The Latest Linux, Open Source, And Tech News
Leftovers Part 4
“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
Computer health certificates for surfing the Internet? Are you serious?
The commitment with which certain companies try to make the problems caused by their products and practices a general issue for which they have no fault, that is something that should be fixed by others with public money, is impressive.
I just had a good laugh reading a BBC report about the latest, exceptional idea on how to fix the huge problems caused worldwide by virus-infected computers (that in the great majority of cases run some version of Microsoft Windows):
First of all, he has managed to turn a problem that today, in large part, is caused by defects in his company's products in something that any freedom-loving government would really love to fix for you. This is genius at work. Because presenting (1) virus-ridden computers as "sick PCs", that is as a "public health" issue that should be fixed by "legal frameworks" that define and enforce "trusted computers systems" is just a way to mutilate computers so they can't do anymore what you want, but only what somebody else likes. In other words, this proposal could give governments a reason to fix Microsoft problems with their (as in "yours") money because it also does something else they want. Not to mention that movie and music corporations would surely insist to add "no copy" mechanisms to the "health" checklist.
Secondly, Mr Charney comes and proposes this... just seven months after an equally absurd and offending solution to the same problem, that is taxing ALL citizens to fix Microsoft's security problems. I am speechless, really. more
The commitment with which certain companies try to make the problems caused by their products and practices a general issue for which they have no fault, that is something that should be fixed by others with public money, is impressive.
I just had a good laugh reading a BBC report about the latest, exceptional idea on how to fix the huge problems caused worldwide by virus-infected computers (that in the great majority of cases run some version of Microsoft Windows):
- "sick PCs", that is "Virus-infected computers that pose a risk to other PCs should be blocked from the net", just as not vaccinated individuals are put in quarantine in the physical world to prevent them from spreading diseases
- Therefore, Mr Charney suggests, all computers should have "health certificate" to prove that they are uninfected before they connect to the net. And, according to BBC, "Microsoft said that to make its plan work it would need four steps, including defining a health computer, creating a trusted system for health certificates and finding a way for ISPs to process and act on them. Relevant legal frameworks would also be needed, it said".
First of all, he has managed to turn a problem that today, in large part, is caused by defects in his company's products in something that any freedom-loving government would really love to fix for you. This is genius at work. Because presenting (1) virus-ridden computers as "sick PCs", that is as a "public health" issue that should be fixed by "legal frameworks" that define and enforce "trusted computers systems" is just a way to mutilate computers so they can't do anymore what you want, but only what somebody else likes. In other words, this proposal could give governments a reason to fix Microsoft problems with their (as in "yours") money because it also does something else they want. Not to mention that movie and music corporations would surely insist to add "no copy" mechanisms to the "health" checklist.
Secondly, Mr Charney comes and proposes this... just seven months after an equally absurd and offending solution to the same problem, that is taxing ALL citizens to fix Microsoft's security problems. I am speechless, really. more
My Search For The Best Audio Editing Software
Lately, I’ve been doing some audio recording. In addition to a couple of podcasts that I work on, I occasionally like to record my own musical compositions. While there seems to be no shortage of high-end audio editing applications on either Windows or Mac, the situation on Linux is a bit more sparse. Faced with some frustration, I went out and downloaded a number of linux-based audio editors. I used Wikipedia to find the software in the tests below, and following are my totally subjective and highly biased reviews of each.
Each piece of software was used to edit some raw recordings from a podcast that I have been involved with lately. This source material is almost 100% spoken word, with some music and sound effects sprinkled throughout. It’s important to note these details, as your needs may vary drastically depending on the type of audio project that you’re working on. more
Each piece of software was used to edit some raw recordings from a podcast that I have been involved with lately. This source material is almost 100% spoken word, with some music and sound effects sprinkled throughout. It’s important to note these details, as your needs may vary drastically depending on the type of audio project that you’re working on. more
Microsoft's Anti-Android FUD Campaign in Full Swing
With the release of Windows Phone 7 upon us, the hype machine now goes all the way up to 11. While hype machines are generally relatively harmless and easy to poke a hole through, coordinated FUD campaigns by patent trolls are not. After Apple and Microsoft trolled HTC, and Microsoft now trolling Motorola, the actual FUD campaign against Android is in full swing.Windows Phone 7 has to succeed. Come hell or high water.
I wouldn't be surprised if Ballmer's position at Microsoft depends on Windows Phone 7's success. While Windows and Office continue to do well, Microsoft's other endeavours haven't been as successful; Windows Phone 7 should be the sign that Microsoft can still innovate and come up with something new that will enter a market, and grab a significant share.
Except, Android is in the way. Windows Phone 7 must appeal to the same OEMs currently selling Android devices, and in order to get them to even consider Microsoft's latest mobile offering, Redmond will have to convince them it's worth paying Microsoft for something they can get for free from Google.
There's two ways you can do this. One, Microsoft could offer such a compelling package with Windows Phone 7 that OEMs will line up to pay license fees to ship Windows Phone 7 devices, market them, and support them, all over the world. This is how competition works, and is the preferred way for consumers such as ourselves, since it would mean we get better products.
If that method fails - or you believe it will fail - you can always resort to what I call the rogue tactics. You can spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about the competing platform - in this case, Android - by holding secret negotiations, speaking of patents nobody has ever seen, forbidding companies from ever revealing those supposed patents, and suing any company that flips you the bird (Motorola, you go girl).
Now that you spread the fear into everyone that your competitor is actually not free at all because of the patent deals you mafia'd OEMs into and the lawsuits you started against those that refuse to pay protection money sign such patent deals, you can then send your employees and executives on the warpath, instructing them to enlighten the world about how your competitor is not free at all. more
I wouldn't be surprised if Ballmer's position at Microsoft depends on Windows Phone 7's success. While Windows and Office continue to do well, Microsoft's other endeavours haven't been as successful; Windows Phone 7 should be the sign that Microsoft can still innovate and come up with something new that will enter a market, and grab a significant share.
Except, Android is in the way. Windows Phone 7 must appeal to the same OEMs currently selling Android devices, and in order to get them to even consider Microsoft's latest mobile offering, Redmond will have to convince them it's worth paying Microsoft for something they can get for free from Google.
There's two ways you can do this. One, Microsoft could offer such a compelling package with Windows Phone 7 that OEMs will line up to pay license fees to ship Windows Phone 7 devices, market them, and support them, all over the world. This is how competition works, and is the preferred way for consumers such as ourselves, since it would mean we get better products.
If that method fails - or you believe it will fail - you can always resort to what I call the rogue tactics. You can spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about the competing platform - in this case, Android - by holding secret negotiations, speaking of patents nobody has ever seen, forbidding companies from ever revealing those supposed patents, and suing any company that flips you the bird (Motorola, you go girl).
Now that you spread the fear into everyone that your competitor is actually not free at all because of the patent deals you mafia'd OEMs into and the lawsuits you started against those that refuse to pay protection money sign such patent deals, you can then send your employees and executives on the warpath, instructing them to enlighten the world about how your competitor is not free at all. more
FreetuxTv Lets You Watch And Record Live TV Shows On Linux
FreetuxTV is a TV player for Linux that lets you watch free Web TV Channels and listen to Radio. The application that runs on VLC as backend comes with lots of pre-added channels for many languages.
A look at it features:
A look at it features:
- Play Live TV and Radio Channels
- French ISP: Free, SFR, Orange, Alice, Bouygues (Paid Channels)
- Web TV: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and more (Lots of Free Channels)
- Web Radio: English, French, German and more (Free)
- Free Channels available to all. No need to subscribe to paid channels
- Play in full screen mode and mini mode
- More than 350 WebTV channels in different languages
- Support for keyboard multimedia keys
- Add custom groups of channels from M3U playlists
- Time shifting
- Recording live channels with ability to set duration
- Ability to create favorite channels groups
- Multi-language interface: English, French, German, Portuguese
- Native Notification support for Ubuntu more
50 Open Source Tools To Make Your Life Easier
The open source community is vibrant, continually growing, and just loves to create applications and tools to make lives easier. Here are 50 of our favorite open source apps that help us do everything from managing pictures on our computer to learning about Jupiter and Mars. more
Microsoft IE Falls Below 50% Market Share
Google Chrome overtook Apple Safari in September on the way to tripling its market share from a year before.
The global market share of Microsoft's Internet Explorer fell below 50% in September, a milestone in the web browser wars that started in the mid-1990s, a research firm says. At the end of September, IE's share dropped to 49.87%, StatCounter reported Tuesday. Just two years ago, IE dominated the market with a 67% share.
"This is certainly a milestone in the Internet browser wars," Aodhan Cullen, chief executive of StatCounter, said in a statement.
The research firm found that the rising star in the browser market was Google's Chrome, which has tripled its share to 11.54% in September from 3.69% the same month a year ago. In June, Chrome overtook Apple Safari for the first time in the U.S. Mozilla Firefox holds the second largest market share with 31.5%. more
The global market share of Microsoft's Internet Explorer fell below 50% in September, a milestone in the web browser wars that started in the mid-1990s, a research firm says. At the end of September, IE's share dropped to 49.87%, StatCounter reported Tuesday. Just two years ago, IE dominated the market with a 67% share.
"This is certainly a milestone in the Internet browser wars," Aodhan Cullen, chief executive of StatCounter, said in a statement.
The research firm found that the rising star in the browser market was Google's Chrome, which has tripled its share to 11.54% in September from 3.69% the same month a year ago. In June, Chrome overtook Apple Safari for the first time in the U.S. Mozilla Firefox holds the second largest market share with 31.5%. more
Publish On A Linux Desktop? Yes You Can!
Desktop publishing applications are different from word processing programs. Desktop publishing isn't a sit-and-start-typing task; it requires more input from the user in terms of page layout, spacing and how elements are arranged. This might require a little more learning on the user's part, but if you're on Linux and desktop publishing is your thing, Scribus provides a robust set of options.
Note to those avoiding Linux: Yes, you can do desktop publishing. You can do it with Scribus.
One of the most frequently recurring comments I hear about why somebody -- especially in a small-business environment -- will not migrate to Linux is the alleged absence of a desktop publishing (DTP) application. I think this is one of the most under-reported aspects in using Linux instead of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows or Mac computers.
Let's be clear here: Windows-based commercial-strength page design and illustration programs far outnumber what you will find for Linux distros. Some of the Windows-based DTP programs you won't find in Linux are Adobe's (Nasdaq: ADBE) Quark Express or Pagemaker, Microsoft Publisher and Broderbund's Print Shop. These and numerous other programs are in popular demand by consumers looking to make brochures, posters and greeting cards.
What you will find for Linux, though with much fewer choices, are solid contenders for doing these same tasks, whether for business or personal use. For instance, Grasshopper's Pagestream is a multi-platform DTP program that sells for US$99. Oftentimes, a specialty DTP app is just a luxury. The same DTP tasks are handily done with full-powered word-processing suites such as OpenOffice Writer.
Perhaps the most well-known page design app for Linux is open source Scribus. This is a professional-strength page layout application with a user-friendly interface. Scribus has essential publishing features such as CMYK color, separations, Spot Colors, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation. more
Note to those avoiding Linux: Yes, you can do desktop publishing. You can do it with Scribus.
One of the most frequently recurring comments I hear about why somebody -- especially in a small-business environment -- will not migrate to Linux is the alleged absence of a desktop publishing (DTP) application. I think this is one of the most under-reported aspects in using Linux instead of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows or Mac computers.
Let's be clear here: Windows-based commercial-strength page design and illustration programs far outnumber what you will find for Linux distros. Some of the Windows-based DTP programs you won't find in Linux are Adobe's (Nasdaq: ADBE) Quark Express or Pagemaker, Microsoft Publisher and Broderbund's Print Shop. These and numerous other programs are in popular demand by consumers looking to make brochures, posters and greeting cards.
What you will find for Linux, though with much fewer choices, are solid contenders for doing these same tasks, whether for business or personal use. For instance, Grasshopper's Pagestream is a multi-platform DTP program that sells for US$99. Oftentimes, a specialty DTP app is just a luxury. The same DTP tasks are handily done with full-powered word-processing suites such as OpenOffice Writer.
Perhaps the most well-known page design app for Linux is open source Scribus. This is a professional-strength page layout application with a user-friendly interface. Scribus has essential publishing features such as CMYK color, separations, Spot Colors, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation. more
Microsoft Slaps Motorola with Patent Lawsuit over Android
Anyone who did not see this one coming after Microsoft's patent deal with HTC and Apple's meticulousness in avoiding Windows Mobile in its suit against HTC hasn't been paying attention. Microsoft has filed a patent complaint with the US International Trade Commission, as well as a patent lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington against Motorola over its Android-based devices.Well, paint me red and call me a girl scout - Microsoft has sued Motorola over the company's Android-based devices. According to Microsoft, Motorola infringes upon nine of its patents relating to a whole array of stuff - with Microsoft being in the business for this long, you can barely take a piss without violating one of Redmond's patents.
"The patents at issue relate to a range of functionality embodied in Motorola's Android smartphone devices that are essential to the smartphone user experience, including synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power," states Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft (write that on a business card). more
"The patents at issue relate to a range of functionality embodied in Motorola's Android smartphone devices that are essential to the smartphone user experience, including synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power," states Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft (write that on a business card). more
Sintel Open Movie Released and It's Absolutely Beautiful!
We have been talking about Sintel Open Movie for some time now. Sintel is Blender foundation's third open movie project after Elephants Dream and Big Buck Bunny which we featured in our 8 stunning Blender made movies post.
Blender Foundation's Sintel Open Movie Project
Sintel open movie project was started almost an year ago it was premiered at Netherlands Film Festival on 27th of september 2010. And later today, Sintel open movie was released online for everyone to watch and enjoy. more
Blender Foundation's Sintel Open Movie Project
Sintel open movie project was started almost an year ago it was premiered at Netherlands Film Festival on 27th of september 2010. And later today, Sintel open movie was released online for everyone to watch and enjoy. more
Sabayon Linux 5.4 Gnome and Kde:Stable release
Press Release: Sabayon Linux x86/x86-64 5.4 GNOME and KDE
The best, refined blend of GNU/Linux, coming with bleeding edge edges is eventually here! Say hello to Sabayon Five-point-Fourhh, available in both GNOME and KDE editions!
Dedicated to those who like cutting edge stability, out of the box experience, outstanding Desktop performance, clean and beauty. Sabayon 5.4 will catch you, anything that could have been compiled, has been compiled, anything cool that could have been implemented or updated, it's there: you will find outstanding amount of new applications and features, like XBMC, KDE 4.5, GNOME 2.30, Linux Kernel 2.6.35, and so forth. more
The best, refined blend of GNU/Linux, coming with bleeding edge edges is eventually here! Say hello to Sabayon Five-point-Fourhh, available in both GNOME and KDE editions!
Dedicated to those who like cutting edge stability, out of the box experience, outstanding Desktop performance, clean and beauty. Sabayon 5.4 will catch you, anything that could have been compiled, has been compiled, anything cool that could have been implemented or updated, it's there: you will find outstanding amount of new applications and features, like XBMC, KDE 4.5, GNOME 2.30, Linux Kernel 2.6.35, and so forth. more
Five Features To Look Forward To In FireFox 4.0
Firefox 4.0 is still a bit away from final release, but the time to think about switching is now. The Mozilla Project is releasing Firefox 4.0 beta 6 this week, and the current builds are really good. Why switch? I'll give you five excellent reasons to jump on the 4.0 train today.
One of the great things about open source development is that you don't have to wait for the final product to ship to get your hands on it. Case in point, I've been running development builds of the Firefox 4.0 series off and on for weeks. You can too, if you don't mind some rapid changes and possible instability.
Firefox 4.0 is on its 5th beta at the moment, with the 6th beta planned for the end of September and the final release tentatively scheduled for November. more
One of the great things about open source development is that you don't have to wait for the final product to ship to get your hands on it. Case in point, I've been running development builds of the Firefox 4.0 series off and on for weeks. You can too, if you don't mind some rapid changes and possible instability.
Firefox 4.0 is on its 5th beta at the moment, with the 6th beta planned for the end of September and the final release tentatively scheduled for November. more
OpenOffice.org has been forked under the name of LibreOffice | With screenshots
The community of volunteers who develop and promote OpenOffice.org, the leading free office software, announce a major change in the project's structure. After ten years' successful growth with Sun Microsystems as founding and principle sponsor, the project launches an independent foundation called "The Document Foundation", to fulfil the promise of independence written in the original charter.
According to their website, "Our mission is to facilitate the evolution of the OpenOffice.org Community into a new open, independent, and meritocratic organizational structure within the next few months. An independent Foundation is a better match to the values of our contributors, users, and supporters, and will enable a more effective, efficient, transparent, and inclusive Community. We will protect past investments by building on the solid achievements of our first decade, encourage wide participation in the Community, and co-ordinate activity across the Community." more
According to their website, "Our mission is to facilitate the evolution of the OpenOffice.org Community into a new open, independent, and meritocratic organizational structure within the next few months. An independent Foundation is a better match to the values of our contributors, users, and supporters, and will enable a more effective, efficient, transparent, and inclusive Community. We will protect past investments by building on the solid achievements of our first decade, encourage wide participation in the Community, and co-ordinate activity across the Community." more
How to Install Linux from ISO to Installed
The first step of any journey is the hardest part. Clichéd, but true. The first step in using Linux is to install it, and for many folks that step is the most intimidating. It doesn't have to be — most Linux distributions are easy to install, if you know what to expect. Here's how to prep for an install and get on with the journey.
Linux will run on almost any standard laptop or personal computer, and on quite a few less standard machines as well. For the purpose of this guide, I'm only going to cover standard x86/x86-64 hardware. If you have an older Mac with a PowerPC processor, or another type of machine, it's probably possible to install Linux — but it will take a bit more work and you'll have to be choosy about the distribution you choose. more
Linux will run on almost any standard laptop or personal computer, and on quite a few less standard machines as well. For the purpose of this guide, I'm only going to cover standard x86/x86-64 hardware. If you have an older Mac with a PowerPC processor, or another type of machine, it's probably possible to install Linux — but it will take a bit more work and you'll have to be choosy about the distribution you choose. more
US Tries to Make it Easier to Wiretap the Internet
"Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is 'going dark' as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone. Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications - including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct 'peer to peer' messaging like Skype - to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. more
Rolling in Mint
There are a lot of things I like about the Linux Mint distribution. One is that they aren't reinventing the wheel. Linux Mint is less an independent from-the-ground-up distro and has been more of the icing on the Ubuntu cake. It's changing (I think improving) the Ubuntu experience without starting over from scratch. Essentially this means that the Mint team is able to introduce new ideas and features to the user without wasting resources on the underlying base. Another point in its favour is that I can easily slap an install on a new computer in twenty minutes and have all the basics right there with no configuring, no tweaking and no adding extra repositories. It's really the pizza delivery to your door in under thirty minutes distro.
Some people like to make their own crust or hand-pick and chop all the toppings for that truly custom exactly-the-way-I-want-it feel, but if you want a good pizza and you want it now with no hassles, then Mint is a great choice. And it's not as if they just offer one option, they have a selection which includes GNOME, KDE, Xfce, LXDE, Fluxbox, OEM and no-non-free-software editions (in 32-bit or 64-bit releases). Apparently the developers (and the Mint community) have decided there need to be more shades of Hulk available and so the Mint team has put together Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). Where other editions of Mint rest on the back of Ubuntu, LMDE pulls packages from Debian's Testing repository, making LMDE a rolling release distribution.
According to the Linux Mint website, LMDE is compatible with Debian, but not with Ubuntu, and represents an experiment in resting the Mint icing (I call it the Mint Layer) on other cakes, making Mint more independent. This being the first stage of the Debian experiment the only LMDE flavour available is a 32-bit GNOME DVD release. I grabbed the ISO off the project's web site and gave it a test drive. more
Some people like to make their own crust or hand-pick and chop all the toppings for that truly custom exactly-the-way-I-want-it feel, but if you want a good pizza and you want it now with no hassles, then Mint is a great choice. And it's not as if they just offer one option, they have a selection which includes GNOME, KDE, Xfce, LXDE, Fluxbox, OEM and no-non-free-software editions (in 32-bit or 64-bit releases). Apparently the developers (and the Mint community) have decided there need to be more shades of Hulk available and so the Mint team has put together Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). Where other editions of Mint rest on the back of Ubuntu, LMDE pulls packages from Debian's Testing repository, making LMDE a rolling release distribution.
According to the Linux Mint website, LMDE is compatible with Debian, but not with Ubuntu, and represents an experiment in resting the Mint icing (I call it the Mint Layer) on other cakes, making Mint more independent. This being the first stage of the Debian experiment the only LMDE flavour available is a 32-bit GNOME DVD release. I grabbed the ISO off the project's web site and gave it a test drive. more
Mageia – A New Linux Distribution
As you may have heard, the future of the Mandriva Linux distribution is unclear.
Most employees working on the distribution were laid off when Edge-IT was liquidated. We do not trust the plans of Mandriva SA anymore and we don't think the company (or any company) is a safe host for such a project.
Many things have happened in the past 12 years. Some were very nice: the Mandriva Linux community is quite large, motivated and experienced, the distribution remains one of the most popular and an award-winning product, easy to use and innovative. Some other events did have some really bad consequences that made people not so confident in the viability of their favourite distribution.
People working on it just do not want to be dependent on the economic fluctuations and erratic, unexplained strategic moves of the company. more
Most employees working on the distribution were laid off when Edge-IT was liquidated. We do not trust the plans of Mandriva SA anymore and we don't think the company (or any company) is a safe host for such a project.
Many things have happened in the past 12 years. Some were very nice: the Mandriva Linux community is quite large, motivated and experienced, the distribution remains one of the most popular and an award-winning product, easy to use and innovative. Some other events did have some really bad consequences that made people not so confident in the viability of their favourite distribution.
People working on it just do not want to be dependent on the economic fluctuations and erratic, unexplained strategic moves of the company. more
Bill Would Allow US DoJ To Shut Down Piracy Sites Worldwide
Big Content, which already owns the Obama administration, is at it again - I guess mandatory monitoring software to scan every computer's content isn't enough. A bi-partisan proposed bill would allow US federal courts to issue injunctions that would order domain registrars or registries to cease resolving the domain name of a copyright infringing website."In today's global economy the internet has become the glue of international commerce - connecting consumers with a wide-array of products and services worldwide," said Senator Orin Hatch (R-Utah) in a statement announcing the bill, "But it's also become a tool for online thieves to sell counterfeit and pirated goods, making hundreds of millions of dollars off of stolen American intellectual property."
Apart from this Utah senator - obviously not a very intelligent man since he doesn't even know the difference between theft and IP infringement - is joined by "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), and committee members Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin), Arlen Specter (D-Pennsylvania), Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) [and] Senators Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio)". Just so you know what anti-freedom and anti-consumer rights people you shouldn't vote for next time around.
Anywho, Big Content is obviously pleased with this proposed bill. "These sites, whose content is hosted and whose operators are located throughout the world, take many forms. But they have in common the simple fact that they all materially contribute to, facilitate and/or induce the illegal distribution of copyrighted works, such as movies and television programs," said the MPAA's CEO, Bob Pisano. more
Apart from this Utah senator - obviously not a very intelligent man since he doesn't even know the difference between theft and IP infringement - is joined by "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), and committee members Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin), Arlen Specter (D-Pennsylvania), Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) [and] Senators Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio)". Just so you know what anti-freedom and anti-consumer rights people you shouldn't vote for next time around.
Anywho, Big Content is obviously pleased with this proposed bill. "These sites, whose content is hosted and whose operators are located throughout the world, take many forms. But they have in common the simple fact that they all materially contribute to, facilitate and/or induce the illegal distribution of copyrighted works, such as movies and television programs," said the MPAA's CEO, Bob Pisano. more
Dear VMware: Please don't buy Novell
I'll come right out and admit it: I don't like Suse Linux as a server OS. I'm sure that I've offended a large number of you right off the bat, but hey, no sense in beating around the bush.
Some of my dislike is based around the fact that it's not nearly as common as Red Hat, CentOS, or Ubuntu in the United States, and thus feels very foreign to someone used to those particular flavors. The rest of my aversion to Suse has to do with core beliefs. Suse has always seemed to want to make things easy for novice Linux users and, by doing so, makes things much harder for those of us who know what we're doing. To me, that's anathema.
The basis of this is YaST2, the all-encompassing system tool that ships with Suse. It allows admins to perform a wide variety of system configuration tasks, from adding network interface configurations to downloading and installing new software to configuring any number of services on the box. It comes in a GUI and in a text-based console -- and drives me absolutely nuts because it always seems to get in the way. more
Some of my dislike is based around the fact that it's not nearly as common as Red Hat, CentOS, or Ubuntu in the United States, and thus feels very foreign to someone used to those particular flavors. The rest of my aversion to Suse has to do with core beliefs. Suse has always seemed to want to make things easy for novice Linux users and, by doing so, makes things much harder for those of us who know what we're doing. To me, that's anathema.
The basis of this is YaST2, the all-encompassing system tool that ships with Suse. It allows admins to perform a wide variety of system configuration tasks, from adding network interface configurations to downloading and installing new software to configuring any number of services on the box. It comes in a GUI and in a text-based console -- and drives me absolutely nuts because it always seems to get in the way. more
Amarok 2.3.2 "Moonshine" released
The Amarok Team is happy to announce the release of Amarok 2.3.2.
This release brings with it much requested bugfixes for some long-standing bugs. Specifically, Dynamic Collection has received fixes and should now work better with external hard drives and USB mass storage devices (Collection directories on these media will need to be rescanned for the changes to take effect). The Collection Browser now refreshes properly after a full rescan, fixing a bug where it would show incorrectly cached entries until Amarok was restarted.
Very importantly, Amarok 2.3.2 is now compatible with KDE’s 4.5 release. Older Amarok versions would exhibit a number of serious bugs with it. more
This release brings with it much requested bugfixes for some long-standing bugs. Specifically, Dynamic Collection has received fixes and should now work better with external hard drives and USB mass storage devices (Collection directories on these media will need to be rescanned for the changes to take effect). The Collection Browser now refreshes properly after a full rescan, fixing a bug where it would show incorrectly cached entries until Amarok was restarted.
Very importantly, Amarok 2.3.2 is now compatible with KDE’s 4.5 release. Older Amarok versions would exhibit a number of serious bugs with it. more
Record Videos of Your Desktop on Any OS for Free
Sometimes screen shots just aren’t enough to explain how to do something or to show the steps you took to reproduce an error. There are a few tools available that will let you record your desktop but none are as easy, free, or cross platform as Screen Toaster.
Screen Toaster is a Java-based screen recorder that will work on any operating system that has Java and Flash player installed.
Record Your Screen This may be something that doesn’t need to be said, but in order to record your screen with Screen Toaster you will need to have Oracle’s Java and Adobe’s flash player installed. Please download and install both pieces of required software first. more
Screen Toaster is a Java-based screen recorder that will work on any operating system that has Java and Flash player installed.
Record Your Screen This may be something that doesn’t need to be said, but in order to record your screen with Screen Toaster you will need to have Oracle’s Java and Adobe’s flash player installed. Please download and install both pieces of required software first. more
Taking command – why none should fear the command line
Open a Terminal. Three words that are enough to send Windows users scurrying back to Microsoftland. But why, wonders Linux User & Developer’s Simon Brew?
I’m guessing that many of you hear this too. There you are, chatting to people about Linux, and why they don’t use it, and sooner or later you’ll stumble across one of the more regular answers. The Terminal window. That window of joy that to the untrained eye looks like we’ve gone back to the days of DOS, typing in laborious commands to get every job done.
Of course, this kind of comment overlooks the fact that the evolution of GUIs has made it kind of redundant in the world of modern-day Linux, and the fact remains that if you choose your Linux distribution with a little care, you need never open a Terminal window in your life. However, even though many of us like to say that, there’s still, festering away, the knowledge that in a more realistic world often the Terminal is the quickest way to get from A to B. To some degree, the same argument applies with certain tasks with Windows, where a quick Start>Run>CMD can get you to the guts of the operating system quicker than messing around with open window after open window. more
I’m guessing that many of you hear this too. There you are, chatting to people about Linux, and why they don’t use it, and sooner or later you’ll stumble across one of the more regular answers. The Terminal window. That window of joy that to the untrained eye looks like we’ve gone back to the days of DOS, typing in laborious commands to get every job done.
Of course, this kind of comment overlooks the fact that the evolution of GUIs has made it kind of redundant in the world of modern-day Linux, and the fact remains that if you choose your Linux distribution with a little care, you need never open a Terminal window in your life. However, even though many of us like to say that, there’s still, festering away, the knowledge that in a more realistic world often the Terminal is the quickest way to get from A to B. To some degree, the same argument applies with certain tasks with Windows, where a quick Start>Run>CMD can get you to the guts of the operating system quicker than messing around with open window after open window. more
Linux Mint’s Debian Delight!
Life is full of surprises, some of them good and some of them bad. This week I got a great surprise when a Debian version of Linux Mint was released. I wasn’t aware that the Linux Mint developers were even working on it, so the release was quite unexpected. I did a full review of Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) for the Desktop Linux Reviews blog, but I wanted to talk about why this release is so important and helpful for desktop Linux users.
Not Everybody is a Fan of Ubuntu
As you probably already know, the other versions of Linux Mint are based on Ubuntu. There are various versions including the GNOME version of Linux Mint, Linux Mint KDE, Linux Mint Xfce, etc. Each of these is popular, in their own way and with their own base of users.
But not everyone is enamored with Ubuntu. There are those who think that Ubuntu has made Linux too Mac-like. Remember the controversy over where the title bar buttons were placed in the last release of Ubuntu? Swarms of angry Ubuntu users castigated Canonical for following too closely in Apple’s footsteps. more
Not Everybody is a Fan of Ubuntu
As you probably already know, the other versions of Linux Mint are based on Ubuntu. There are various versions including the GNOME version of Linux Mint, Linux Mint KDE, Linux Mint Xfce, etc. Each of these is popular, in their own way and with their own base of users.
But not everyone is enamored with Ubuntu. There are those who think that Ubuntu has made Linux too Mac-like. Remember the controversy over where the title bar buttons were placed in the last release of Ubuntu? Swarms of angry Ubuntu users castigated Canonical for following too closely in Apple’s footsteps. more
Debian with a Hint of Mint: Linux Mint Ships Debian-based Distro
Linux Mint is going old school with a new release based directly on Debian rather than Ubuntu. Want all the fun of Debian testing, with much less hassle? Mint may be what you’re looking for.
Yes, the rumors are true. Linux Mint has been working on a Debian-based distro (as opposed to Ubuntu-based) and it’s out for your testing pleasure. If Linux Mint’s standard approach has you yearning for more adventure, the Debian edition might be what you’re looking for.
Linux Mint has been very popular as a modified Ubuntu distribution. If you look at the DistroWatch numbers as any indication, Mint consistently places third in the race of distros. It offers the wide range of packages you find in Ubuntu, it’s easy to use, but isn’t brown. That’s a cheap shot, but Mint does offer a distinct flavor of its own. Users don’t have to hunt for Flash and MP3 codecs, for instance. Its take on GNOME is closer to openSUSE than Ubuntu, and many people prefer the “slab” type menu and Mint’s configuration tools.
Mint started with just a GNOME release, but now offers GNOME, KDE, LXDE, and others. Next stop? Debian.
You might wonder why the project would take a step “backwards” to base a release off of Debian, considering Ubuntu is Debian-based in its own right. The idea is to provide a Mint distribution of Debian that users can install and keep up with the testing release. As fast as the Mint release cycle is — with releases every six months — it’s still not a rolling release like Debian testing.
So the Linux Mint Debian (LMD) release is going to be a bit less friendly than the Ubuntu-based releases, less polished, and might break occasionally. more
Yes, the rumors are true. Linux Mint has been working on a Debian-based distro (as opposed to Ubuntu-based) and it’s out for your testing pleasure. If Linux Mint’s standard approach has you yearning for more adventure, the Debian edition might be what you’re looking for.
Linux Mint has been very popular as a modified Ubuntu distribution. If you look at the DistroWatch numbers as any indication, Mint consistently places third in the race of distros. It offers the wide range of packages you find in Ubuntu, it’s easy to use, but isn’t brown. That’s a cheap shot, but Mint does offer a distinct flavor of its own. Users don’t have to hunt for Flash and MP3 codecs, for instance. Its take on GNOME is closer to openSUSE than Ubuntu, and many people prefer the “slab” type menu and Mint’s configuration tools.
Mint started with just a GNOME release, but now offers GNOME, KDE, LXDE, and others. Next stop? Debian.
You might wonder why the project would take a step “backwards” to base a release off of Debian, considering Ubuntu is Debian-based in its own right. The idea is to provide a Mint distribution of Debian that users can install and keep up with the testing release. As fast as the Mint release cycle is — with releases every six months — it’s still not a rolling release like Debian testing.
So the Linux Mint Debian (LMD) release is going to be a bit less friendly than the Ubuntu-based releases, less polished, and might break occasionally. more
Linux Directory Structure (File System Structure) Explained with Examples
Have you wondered why certain programs are located under /bin, or /sbin, or /usr/bin, or /usr/sbin?
For example, less command is located under /usr/bin directory. Why not /bin, or /sbin, or /usr/sbin? What is the different between all these directories?
In this article, let us review the Linux filesystem structures and understand the meaning of individual high-level directories. more
For example, less command is located under /usr/bin directory. Why not /bin, or /sbin, or /usr/sbin? What is the different between all these directories?
In this article, let us review the Linux filesystem structures and understand the meaning of individual high-level directories. more
Canonical's Attention to Detail is Starting to Show Up in Ubuntu 10.10 Big Time
'Attention to detail' or 'enhanced UI experience' are not the kind of terminologies normally used in the Linux world. At least, that is how it used to be. It's all changing now. KDE 4.0 is a typical example. Developers completely revamped KDE from scratch and gave it a uniform user friendly appearance. Canonical's flagship Ubuntu is the next candidate. A lot of changes already happening and a ton of innovations are in the pipeline.
Canonical's Huge Branding Makeover Started it all
As you all should remember, Ubuntu had a huge branding makeover prior to the release of Ubuntu 10.04 'Lucid Lynx'.That was the start. Project Ayatana was initiated and it became the collective project that houses user interface, design and interaction projects started by Canonical.
Ubuntu Light themes was next which recently had a major update bringing more polish. Ubuntu Music Store came into existence and more user focused features started to come in. Project Ayatana is redefining Ubuntu altogether. more
Canonical's Huge Branding Makeover Started it all
As you all should remember, Ubuntu had a huge branding makeover prior to the release of Ubuntu 10.04 'Lucid Lynx'.That was the start. Project Ayatana was initiated and it became the collective project that houses user interface, design and interaction projects started by Canonical.
Ubuntu Light themes was next which recently had a major update bringing more polish. Ubuntu Music Store came into existence and more user focused features started to come in. Project Ayatana is redefining Ubuntu altogether. more
Alien - Use Any Package On Any Distribution
Sometimes, a utility or an application that you want to install is impossible to find in the format of your distribution. Alien is a utility that can convert one package type into another. It can get you out of a fix when you can't find a package for your distribution, and it is also useful for package maintainers who want to distribute packages for distributions that they don't run. It can work with Slackware, Debian and RPM packages as input and output types. more
Debunking the 1% Myth
It seems like almost every day someone in the tech press or someone commenting in a technical forum will claim that Linux adoption on the desktop (including laptops) is insignificant. The number that is thrown around is 1%. These claims are even repeated by some who advocate for Linux adoption. Both the idea that Linux market share on the desktop is insignificant and the 1% figure are simply false and have been for many years. Linux market share is not tiny. Linux and UNIX have held a majority share of the server room for over a decade. Linux is very competitive in embedded devices. It is also making great strides on the consumer and business desktop, which includes laptops, notebooks and netbooks. more
Linux Mint 9 Fluxbox released!
New features at a glance:
- Tint2 panel
- New Thunar Move to Trash and Delete options
- New Software Manager
- 30,000 packages
- Review applications straight from the Software Manager
- APT daemon
- Visual improvements
- New Backup Tool
- Incremental backups, compression, integrity checks
- Backup/Restoration of the software selection
- Better look & feel
- Backgrounds
- Welcome screen
- Update Manager
- System improvements
- Husse quotes
- USB Creator
- Local repository
- Apt hold/unhold/held commands
- Project changes
- Community Website
- Community Editions
- Upstream improvements
- Faster boot
- Long Term Support
Linux Beginners Q&A
It’s our beginners ACTION guide to Linux! We’ve collected some of our top audience questions, and we give you the straight answers to your hard hitting questions!
PLUS – We’ve got three wicked Android picks that will empower your handset with super-phone like abilities fueled by our yellow sun!
And so much more!
All this week on, The Linux Action Show! Watch Now
PLUS – We’ve got three wicked Android picks that will empower your handset with super-phone like abilities fueled by our yellow sun!
And so much more!
All this week on, The Linux Action Show! Watch Now
The Many Faces of Linux
Linux may have started out small, but it’s grown by leaps and bounds. Today, Linux can be found on everything from a home wireless router to the gigantic mainframe in the data center. Although the spirit of openness surrounds Linux, thanks in part to the GPL, distinct communities have sprung up to support the different environments, each with a slightly different take on what it means to be in the Linux community.
Desktop The most famous form of Linux, the type that used to get the press, has got to be Linux on the desktop. Supporters of the Linux desktop range from those who value the open source license above all else (the same type of Linux user who posts words like FREEDOM in ALL CAPS in online flame wars), to technically inclined people, to the simply curious. I’ve personally been following the Linux desktop “movement” since 1999, back when Linux Magazine was “Chronicling the Revolution”, a reference to Linux’s impending superiority over Windows as the operating system of choice for personal computers. Year after year, Linux has gotten better, but dominance on the desktop remains elusive. For many users, this is not a problem. They have their customized Debian desktop just the way they like it, thank you very much, and don’t need anyone’s approval for it. For others though, recent developments in the next category of Linux users has people asking, “Does Linux Need the Desktop?” more
Desktop The most famous form of Linux, the type that used to get the press, has got to be Linux on the desktop. Supporters of the Linux desktop range from those who value the open source license above all else (the same type of Linux user who posts words like FREEDOM in ALL CAPS in online flame wars), to technically inclined people, to the simply curious. I’ve personally been following the Linux desktop “movement” since 1999, back when Linux Magazine was “Chronicling the Revolution”, a reference to Linux’s impending superiority over Windows as the operating system of choice for personal computers. Year after year, Linux has gotten better, but dominance on the desktop remains elusive. For many users, this is not a problem. They have their customized Debian desktop just the way they like it, thank you very much, and don’t need anyone’s approval for it. For others though, recent developments in the next category of Linux users has people asking, “Does Linux Need the Desktop?” more
Improve speed of your Linux by using preload
With preload, you can speed up your Computer, but, only if it is running Linux Operating System.
According to Wikipedia:
"preload is a Free Linux program written by Behdad Esfahbod which runs as a daemon and records statistics about usage of programs using Markov chains; files of more frequently-used programs are, during a computer's spare time, loaded into memory. This results in faster application startup times as less data needs to be fetched from disk. preload is often paired with prelink." more
According to Wikipedia:
"preload is a Free Linux program written by Behdad Esfahbod which runs as a daemon and records statistics about usage of programs using Markov chains; files of more frequently-used programs are, during a computer's spare time, loaded into memory. This results in faster application startup times as less data needs to be fetched from disk. preload is often paired with prelink." more
