US PCs recruited to botnets
The US leads the world in numbers of Windows PCs that are part of botnets, reveals a report.
More than 2.2 million US PCs were found to be part of botnets, networks of hijacked home computers, in the first six months of 2010, it said.
Compiled by Microsoft, the research revealed that Brazil had the second highest level of infections at 550,000.
Infections were highest in South Korea where 14.6 out of every 1000 machines were found to be enrolled in botnets.
The 240-page Microsoft report took an in-depth look at botnets which, said Cliff Evans, head of security and identity at Microsoft UK, now sat at the centre of many cybercrime operations.
The research was undertaken, he said, to alert people to the growing danger from the malicious networks. more
The US leads the world in numbers of Windows PCs that are part of botnets, reveals a report.
More than 2.2 million US PCs were found to be part of botnets, networks of hijacked home computers, in the first six months of 2010, it said.
Compiled by Microsoft, the research revealed that Brazil had the second highest level of infections at 550,000.
Infections were highest in South Korea where 14.6 out of every 1000 machines were found to be enrolled in botnets.
The 240-page Microsoft report took an in-depth look at botnets which, said Cliff Evans, head of security and identity at Microsoft UK, now sat at the centre of many cybercrime operations.
The research was undertaken, he said, to alert people to the growing danger from the malicious networks. more
London Stock Exchange completes first live Linux test
Millennium Exchange platform will deliver 0.125 millisecond trading speed, LSE says
October 13, 2010, 10:58 AM — Computerworld UK —
The London Stock Exchange has completed the first "dress rehearsal", a test with its customers online, of a new Linux-based system due to replace Microsoft-centric architecture. The Millennium Exchange system, based around Linux and Sun Solaris Unix, and using Oracle databases, will replace the Microsoft.Net-basedTradElect platform on the main stock exchange on 1 November, and is intended to be one of the fastest exchange systems in the world with trading times of 0.125 milliseconds. The exchange completed the switchover of its separate dark pool, or anonymous, trading platform Turquoise from different systems earlier this month. more
Millennium Exchange platform will deliver 0.125 millisecond trading speed, LSE says
October 13, 2010, 10:58 AM — Computerworld UK —
The London Stock Exchange has completed the first "dress rehearsal", a test with its customers online, of a new Linux-based system due to replace Microsoft-centric architecture. The Millennium Exchange system, based around Linux and Sun Solaris Unix, and using Oracle databases, will replace the Microsoft.Net-basedTradElect platform on the main stock exchange on 1 November, and is intended to be one of the fastest exchange systems in the world with trading times of 0.125 milliseconds. The exchange completed the switchover of its separate dark pool, or anonymous, trading platform Turquoise from different systems earlier this month. more
Ubuntu 10.10 review
Ubuntu 10.10, aka Maverick Meerkat, is the latest stable release of the Debian-based Linux distribution. This is the second and the last release for the year. As is customary for Ubuntu, three editions were released: The Desktop, Netbook, and Server editions. This article offers a detailed review of the desktop edition. And as is the custom on this website, we begin by looking at the installation program and process. more
Ubuntu 10.10, aka Maverick Meerkat, is the latest stable release of the Debian-based Linux distribution. This is the second and the last release for the year. As is customary for Ubuntu, three editions were released: The Desktop, Netbook, and Server editions. This article offers a detailed review of the desktop edition. And as is the custom on this website, we begin by looking at the installation program and process. more
Windows to Linux defections to outpace Unix shifts in 2011
Recession or no recession, the penguin paddles
Linux server deployments are expected to take slightly more business from Microsoft than Unix in the next year, according to latest data. A Linux Foundation poll of major public and private sector organizations using Linux has found that 76.4 per cent plan to add more Linux servers during the next year, with just 41.2 per cent planning to add more Windows servers to their IT infrastructure's mix. more
Recession or no recession, the penguin paddles
Linux server deployments are expected to take slightly more business from Microsoft than Unix in the next year, according to latest data. A Linux Foundation poll of major public and private sector organizations using Linux has found that 76.4 per cent plan to add more Linux servers during the next year, with just 41.2 per cent planning to add more Windows servers to their IT infrastructure's mix. more
Irish court rules in favour of ISPs in piracy case
The High Court in Ireland has ruled that laws cutting off internet users who have illegally downloaded content cannot be enforced in the country.
It is a victory for Irish internet service provider UPC which took the legal action against copyright owners, including EMI and Sony.
But it will be a blow to the music and film industry, which wants the strict rules as a deterrent against piracy.
It is likely to have a knock-on effect to similar policies in other countries. more
The High Court in Ireland has ruled that laws cutting off internet users who have illegally downloaded content cannot be enforced in the country.
It is a victory for Irish internet service provider UPC which took the legal action against copyright owners, including EMI and Sony.
But it will be a blow to the music and film industry, which wants the strict rules as a deterrent against piracy.
It is likely to have a knock-on effect to similar policies in other countries. more
Experiencing Arch Linux with the Archbang CD

So I got my new laptop ready for a hardcore multi-boot install, and one of the distributions I’ve always wanted to test is Archbang. I’ve tried Arch before and installed it a couple of times just for fun, both in a virtual environment and on disk, but haven’t been serious about it. It was just to practice the installation and play around. A couple of months back Archbang caught my eye, when it was first announced on Distrowatch.com. Archbang is a live CD distribution of Arch Linux that is light on resources. Arch is known to apply no to, and only if absolutely necessary, minimal patching to upstream software, which usually results in a high degree of stability and an experience as intended by the developers. The default environment of Archbang uses a blend of Xfce4 and Openbox for the window manager, coupled with tint2 for the panel and conky to provide system information and monitoring on the desktop. An interesting mix in my book, and anyone who’s been reading any of my previous articles will know that I go for the lighter environments. It’s not just a resource and speed issue, I find them more interesting and flexible, if sometimes a little more work to set up. more
A Linux that works
With Ubuntu 10.10, I'm well along my migration to Linux as my main operating system
Back in June I told you about my decision to make a serious change in my computing life: moving from the Macintosh operating system to Linux. As I'll describe below, after a false start my migration is now proceeding well.
My decision to switch didn't reflect any major unhappiness with the Mac OS, which I still consider the class in the desktop/laptop market. Rather, it reflected my problems with Apple. more
With Ubuntu 10.10, I'm well along my migration to Linux as my main operating system
Back in June I told you about my decision to make a serious change in my computing life: moving from the Macintosh operating system to Linux. As I'll describe below, after a false start my migration is now proceeding well.
My decision to switch didn't reflect any major unhappiness with the Mac OS, which I still consider the class in the desktop/laptop market. Rather, it reflected my problems with Apple. more
Switching from Windows to Linux: One Month On
How easy is it to give up Windows and move to Linux? To find out, we decided to put Ubuntu on one of the computers in the office that was previously used by a dedicated Windows fan. The only problem is that it was mine! The challenge was to last a week without going back to Windows.
The first thing to point out is that, one month on, despite what I had expected, I'm still using Linux: it seems that the transplant has been accepted. more
How easy is it to give up Windows and move to Linux? To find out, we decided to put Ubuntu on one of the computers in the office that was previously used by a dedicated Windows fan. The only problem is that it was mine! The challenge was to last a week without going back to Windows.
The first thing to point out is that, one month on, despite what I had expected, I'm still using Linux: it seems that the transplant has been accepted. more
Download 400 National Geographic Wallpapers automatically on Ubuntu
If you are one of the guys who loves changing wallpapers, then now you can download 400 National Geographic wallpapers from 2008 and 2009 contests. To download all the wallpapers you can run the following scripts.
more
If you are one of the guys who loves changing wallpapers, then now you can download 400 National Geographic wallpapers from 2008 and 2009 contests. To download all the wallpapers you can run the following scripts.
more
Customizing Ubuntu 10.10 with a dock, new icon theme, effects, global menu and more
Quite often we’ll post screenshots in articles and no doubt we will always get a comment asking what theme we’re using, our font settings, or what dock that is. So, today I’m going to share with you my setup – everything from my compiz settings to the icon theme!
Over the past few releases, Ubuntu by default has become more appealing to me. I remember when I used to change every single thing that I could – now I can get by with just a few changes to how I manage windows and a some extra tweaks here and there. The end result is a very good looking and functional desktop that allows me to work efficiently. Obviously everybody is different and my ideal setup might be your worst nightmare – but hopefully you’ll find at least one tweak you like.
Here are the main changes that I make on my Ubuntu installation, and I’ll go through them one by one.
Quite often we’ll post screenshots in articles and no doubt we will always get a comment asking what theme we’re using, our font settings, or what dock that is. So, today I’m going to share with you my setup – everything from my compiz settings to the icon theme!
Over the past few releases, Ubuntu by default has become more appealing to me. I remember when I used to change every single thing that I could – now I can get by with just a few changes to how I manage windows and a some extra tweaks here and there. The end result is a very good looking and functional desktop that allows me to work efficiently. Obviously everybody is different and my ideal setup might be your worst nightmare – but hopefully you’ll find at least one tweak you like.
Here are the main changes that I make on my Ubuntu installation, and I’ll go through them one by one.
- Radiance theme
- Faenza icon set
- No bottom panel, Docky on autohide. Also no window list.
- The new Ubuntu font reduced in size
- Nautilus-Elementary
- Full name in the Me Menu
- Application menus in the panel
- Compiz corner hotspots for Scale and Expo
more
Ubuntu 10.10 Has Arrived On 10/10/2010
Just as planned, Ubuntu 10.10 has been released today on the 10th of October, 2010. Ubuntu 10.10 has many features and improvements that we have talked about over the past several months from an updated kernel and GNOME desktop to Btrfs installation improvements. more
Just as planned, Ubuntu 10.10 has been released today on the 10th of October, 2010. Ubuntu 10.10 has many features and improvements that we have talked about over the past several months from an updated kernel and GNOME desktop to Btrfs installation improvements. more
Desktop Linux Reviews
Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat)
It seems like just yesterday that Ubuntu Linux 10.04 was released, but here we are and Ubuntu 10.10 has just been released. Wow! How time flies! There has been some controversy over this release, with some folks saying that Canonical’s six-month release cycle is too often and that there aren’t enough things in this release to warrant an upgrade.
I politely disagree with that assessment, and I’ll show you why in this review. Ubuntu 10.10 is a worthwhile though not overwhelmingly impressive release; it’s worth considering as an upgrade if you are already running an earlier version of Ubuntu. It’s also certainly worth looking at if you are new to Ubuntu and are thinking about using it as your desktop operating system. more
Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat)
It seems like just yesterday that Ubuntu Linux 10.04 was released, but here we are and Ubuntu 10.10 has just been released. Wow! How time flies! There has been some controversy over this release, with some folks saying that Canonical’s six-month release cycle is too often and that there aren’t enough things in this release to warrant an upgrade.
I politely disagree with that assessment, and I’ll show you why in this review. Ubuntu 10.10 is a worthwhile though not overwhelmingly impressive release; it’s worth considering as an upgrade if you are already running an earlier version of Ubuntu. It’s also certainly worth looking at if you are new to Ubuntu and are thinking about using it as your desktop operating system. more
Avoid Windows Malware: Bank on a Live CD
An investigative series I've been writing about organized cyber crime gangs stealing millions of dollars from small to mid-sized businesses has generated more than a few responses from business owners who were concerned about how best to protect themselves from this type of fraud. The simplest, most cost-effective answer I know of? Don't use Microsoft Windows when accessing your bank account online.
I do not offer this recommendation lightly (and at the end of this column you'll find a link to another column wherein I explain an easy-to-use alternative). But I have interviewed dozens of victim companies that lost anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000 dollars because of a single malware infection. I have heard stories worthy of a screenplay about the myriad ways cyber crooks are evading nearly every security obstacle the banks put in their way. more
An investigative series I've been writing about organized cyber crime gangs stealing millions of dollars from small to mid-sized businesses has generated more than a few responses from business owners who were concerned about how best to protect themselves from this type of fraud. The simplest, most cost-effective answer I know of? Don't use Microsoft Windows when accessing your bank account online.
I do not offer this recommendation lightly (and at the end of this column you'll find a link to another column wherein I explain an easy-to-use alternative). But I have interviewed dozens of victim companies that lost anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000 dollars because of a single malware infection. I have heard stories worthy of a screenplay about the myriad ways cyber crooks are evading nearly every security obstacle the banks put in their way. more
12 Reasons to Try Ubuntu 10.10 on Sunday
As Ubuntu 10.10, or "Maverick Meerkat," hits the streets this Sunday, it's a pretty safe bet that legions of existing Ubuntu users will be updating to the new release. After all, it looks to be Canonical's most user-friendly Ubuntu Linux yet, and many of the new features promise to be must-haves.For those in the business world who haven't yet tried Ubuntu, however, the reasons to download and give it a whirl are even more compelling. Here are just a few of them.
1. Speed Ubuntu 10.10 is fast -- darn fast. Even the beta version could boot in as little as 7 seconds, according to reports. Who has time to wait around for Windows when there's work to be done? more
As Ubuntu 10.10, or "Maverick Meerkat," hits the streets this Sunday, it's a pretty safe bet that legions of existing Ubuntu users will be updating to the new release. After all, it looks to be Canonical's most user-friendly Ubuntu Linux yet, and many of the new features promise to be must-haves.For those in the business world who haven't yet tried Ubuntu, however, the reasons to download and give it a whirl are even more compelling. Here are just a few of them.
1. Speed Ubuntu 10.10 is fast -- darn fast. Even the beta version could boot in as little as 7 seconds, according to reports. Who has time to wait around for Windows when there's work to be done? more
Preview: Debian 6 "Sqeeze" (Part 1: GNOME)
Trying to forecast when the next version of Debian will be released is like trying to figure out whether or not it will snow the next day in Washington DC in winter; it's an exercise in futility. That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Debian 6 "Squeeze" will be released soon. Why? I'm testing the new Debian live images which were first released a week ago (and are daily builds — this one is the 2010 October 3 build); before that, the most recent live image available was of version 6 "Sqeeze" alpha 2. Now that they're doing daily builds, I figure that it's not too long until we see the official release. more
Trying to forecast when the next version of Debian will be released is like trying to figure out whether or not it will snow the next day in Washington DC in winter; it's an exercise in futility. That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Debian 6 "Squeeze" will be released soon. Why? I'm testing the new Debian live images which were first released a week ago (and are daily builds — this one is the 2010 October 3 build); before that, the most recent live image available was of version 6 "Sqeeze" alpha 2. Now that they're doing daily builds, I figure that it's not too long until we see the official release. more
Why Microsoft Buying Adobe Threatens Desktop Linux
I’ve read countless articles today stating the reasons why Microsoft buying Adobe threatens desktop Linux. and as one might expect, I have yet to locate one single article explaining why Microsoft taking over Adobe might be a good thing.This is understandable, considering Microsoft’s track record with taking otherwise successful ideas and turning them into disasters in bureaucracy. more
I’ve read countless articles today stating the reasons why Microsoft buying Adobe threatens desktop Linux. and as one might expect, I have yet to locate one single article explaining why Microsoft taking over Adobe might be a good thing.This is understandable, considering Microsoft’s track record with taking otherwise successful ideas and turning them into disasters in bureaucracy. more
Well, this is interesting. The New York Times caught wind of a special and secret meeting between Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer and Adobe's frontman Shantanu Narayen. They claim the entire talk was dedicated to the fight against Apple, and one of the options discussed was... Microsoft acquiring Adobe. more
Is Ubuntu 10.10 yet another chance to ditch Windows?
The easy answer here is “of course!” But it’s a little tougher now that we aren’t comparing Ubuntu to Windows Vista. As many schools have begun rolling out Windows 7, an operating system that I actually like quite a bit and that has considerable traction just about everywhere, the arguments against Windows 7 began coming down to only cost and the occasional religious debate. Add in Windows Multipoint Server, easy remote desktop/multiuser environments enabled in Windows Server 2008, and a variety of multiuser and VDI scenarios from third parties that leverage Microsoft technologies and you have some pretty compelling arguments in favor of Microsoft operating systems in schools. more
The easy answer here is “of course!” But it’s a little tougher now that we aren’t comparing Ubuntu to Windows Vista. As many schools have begun rolling out Windows 7, an operating system that I actually like quite a bit and that has considerable traction just about everywhere, the arguments against Windows 7 began coming down to only cost and the occasional religious debate. Add in Windows Multipoint Server, easy remote desktop/multiuser environments enabled in Windows Server 2008, and a variety of multiuser and VDI scenarios from third parties that leverage Microsoft technologies and you have some pretty compelling arguments in favor of Microsoft operating systems in schools. more
EBay deploys Joomla for analytics portal
Bypassing a number of commercial portal packages, eBay has started using the Joomla open source content management software as a framework to provide its employes with analytic tools, the online auction giant said. The Joomla Web framework will be used to stage a set of internal analysis tools for the company's 16,400 employees. The company claims that it runs the largest commercial data warehouse in the world, and this software will provide a base for a set of eBay-built extensions to analyze some of this data. more
Bypassing a number of commercial portal packages, eBay has started using the Joomla open source content management software as a framework to provide its employes with analytic tools, the online auction giant said. The Joomla Web framework will be used to stage a set of internal analysis tools for the company's 16,400 employees. The company claims that it runs the largest commercial data warehouse in the world, and this software will provide a base for a set of eBay-built extensions to analyze some of this data. more
“We are more than 1%” initiative aims to prove Linux is bigger than people think
A new ‘Linux counter’ initiative that aims to disprove press claims that Linux is used by less than 1% of the worlds desktop computer users has been launched.
more add your vote here dudalibre.com/gnulinuxcounter
A new ‘Linux counter’ initiative that aims to disprove press claims that Linux is used by less than 1% of the worlds desktop computer users has been launched.
more add your vote here dudalibre.com/gnulinuxcounter