The Latest Linux, Open Source, And Tech News
Tiny Core Linux 3.6 brings improved installer
Tiny Core lead developer Robert Shingledecker has released version 3.6 of Tiny Core Linux. According to the project's announcement news post, the release features a much improved Tiny Core installer that offers a graphical user interface for both USB and hard drive installation. more
Tiny Core lead developer Robert Shingledecker has released version 3.6 of Tiny Core Linux. According to the project's announcement news post, the release features a much improved Tiny Core installer that offers a graphical user interface for both USB and hard drive installation. more
Trojan construction kit for Mac OS X - yours for $1,000
According to security specialist Brian Krebs, in recent weeks a developer has been touting a trojan construction kit called Weyland-Yutani on underground forums; it enables criminals to construct malware for Mac OS X with just a few clicks. Construction kits of this type have previously only been available for Windows. The malware builder, which costs $1,000, generates malware for monitoring keystrokes that allows criminals to steal login credentials or credit card details – similar to the Windows trojans ZeuS and SpyEye. more
According to security specialist Brian Krebs, in recent weeks a developer has been touting a trojan construction kit called Weyland-Yutani on underground forums; it enables criminals to construct malware for Mac OS X with just a few clicks. Construction kits of this type have previously only been available for Windows. The malware builder, which costs $1,000, generates malware for monitoring keystrokes that allows criminals to steal login credentials or credit card details – similar to the Windows trojans ZeuS and SpyEye. more
Ubuntu 11.04 released, reviewed
The “big talking point” of this release has been the switch from the traditional GNOME desktop to Unity – Canonical’s (originally) netbook-orientated interface.
Sporting a left-sided launcher, slick new ‘lenses’ for application browsing and launching, putting ‘application menus’ in the desktop panel, and retiring the traditional notification/system tray area, it’s all too easy to feel scared or uneasy about switching to Ubuntu 11.04.
But don’t. more
The “big talking point” of this release has been the switch from the traditional GNOME desktop to Unity – Canonical’s (originally) netbook-orientated interface.
Sporting a left-sided launcher, slick new ‘lenses’ for application browsing and launching, putting ‘application menus’ in the desktop panel, and retiring the traditional notification/system tray area, it’s all too easy to feel scared or uneasy about switching to Ubuntu 11.04.
But don’t. more
Review: Barnes & Nobles' Nook Color goes Android Tablet
If you must have a great tablet, and you’re willing to pay the price for it, Apple’s iPad 2 is still the one to get. But, if you’d like a good tablet at half-the-price, the newly firmware renovated Barnes & Noble Nook Color may be all the tablet you need. more
If you must have a great tablet, and you’re willing to pay the price for it, Apple’s iPad 2 is still the one to get. But, if you’d like a good tablet at half-the-price, the newly firmware renovated Barnes & Noble Nook Color may be all the tablet you need. more
Department of Justice says Novell and CPTN must change patent deal
The US Department of Justice has announced that for the Novell/CPTN patent deal to go ahead, it is requiring major changes to the deal because as originally proposed, "the deal would jeopardize the ability of open source software, such as Linux, to continue to innovate and compete." more
The US Department of Justice has announced that for the Novell/CPTN patent deal to go ahead, it is requiring major changes to the deal because as originally proposed, "the deal would jeopardize the ability of open source software, such as Linux, to continue to innovate and compete." more
Google loses Linux patent suit
An East Texas Jury has decided that Google has been infringing a patent through its use of Linux and must pay $5 million to East Texas based Bedrock Computer Technologies. The suit, filed in 2009, concerns patent 5,893,120, "Methods and apparatus for information storage and retrieval using a hashing technique with external chaining and on-the-fly removal of expired data", filed in 1997 and granted in 1999. more
An East Texas Jury has decided that Google has been infringing a patent through its use of Linux and must pay $5 million to East Texas based Bedrock Computer Technologies. The suit, filed in 2009, concerns patent 5,893,120, "Methods and apparatus for information storage and retrieval using a hashing technique with external chaining and on-the-fly removal of expired data", filed in 1997 and granted in 1999. more
German Insurance Firm To Convert 10,000 PCs To Ubuntu
Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, the world's most popular, GNU/Linux operating system has cracked a major deal with the German insurance major LVM Versicherungen. Under the deal LVM will replace its 10,000 PCs to use Ubuntu. more
Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, the world's most popular, GNU/Linux operating system has cracked a major deal with the German insurance major LVM Versicherungen. Under the deal LVM will replace its 10,000 PCs to use Ubuntu. more
Microsoft gets Novell's Patents rights but must share them with Open-Source Software
Well, this is almost certainly not the Novell patent deal that Microsoft and its CPTN Holding Partners-Apple, EMC and Oracle-wanted . The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced today, April 20th, that in order to proceed with the first phase of their acquisition of certain patents and patent applications from Novell, CPTN Holdings has altered their original agreements to address the department’s antitrust concerns. In particular, “The department said that, as originally proposed, the deal would jeopardize the ability of open source software, such as Linux, to continue to innovate and compete in the development and distribution of server, desktop, and mobile operating systems, middleware, and virtualization products. Although the department will allow the transaction to proceed, it will continue investigating the distribution of the Novell patent to the CPTN owners.” more
Well, this is almost certainly not the Novell patent deal that Microsoft and its CPTN Holding Partners-Apple, EMC and Oracle-wanted . The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced today, April 20th, that in order to proceed with the first phase of their acquisition of certain patents and patent applications from Novell, CPTN Holdings has altered their original agreements to address the department’s antitrust concerns. In particular, “The department said that, as originally proposed, the deal would jeopardize the ability of open source software, such as Linux, to continue to innovate and compete in the development and distribution of server, desktop, and mobile operating systems, middleware, and virtualization products. Although the department will allow the transaction to proceed, it will continue investigating the distribution of the Novell patent to the CPTN owners.” more
Find Your chakra Linux 2011.04 | With screenshots Tour
Phil Miller proudly announced the last milestone for Chakrathe GNU/2011.04 a powerful Arch Linux distro last week. The Chakra Project, today, remains a milestone for Arch Linux and is as important as Ubuntu has become for Debian. It was born out of need for an Arch Linux distribution but with simple project principles combing the elegance of a KDE. Project Chakra with telling Qt design and cutting-edge KDE Software compilation is charting new courses by adopting a half-rolling release model for stable updates for software and a one-of-a-kind bundle system for integrating key GTK apps with the environment. more
Phil Miller proudly announced the last milestone for Chakrathe GNU/2011.04 a powerful Arch Linux distro last week. The Chakra Project, today, remains a milestone for Arch Linux and is as important as Ubuntu has become for Debian. It was born out of need for an Arch Linux distribution but with simple project principles combing the elegance of a KDE. Project Chakra with telling Qt design and cutting-edge KDE Software compilation is charting new courses by adopting a half-rolling release model for stable updates for software and a one-of-a-kind bundle system for integrating key GTK apps with the environment. more
Ubuntu 11.04: The desktop Linux you’ve been waiting for?Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu version of Linux, is making a new push for a larger slice of the PC market with a series of changes in the next version of the operating system, scheduled for release next week. The upgrade, Ubuntu 11.04, comes with a new interface that takes its cues from the worlds of smartphones and web search. more
Linux Doesn't Need To Kiss Anyone's Ass
While we're all having a little block party about Linux's 20th anniversary, there's still this one little thing I'd like to propose. It's an old problem, I've been complaining about it off and on for the five years I've been running a Linux-geared site, and it just gets worse. My post on The Linux Insecurity Complex just touches on the matter.
I'd like to see the Linux community be assertive. No, wait, I'd actually like to see the Linux community grow some... pardon me but there's no better way to put it for male and female alike... BALLS. No, wait, I'd actually like to see the Linux community get in touch with its inner asshole, just for a refreshing change of pace for a few months, then gear back down to merely having balls for a few months, and then, after showing the bullies that we can stand up to them, just settle down to being constantly assertive forever after that.
That's right, Linux community: YOU'RE TOO DAMNED NICE! more
While we're all having a little block party about Linux's 20th anniversary, there's still this one little thing I'd like to propose. It's an old problem, I've been complaining about it off and on for the five years I've been running a Linux-geared site, and it just gets worse. My post on The Linux Insecurity Complex just touches on the matter.
I'd like to see the Linux community be assertive. No, wait, I'd actually like to see the Linux community grow some... pardon me but there's no better way to put it for male and female alike... BALLS. No, wait, I'd actually like to see the Linux community get in touch with its inner asshole, just for a refreshing change of pace for a few months, then gear back down to merely having balls for a few months, and then, after showing the bullies that we can stand up to them, just settle down to being constantly assertive forever after that.
That's right, Linux community: YOU'RE TOO DAMNED NICE! more
POLL Results: Firefox still Linux Browser King
In an ARTICLE I wrote not long ago, I spoke about the recently released Firefox 4.0 and highlighted some of its new features. I also put together a poll to find out how the Mozilla browser compares to Google Chrome/Chromium in the mind of other users. My idea was to give a bit of context based on my own experience to spark discussion, but also to narrow down the comparison to certain specific criteria, as both browsers are so powerful and feature rich that things could get too dense... or downright "philosophical"! more
In an ARTICLE I wrote not long ago, I spoke about the recently released Firefox 4.0 and highlighted some of its new features. I also put together a poll to find out how the Mozilla browser compares to Google Chrome/Chromium in the mind of other users. My idea was to give a bit of context based on my own experience to spark discussion, but also to narrow down the comparison to certain specific criteria, as both browsers are so powerful and feature rich that things could get too dense... or downright "philosophical"! more
ASUS’ kinect competitor ‘Xtion PRO’ Supports development on Ubuntu
Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller lit up the eyes of many Linux developers when it hit the shelves late last year – so much so that geeks everywhere were soon out hacking the hardware to run on Linux.
But the need for third-party-fudging of Kinect hardware could soon be a thing of the past if the recently-released – and official – development kit of ASUS Corps. PC-based Kinect competitor ‘Wavi Xtion’ is anything to go by, which lists Ubuntu 10.10 as an officially supported development platform. more
Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller lit up the eyes of many Linux developers when it hit the shelves late last year – so much so that geeks everywhere were soon out hacking the hardware to run on Linux.
But the need for third-party-fudging of Kinect hardware could soon be a thing of the past if the recently-released – and official – development kit of ASUS Corps. PC-based Kinect competitor ‘Wavi Xtion’ is anything to go by, which lists Ubuntu 10.10 as an officially supported development platform. more
Oracle gives up on OpenOffice after community forks the project
In a statement issued on Friday, Oracle announced that it intends to discontinue commercial development of the OpenOffice.org (OOo) office suite. The move comes several months after key members of the OOo community and a number of major corporate contributors forked OOo to create a vendor-neutral alternative. more
In a statement issued on Friday, Oracle announced that it intends to discontinue commercial development of the OpenOffice.org (OOo) office suite. The move comes several months after key members of the OOo community and a number of major corporate contributors forked OOo to create a vendor-neutral alternative. more
FVWM 2.6 released after nearly ten years in development
After five years since a stable release and nearly ten years in development, version 2.6.0 of the FVWM window manager has been released. This new version adds numerous features including support for PNG/SVG icons, "unmanaged" windows, modules for moving windows and listing running windows, more style options, improved font support with anti-aliasing, GetText support for menu text, support for Perl based modules and mouse gesture bindings. The new release comes with a script, fvwm-convert-2.6, which will convert 2.4's config files to the 2.6's configuration format to simplify upgrading. more
After five years since a stable release and nearly ten years in development, version 2.6.0 of the FVWM window manager has been released. This new version adds numerous features including support for PNG/SVG icons, "unmanaged" windows, modules for moving windows and listing running windows, more style options, improved font support with anti-aliasing, GetText support for menu text, support for Perl based modules and mouse gesture bindings. The new release comes with a script, fvwm-convert-2.6, which will convert 2.4's config files to the 2.6's configuration format to simplify upgrading. more
I finally understand open source software
What does Google stand to gain from having so many open source projects? What about Twitter or Facebook? Why would companies freely give away software that cost them time, money and may help their competitors? Why is Github growing at an absurd rate, with over 2 million repositories? Why are developers world-wide giving their time and work away for free? more
GIMP 2.8 May Not Come Until Late November
GIMP 2.7.2 was released last week as a development stop in the road to GIMP 2.8, which itself was supposed to be released last December. But with the single-window user-interface lagging behind along with other work, GIMP 2.8 development dragged along with its limited number of core developers. It looked like it would just be a few more months until 2.8 was released, but with v2.7.2 just arriving, that's not likely to happen. Based upon a new tool developed by one of the GIMP developers, the 2.8 release isn't estimated to occur until the end of November. more
GIMP 2.7.2 was released last week as a development stop in the road to GIMP 2.8, which itself was supposed to be released last December. But with the single-window user-interface lagging behind along with other work, GIMP 2.8 development dragged along with its limited number of core developers. It looked like it would just be a few more months until 2.8 was released, but with v2.7.2 just arriving, that's not likely to happen. Based upon a new tool developed by one of the GIMP developers, the 2.8 release isn't estimated to occur until the end of November. more
Banshee: A Howling Good Media Player
Think of the differences between using a file-viewing app to look at your digital photography photos one at a time and a photo management system such as Picasa, Shotwell Photo Manager or DigiKam. That is why using Banshee is a good alternative to other playback solutions. It goes well beyond all the basics of listening and viewing your media collections. more
Think of the differences between using a file-viewing app to look at your digital photography photos one at a time and a photo management system such as Picasa, Shotwell Photo Manager or DigiKam. That is why using Banshee is a good alternative to other playback solutions. It goes well beyond all the basics of listening and viewing your media collections. more
A shiny new ornament for your Linux lawn: Ars reviews GNOME 3.0
The developers behind the GNOME project have announced the official release of GNOME 3.0, a significant redesign of the open source desktop environment. The update introduces a new desktop shell that offers a streamlined window management workflow and a more modern look and feel. The new version also represents a major architectural overhaul, with many important enhancements to the GNOME platform's technical underpinnings. more
The developers behind the GNOME project have announced the official release of GNOME 3.0, a significant redesign of the open source desktop environment. The update introduces a new desktop shell that offers a streamlined window management workflow and a more modern look and feel. The new version also represents a major architectural overhaul, with many important enhancements to the GNOME platform's technical underpinnings. more
Google goes shopping for patents
Google has made a $900m bid for the patent portfolio of Nortel Networks, the bankrupt Canadian telecom equipment maker.
The patents could help arm it against potential lawsuits aimed at its Chrome browser and Android mobile operating system. more
Google has made a $900m bid for the patent portfolio of Nortel Networks, the bankrupt Canadian telecom equipment maker.
The patents could help arm it against potential lawsuits aimed at its Chrome browser and Android mobile operating system. more
openSUSE 11.4 review – KDE 4.6 and Tumbleweed shine
Do you want to run the newest software like KDE 4.6 and LibreOffice 3.3? OpenSUSE 11.4 has it all on offer, and if you’re really impatient there’s even a rolling updates repository in the form of Tumbleweed. Koen Vervloesem investigates… more
Do you want to run the newest software like KDE 4.6 and LibreOffice 3.3? OpenSUSE 11.4 has it all on offer, and if you’re really impatient there’s even a rolling updates repository in the form of Tumbleweed. Koen Vervloesem investigates… more
Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold Find New Ways to Extort the Competitors, Using Patents
Summary: The world’s biggest patent trolls proceed to extorting Blackberry users/devices; more news about software patents, mostly those which affect Android and Linux more
Summary: The world’s biggest patent trolls proceed to extorting Blackberry users/devices; more news about software patents, mostly those which affect Android and Linux more
New KDE Polishes Linux but Leaves a Few Little Streaks
There's plenty to like about the K Desktop Environment version 4.6.1, and it's not all about eye candy. Power users will find the new desktop full of improvements that are actually practical, not just aesthetic. It's worth the upgrade, though you may want to build in time for a bit of a learning curve. Also, depending on your machine, the upgrade may not go 100 percent smoothly. more
There's plenty to like about the K Desktop Environment version 4.6.1, and it's not all about eye candy. Power users will find the new desktop full of improvements that are actually practical, not just aesthetic. It's worth the upgrade, though you may want to build in time for a bit of a learning curve. Also, depending on your machine, the upgrade may not go 100 percent smoothly. more
POLL: Firefox 4.0 vs Chrome/ium under Linux
Now that Firefox 4 has been available long enough to get an actual taste of its capabilities, I think it is a good moment to check out where it stands. Personally, I have to admit I have been positively surprised by the obvious improvement I have seen over the Betas. Back in testing days, I knew about the new features that were being implemented, most notably a faster rendering engine (Gecko 2.0), tabs groups and synchronization, but none of them seemed to be working that well. I think I was not alone in thinking Firefox 4.0 was coming late and would not live up to its expectations. Boy, was I wrong. more
Now that Firefox 4 has been available long enough to get an actual taste of its capabilities, I think it is a good moment to check out where it stands. Personally, I have to admit I have been positively surprised by the obvious improvement I have seen over the Betas. Back in testing days, I knew about the new features that were being implemented, most notably a faster rendering engine (Gecko 2.0), tabs groups and synchronization, but none of them seemed to be working that well. I think I was not alone in thinking Firefox 4.0 was coming late and would not live up to its expectations. Boy, was I wrong. more
The Perfect Desktop - OpenSUSE 11.4 (GNOME)
This tutorial shows how you can set up an OpenSUSE 11.4 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 OpenSUSE 11.4 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
Lady Gaga goes gaga over Ubuntu
After enthralling the techies at Google last week, Lady Gaga has given her geek fans another reason to smile. In a press conference this Monday, the Grammy award-winning singer confessed that she is an avid fan of Ubuntu, the Linux-based operating system. Since then, Ubuntu has seen a massive surge in its popularity; particularly among teenagers. more
After enthralling the techies at Google last week, Lady Gaga has given her geek fans another reason to smile. In a press conference this Monday, the Grammy award-winning singer confessed that she is an avid fan of Ubuntu, the Linux-based operating system. Since then, Ubuntu has seen a massive surge in its popularity; particularly among teenagers. more
IE9 Day 1 - 2.3 Million Downloads, Firefox 4 - 7.1 Million!
You all must aware of the fact that both IE9 and Firefox 4 was released within a span of two weeks and both of them are considered highly improved versions their predecessors. Now here are some interesting download statistics of both the browsers. more
You all must aware of the fact that both IE9 and Firefox 4 was released within a span of two weeks and both of them are considered highly improved versions their predecessors. Now here are some interesting download statistics of both the browsers. more
Back to the front of the pack: Ars reviews Firefox 4
Mozilla has officially released Firefox 4, a major update of the popular open source Web browser. The new version introduces a much-improved user interface, significant performance enhancements, strong support for the latest Web standards, and noteworthy new features like built-in support for synchronizing bookmarks and other browser data. more
Mozilla has officially released Firefox 4, a major update of the popular open source Web browser. The new version introduces a much-improved user interface, significant performance enhancements, strong support for the latest Web standards, and noteworthy new features like built-in support for synchronizing bookmarks and other browser data. more
RUSTOCK TAKEDOWN: How the world's worst botnet was KO'd
Analysis The unidentified criminals behind the infamous Rustock botnet were paying at least $10,000 a month for US-based command and control servers prior to a successful takedown operation last week.
Instead of using bulletproof hosting outfits (rogue ISPs normally based in eastern Europe) that ignore takedown notices, the botherders behind Rustock attempted to hide in plain sight... more
Analysis The unidentified criminals behind the infamous Rustock botnet were paying at least $10,000 a month for US-based command and control servers prior to a successful takedown operation last week.
Instead of using bulletproof hosting outfits (rogue ISPs normally based in eastern Europe) that ignore takedown notices, the botherders behind Rustock attempted to hide in plain sight... more
Digital Act heads to High Court
Parts of the Digital Economy Act that deal with illegal file-sharing are being challenged in the High Court. more
Parts of the Digital Economy Act that deal with illegal file-sharing are being challenged in the High Court. more
Firefox 4, How To Undo The Changes
I have been working with the latest builds of Firefox 4 for the last two months. The browser has changed tremendously, both interface wise but also under the hood. The interface changes will likely split the Firefox user base. This article is for users who prefer the “old” interface and way of working the web browser. It looks at each change and offers alternatives or options to undo it. That obviously depends on the change at hand, and there may be changes that cannot be undone at all. more
I have been working with the latest builds of Firefox 4 for the last two months. The browser has changed tremendously, both interface wise but also under the hood. The interface changes will likely split the Firefox user base. This article is for users who prefer the “old” interface and way of working the web browser. It looks at each change and offers alternatives or options to undo it. That obviously depends on the change at hand, and there may be changes that cannot be undone at all. more
Firefox 4 Beats IE9, 7 Million Downloads In 24 Hours
Mozilla's Firefox, the free and open source web browser has shattered all previous records. The latest version of the browser has been downloaded more than 7,030,700 time within the 24 hours of the release. more
Mozilla's Firefox, the free and open source web browser has shattered all previous records. The latest version of the browser has been downloaded more than 7,030,700 time within the 24 hours of the release. more
Microsoft Sues Barnes & Noble Over Nook, Claims Android Patent Infringement
Microsoft claims that Android violates Microsoft patents, yet it hasn't sued Google. Instead it sued Motorola and now is suing Barnes & Noble for the Nook e-reader running the Android operating system which the Mighty M claims is infringing on its patents. more
Microsoft claims that Android violates Microsoft patents, yet it hasn't sued Google. Instead it sued Motorola and now is suing Barnes & Noble for the Nook e-reader running the Android operating system which the Mighty M claims is infringing on its patents. more
Linus Torvalds: Android copyright violation claim is "bogus"
Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds has said new claims that Android violates the Linux license are "totally bogus."
Intellectual property attorney Edward Naughton argued last week that with Android, Google improperly took Linux code and passed it on in a derivative work without using the GPLv2 license. But it seems that no lawsuits have been filed on the issue and several open source observers have disputed Naughton's argument. more
Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds has said new claims that Android violates the Linux license are "totally bogus."
Intellectual property attorney Edward Naughton argued last week that with Android, Google improperly took Linux code and passed it on in a derivative work without using the GPLv2 license. But it seems that no lawsuits have been filed on the issue and several open source observers have disputed Naughton's argument. more
Quickly Share A Folder Over HTTP With JetHTTP
Want to share a folder with someone in your network or over the internet? The easiest way to do it (especially if the folders include some large files) is probably using a tool such as JetHTTP. more
Want to share a folder with someone in your network or over the internet? The easiest way to do it (especially if the folders include some large files) is probably using a tool such as JetHTTP. more
Google Your Desktop
Keeping track of files isn’t easy and can be quite frustrating. If you’re one of the normal* people, you have trouble finding files on your system. And, you’re also relatively normal if you aren’t a fan of the find command and its regular expressions, irregular syntax, and infinite options. Sure, the find command is powerful but it isn’t user friendly. Google Desktop is friendly, it’s free, and it’s just a download away. more
Keeping track of files isn’t easy and can be quite frustrating. If you’re one of the normal* people, you have trouble finding files on your system. And, you’re also relatively normal if you aren’t a fan of the find command and its regular expressions, irregular syntax, and infinite options. Sure, the find command is powerful but it isn’t user friendly. Google Desktop is friendly, it’s free, and it’s just a download away. more
FireFox 4 Lets Fly With New Speed, Privacy Features
Hot on the heels of Microsoft's release of Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla has launched its fourth full version of Firefox. New features include the obligatory speed bump as well as App Tabs and a drag-and-drop feature called "Panorama." Also on board is a Do Not Track feature, though it doesn't work exactly the same way as a similar feature bundled into IE. more
Hot on the heels of Microsoft's release of Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla has launched its fourth full version of Firefox. New features include the obligatory speed bump as well as App Tabs and a drag-and-drop feature called "Panorama." Also on board is a Do Not Track feature, though it doesn't work exactly the same way as a similar feature bundled into IE. more
A look at Firefox 4!
Finally Mozilla released its most anticipated Firefox 4! Since its release…. the browser has already been downloaded over 100 million times giving a tough fight to its competitors notably, Microsoft’s IE9 and Google Chrome freshly updated to its 10th version. In this post we will look at the most prominent features of the browser. A detailed review will be up soon. more
Finally Mozilla released its most anticipated Firefox 4! Since its release…. the browser has already been downloaded over 100 million times giving a tough fight to its competitors notably, Microsoft’s IE9 and Google Chrome freshly updated to its 10th version. In this post we will look at the most prominent features of the browser. A detailed review will be up soon. more
Blu Ray Ripping Linux How To
After doing so searching on Blu Ray ripping on Linux I found that no one seemed to have a good how to for Fedora 14. I also was not finding a method that worked consistently for free, or close to free. I found a great piece of software called MakeMKV. With MakeMKV and our other favortie tool Handbrake. I was able to get Blu Ray ripping working fast and easy. more
After doing so searching on Blu Ray ripping on Linux I found that no one seemed to have a good how to for Fedora 14. I also was not finding a method that worked consistently for free, or close to free. I found a great piece of software called MakeMKV. With MakeMKV and our other favortie tool Handbrake. I was able to get Blu Ray ripping working fast and easy. more
Exotic Linux distros: A walk on the wild side
Apart from the obvious candidates of Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, and OpenSuse, there are plenty of obscure distributions worth considering. Here are a few lesser-known Linux flavours that you may find useful. more
Apart from the obvious candidates of Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, and OpenSuse, there are plenty of obscure distributions worth considering. Here are a few lesser-known Linux flavours that you may find useful. more
Tim Burke: ext4 Is Not Going Anywhere Any Time Soon
Tim Burke, vice president, Linux Engineering at Red Hat, shares his thoughts about the new Linux kernel 2.6.38, how Red Hat is going to push it to their customers and what is the future of ext4 amid the arrival of BTRFS in this exclusive interview. Read on... more
Tim Burke, vice president, Linux Engineering at Red Hat, shares his thoughts about the new Linux kernel 2.6.38, how Red Hat is going to push it to their customers and what is the future of ext4 amid the arrival of BTRFS in this exclusive interview. Read on... more
Beautiful Looking LibreOffice Splash Screen, A Must Try!
As you all should know by now, LibreOffice is already the new default office suite for Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal. You can even install latest LibreOffice in Ubuntu Maverick, Lucid easily via LibreOffice PPA by following the instructions here. Now, here is a very good looking and very creative LibreOffice splash screen that demands your attention. more
As you all should know by now, LibreOffice is already the new default office suite for Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal. You can even install latest LibreOffice in Ubuntu Maverick, Lucid easily via LibreOffice PPA by following the instructions here. Now, here is a very good looking and very creative LibreOffice splash screen that demands your attention. more
ICANN Approves .XXX Top Level Domains
After years of wrangling over the issue, ICANN has approved the .xxx top level domain (TLD). The new registry will be executed and overseen by the ICM as it was last submitted in August 2010. The creation of this new TLD will create a section of the internet specifically set aside for material of a, shall we say, mature nature. But not everyone is happy about the move. more
After years of wrangling over the issue, ICANN has approved the .xxx top level domain (TLD). The new registry will be executed and overseen by the ICM as it was last submitted in August 2010. The creation of this new TLD will create a section of the internet specifically set aside for material of a, shall we say, mature nature. But not everyone is happy about the move. more
Sorry, Microsoft: Still no cookie for you
Yes, yes. I saw the news. Microsoft disabled a botnet and now applauds itself for carving away 39 percent of the world’s spam. more
Yes, yes. I saw the news. Microsoft disabled a botnet and now applauds itself for carving away 39 percent of the world’s spam. more
Microsoft Kills Rustock Botnet
In cooperation with federal law enforcement, Microsoft has announced they managed to take out the prolific Rustock botnet. Rustock was responsible for almost half of the spam in 2010, and its command and control system was highly complicated. Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit spent months investigating the botnet, eventually working with US Marshals to physically seize servers. more
In cooperation with federal law enforcement, Microsoft has announced they managed to take out the prolific Rustock botnet. Rustock was responsible for almost half of the spam in 2010, and its command and control system was highly complicated. Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit spent months investigating the botnet, eventually working with US Marshals to physically seize servers. more
How to Boot ISO Images from Your Hard Drive
The following tutorial will teach you how to easily boot any ISO image of a Linux distribution directly from your hard drive. We've tested the tutorial on the Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) and the current development version of the upcoming Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating systems. more
The following tutorial will teach you how to easily boot any ISO image of a Linux distribution directly from your hard drive. We've tested the tutorial on the Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) and the current development version of the upcoming Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating systems. more
Helpful lawyers think Google stole Linux code
By now you have likely heard the noise about Google possibly violating the GPL by using Linux header files to create a new BSD-licensed library that userspace applications can interface with the Android kernel.
The allegation comes from Brown Rudnick partner Edward Naughton, who has done quite a bit of research into the matter and has come up with a 10-page report that highlights what he believes are serious concerns for Android's implementation. more
By now you have likely heard the noise about Google possibly violating the GPL by using Linux header files to create a new BSD-licensed library that userspace applications can interface with the Android kernel.
The allegation comes from Brown Rudnick partner Edward Naughton, who has done quite a bit of research into the matter and has come up with a 10-page report that highlights what he believes are serious concerns for Android's implementation. more
The tethering police are coming, unroot your phones
AT&T has begun contacting smartphone customers who are using the mobile hotspot feature of phones without paying for the AT&T service. These customers are primarily iPhone owners who have jailbroken the phones to allow using the phone as a mobile hotspot, without paying AT&T for the privilege. That free ride is over, and most likely other carriers will follow AT&T’s lead, so those who jailbreak or root your phone to allow such tethering better be ready. The tethering police are coming, and they know who you are. more
AT&T has begun contacting smartphone customers who are using the mobile hotspot feature of phones without paying for the AT&T service. These customers are primarily iPhone owners who have jailbroken the phones to allow using the phone as a mobile hotspot, without paying AT&T for the privilege. That free ride is over, and most likely other carriers will follow AT&T’s lead, so those who jailbreak or root your phone to allow such tethering better be ready. The tethering police are coming, and they know who you are. more
10 Things to Drool Over in Firefox 4
Mozilla's Firefox 4 is now officially expected to debut on Tuesday March 22, following hard on the heels of Google's Chrome 10 and Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9. more
Mozilla's Firefox 4 is now officially expected to debut on Tuesday March 22, following hard on the heels of Google's Chrome 10 and Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9. more
Debian CUT, a new rolling release?
It looks like 2011 started well for Debian. The project won awards in two out of seven categories at the Linux New Media Awards 2011 (“Best Open Source Server Distribution” and “Outstanding Contribution to Open Source/Linux/Free Software”). Just recently Internet.com declared Debian the most influential distribution ever, stating that “~63% of all distributions now being developed come ultimately from Debian.” However, my intention for this article is not solely to praise Debian for its recent awards, but rather to focus on a new project, Debian CUT. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard about CUT; it seems most Debian community hasn’t either. Then again, maybe it’s because it is only labelled as unofficial/development so far. more
It looks like 2011 started well for Debian. The project won awards in two out of seven categories at the Linux New Media Awards 2011 (“Best Open Source Server Distribution” and “Outstanding Contribution to Open Source/Linux/Free Software”). Just recently Internet.com declared Debian the most influential distribution ever, stating that “~63% of all distributions now being developed come ultimately from Debian.” However, my intention for this article is not solely to praise Debian for its recent awards, but rather to focus on a new project, Debian CUT. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard about CUT; it seems most Debian community hasn’t either. Then again, maybe it’s because it is only labelled as unofficial/development so far. more
Back to the Basics with Debian
Sometimes, you just have so many problems with the distribution you’re running that you have to wipe it out with a clean slate. I did that this past week and am now using Debian.
With using Debian there comes a feeling of being back to the very basic of Linux distros…much in the same way when you use Arch…it just feels plain, unencumbered, and basic and there is a feeling you get when build something from nothing…you start with a kernel and just enough CLI tools and create your house…then live in it. more
Sometimes, you just have so many problems with the distribution you’re running that you have to wipe it out with a clean slate. I did that this past week and am now using Debian.
With using Debian there comes a feeling of being back to the very basic of Linux distros…much in the same way when you use Arch…it just feels plain, unencumbered, and basic and there is a feeling you get when build something from nothing…you start with a kernel and just enough CLI tools and create your house…then live in it. more
Mozilla to release Firefox 4 on 22 March
Following a number of delays, the Mozilla Project may ship version 4.0 of its open source Firefox web browser on 22 March. Firefox 4 is the non-profit organisation's next-generation web browser based on version 2.0 of the Gecko rendering platform (the Firefox 3.6 branch uses Gecko 1.9.2) and features a new Add-ons Manager and extension management API, as well as a new 'tabs on top' layout. more
Following a number of delays, the Mozilla Project may ship version 4.0 of its open source Firefox web browser on 22 March. Firefox 4 is the non-profit organisation's next-generation web browser based on version 2.0 of the Gecko rendering platform (the Firefox 3.6 branch uses Gecko 1.9.2) and features a new Add-ons Manager and extension management API, as well as a new 'tabs on top' layout. more
Office 2010 Movie Trailer[LOL]
If Java4Ever movie trailer made you laugh like hell, Office 2010 movie is going to make you laugh even harder. You get the central "characters" of the movie from the name itself, I suppose. more
If Java4Ever movie trailer made you laugh like hell, Office 2010 movie is going to make you laugh even harder. You get the central "characters" of the movie from the name itself, I suppose. more
New Linux kernel goes faster
Linux kernel 2.6.38 has been released, bringing performance improvements
The newest update to the Linux operating-system kernel features a number of enhancements that should offer a performance boost, particularly for running databases and other programs that require maximum resources from the server. more
Linux kernel 2.6.38 has been released, bringing performance improvements
The newest update to the Linux operating-system kernel features a number of enhancements that should offer a performance boost, particularly for running databases and other programs that require maximum resources from the server. more
Manager your podcasts in Linux with gpodder
Podcasts have been around for a long time, and with good reason. Podcasts are a great way for users to retrieve and save various forms of educational and entertainment audio broadcasts. From indie writers, to major journalists, to just about anything you can imagine, you can find a podcast. But where do you find podcasts and how do you manage them in Linux? There is an outstanding applications, gpodder, that does one thing and does it well — manage your podcasts. You won’t be recording and distributing podcasts, but you will be downloading and managing podcasts for your enjoyment.
Let’s take a look at the installation and use of gpodder, so you can better organize your podcasts. more
Podcasts have been around for a long time, and with good reason. Podcasts are a great way for users to retrieve and save various forms of educational and entertainment audio broadcasts. From indie writers, to major journalists, to just about anything you can imagine, you can find a podcast. But where do you find podcasts and how do you manage them in Linux? There is an outstanding applications, gpodder, that does one thing and does it well — manage your podcasts. You won’t be recording and distributing podcasts, but you will be downloading and managing podcasts for your enjoyment.
Let’s take a look at the installation and use of gpodder, so you can better organize your podcasts. more
Aligning SSD Partitions
Do you have a brand new SSD? Do you plan to partition it? Let's talk about the best way to set up your SSD so partitions -- and the resulting file systems -- align on page boundaries, thus improving performance and minimizing the number of rewrite cycles. more
Do you have a brand new SSD? Do you plan to partition it? Let's talk about the best way to set up your SSD so partitions -- and the resulting file systems -- align on page boundaries, thus improving performance and minimizing the number of rewrite cycles. more
NEW • Distribution Release: Linux Mint 10 "LXDE"
Clement Lefebvre has announced the release of Linux Mint 10 "LXDE" edition, a lightweight desktop distribution based on Ubuntu 10.10: "The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 10 LXDE." more
Clement Lefebvre has announced the release of Linux Mint 10 "LXDE" edition, a lightweight desktop distribution based on Ubuntu 10.10: "The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 10 LXDE." more
Ubuntu Community reaches out to Japan
As Japan continues to show strength in the face of such heart-breaking catastrophe a number of Ubuntu users have set up a website for users to send a message of support to the Japanese Ubuntu LoCo team. more
As Japan continues to show strength in the face of such heart-breaking catastrophe a number of Ubuntu users have set up a website for users to send a message of support to the Japanese Ubuntu LoCo team. more
Russian IT firm PingWin Software joins the Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation has announced that systems integrator PingWin Software has become its newest member. Founded in 2009, IT firm PingWin Software provides various services based around open source software, including consulting, development, migration, as well as support, and is the first Russian company to join the Foundation. more
The Linux Foundation has announced that systems integrator PingWin Software has become its newest member. Founded in 2009, IT firm PingWin Software provides various services based around open source software, including consulting, development, migration, as well as support, and is the first Russian company to join the Foundation. more
Create a GStreamer powered Java media player
For something to do I decided to see if I could create a very simple Java media player. After doing some research, and finding out that the Java Media Framework was no longer in development, I decided to settle on GStreamer to power my media player. more
For something to do I decided to see if I could create a very simple Java media player. After doing some research, and finding out that the Java Media Framework was no longer in development, I decided to settle on GStreamer to power my media player. more
openSUSE 11.4 rocks despite missing GNOME
openSUSE 11.4 brings a host of KDE and GNOME updates, the first release of OpenOffice fork LibreOffice, and numerous speed improvements. Perhaps the biggest news, though, is what's not included. That would be GNOME 3.0.
Unfortunately for openSUSE fans, the distro's release schedule just didn't quite mesh with GNOME's, so GNOME 3.0 will have to wait for openSUSE 11.5, due at the end of the year. more
openSUSE 11.4 brings a host of KDE and GNOME updates, the first release of OpenOffice fork LibreOffice, and numerous speed improvements. Perhaps the biggest news, though, is what's not included. That would be GNOME 3.0.
Unfortunately for openSUSE fans, the distro's release schedule just didn't quite mesh with GNOME's, so GNOME 3.0 will have to wait for openSUSE 11.5, due at the end of the year. more
Cron: a busy Linux user’s best friend. (A basic introduction)
Why you should use it
Sometimes, you may not be at your Linux machine at the time you need to do something. Maybe you want to run a download, but you’d like it to start at a time of day when not many people are online with your ISP (usually at night). Maybe you want to have your computer shut down at a certain time of night, but can’t stay up late. Or perhaps you need to run a script periodically. You can do all of these, and more, with cron and crontab. more
Why you should use it
Sometimes, you may not be at your Linux machine at the time you need to do something. Maybe you want to run a download, but you’d like it to start at a time of day when not many people are online with your ISP (usually at night). Maybe you want to have your computer shut down at a certain time of night, but can’t stay up late. Or perhaps you need to run a script periodically. You can do all of these, and more, with cron and crontab. more
Pwn2Own: Chrome, Android, Firefox own; Safari, IE8, iOS, BB get pwned
Two days into the Pwn2Own hacking challenge, only a few still remain. So far, hackers have not been able to exploit Mozilla Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome, and the mobile Android OS.
Victims of the contest include Internet Explorer 8, Apple Safari 5, iOS 4 and BlackBerry. more
Two days into the Pwn2Own hacking challenge, only a few still remain. So far, hackers have not been able to exploit Mozilla Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome, and the mobile Android OS.
Victims of the contest include Internet Explorer 8, Apple Safari 5, iOS 4 and BlackBerry. more
Mobile Broadband Internet connection and Sakis3G
This article is just a continuation of my first article about my experience with mobile broadband Internet on a Linux system. To cut the long story short a current network managers are trying to do a pretty good job by establishing a Mobile Broadband connection in a Plug & Play manner, however, they are not always successful to do so and user ends up with frustration and full hands of debugging and guessing what might went wrong instead of spending time with intended work. more
This article is just a continuation of my first article about my experience with mobile broadband Internet on a Linux system. To cut the long story short a current network managers are trying to do a pretty good job by establishing a Mobile Broadband connection in a Plug & Play manner, however, they are not always successful to do so and user ends up with frustration and full hands of debugging and guessing what might went wrong instead of spending time with intended work. more
What will the new GNOME desktops mean for other Linux desktops?
It’s almost time. Soon a new paradigm of GNOME is going to drop onto the desktops of suspecting (and unsuspecting) users. When this does there is going to be reaction. As with any major change to the computer industry, users are going to have both negative and positive reactions. Some will go so far as to switch distributions to avoid this change. Some users, on the other hand, will seek solace elsewhere. What exactly does that mean to the landscape of Linux? Let’s don our speculation caps and take a look. more
It’s almost time. Soon a new paradigm of GNOME is going to drop onto the desktops of suspecting (and unsuspecting) users. When this does there is going to be reaction. As with any major change to the computer industry, users are going to have both negative and positive reactions. Some will go so far as to switch distributions to avoid this change. Some users, on the other hand, will seek solace elsewhere. What exactly does that mean to the landscape of Linux? Let’s don our speculation caps and take a look. more
Quiz: Are you a Linux guru? Find out.
Hi, there Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols your host today. I’ve been using and writing about Linux and open source for entirely too long. Suffice it to say that while I didn’t use Linux 0.01, I was running Linux not long after that. So, with introductions out of the way, let’s move on to the quiz shall we? more
Hi, there Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols your host today. I’ve been using and writing about Linux and open source for entirely too long. Suffice it to say that while I didn’t use Linux 0.01, I was running Linux not long after that. So, with introductions out of the way, let’s move on to the quiz shall we? more
OpenSuse 11.4: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
openSuse 11.4 is here despite uncertainty around Novell's future. OpenSuse team has done an excellent job with this release. There are major 'bugs' which I will talk about later, but overall it is an impressive release. The release packs some of the latest software packages available today, so it is a very good 'place' for users to try and test upcoming applications. more
openSuse 11.4 is here despite uncertainty around Novell's future. OpenSuse team has done an excellent job with this release. There are major 'bugs' which I will talk about later, but overall it is an impressive release. The release packs some of the latest software packages available today, so it is a very good 'place' for users to try and test upcoming applications. more
Download DraftSight - Free AutoCAD-Compatible 2D CAD Software For Linux
DraftSight is a free 2D CAD application that lets you create, edit and view your DWG / DXF files. Even though it's free to use, the download page suggests that if you work for an organization that needs five or more DraftSight licenses, you should consider purchasing a Premium Pack. more
DraftSight is a free 2D CAD application that lets you create, edit and view your DWG / DXF files. Even though it's free to use, the download page suggests that if you work for an organization that needs five or more DraftSight licenses, you should consider purchasing a Premium Pack. more
Linux Mint KDE 10, Time To Switch From Ubuntu?
Ubuntu has been my preferred desktop for the last 5 years. It was not a fan-boyish choice, it was a practical decision. Ubuntu is easier to use. But, the latest release of Linux Mint may force me to make a switch. The reason is simple, Linux Mint adds yet another layer of simplicity and ease of use to Ubuntu thus making up for what is missing in Ubuntu.
If you are one of those GNU/Linux users who are not purists and would install proprietary software and driver either way, I would heavily recommend Linux Mint. more
Ubuntu has been my preferred desktop for the last 5 years. It was not a fan-boyish choice, it was a practical decision. Ubuntu is easier to use. But, the latest release of Linux Mint may force me to make a switch. The reason is simple, Linux Mint adds yet another layer of simplicity and ease of use to Ubuntu thus making up for what is missing in Ubuntu.
If you are one of those GNU/Linux users who are not purists and would install proprietary software and driver either way, I would heavily recommend Linux Mint. more
Zorin OS 4 Review
Recently I have reviewed a number of interesting Ubuntu derivatives. Linux Mint is probably the most popular one, but other more obscure picks like MoonOS and PinguyOS also proved to be very interesting options. In future articles I also plan to review Bodhi Linux, but this time I want to talk about Zorin 4 OS, which is based off of Ubuntu 10.10. more
Recently I have reviewed a number of interesting Ubuntu derivatives. Linux Mint is probably the most popular one, but other more obscure picks like MoonOS and PinguyOS also proved to be very interesting options. In future articles I also plan to review Bodhi Linux, but this time I want to talk about Zorin 4 OS, which is based off of Ubuntu 10.10. more
London Stock Exchange calls crisis meeting
The London Stock Exchange has called an urgent meeting next week with price data vendors, in an attempt to solve the serious market stock price irregularities appearing on traders' screens since the exchange launched its new trading software.
The meeting, taking place on Tuesday, will involve many of the major vendors that have been displaying incorrect and blank stock prices. They are expected to address the problems and potential short and long-term solutions. more
The London Stock Exchange has called an urgent meeting next week with price data vendors, in an attempt to solve the serious market stock price irregularities appearing on traders' screens since the exchange launched its new trading software.
The meeting, taking place on Tuesday, will involve many of the major vendors that have been displaying incorrect and blank stock prices. They are expected to address the problems and potential short and long-term solutions. more
Linux Mint 10 KDE review
Linux Mint 10 KDE is the latest release of Linux Mint. It is one of several editions of Linux Mint, a desktop-oriented distribution that is based on Ubuntu Desktop Edition. This release comes more than three months after the main Linux Mint 10 edition was released. The main edition, by the way, uses the GNU Object Model Environment (GNOME). more
Linux Mint 10 KDE is the latest release of Linux Mint. It is one of several editions of Linux Mint, a desktop-oriented distribution that is based on Ubuntu Desktop Edition. This release comes more than three months after the main Linux Mint 10 edition was released. The main edition, by the way, uses the GNU Object Model Environment (GNOME). more
My favorite Linux desktop: Mint 10
Over the years, I’ve seen more Linux distributions than anyone this side of the Distrowatch editors. Some end-up staying in my offices. For example, I use openSUSE and CentOS on my servers, and I’ve often used Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, and MEPIS on my desktops and laptops. I’m also constantly looking at new Linux distributions, such as SplashTop and Peppermint on my test boxes or a VirtualBox virtual machine. Now, though, I find myself using Mint 10 as my main Linux desktop.
Why? Because Mint works, really, really well. Simple isn’t it? more
Over the years, I’ve seen more Linux distributions than anyone this side of the Distrowatch editors. Some end-up staying in my offices. For example, I use openSUSE and CentOS on my servers, and I’ve often used Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, and MEPIS on my desktops and laptops. I’m also constantly looking at new Linux distributions, such as SplashTop and Peppermint on my test boxes or a VirtualBox virtual machine. Now, though, I find myself using Mint 10 as my main Linux desktop.
Why? Because Mint works, really, really well. Simple isn’t it? more
Splashtop OS now available for direct download
Splashtop has announced in a press release that its Linux-based quick start operating system, previously only available as a quick start option in OEM machines, notably netbooks and notebooks, for the first time will be directly available to end users. This means, for example, that a Windows PC can have the Splashtop OS installed, and at boot time the user will be able to choose which OS will start. If the user only wants to browse the web, or use email, then it is claimed that choosing Splashtop will be the fastest option. more
Splashtop has announced in a press release that its Linux-based quick start operating system, previously only available as a quick start option in OEM machines, notably netbooks and notebooks, for the first time will be directly available to end users. This means, for example, that a Windows PC can have the Splashtop OS installed, and at boot time the user will be able to choose which OS will start. If the user only wants to browse the web, or use email, then it is claimed that choosing Splashtop will be the fastest option. more
Ubuntu is the 4th Most Popular Linux Distribution on Web Servers, Continues to Grow Faster
Ubuntu has been the most popular Linux distribution on desktop systems for sometime now and according to Google Trends data, Ubuntu probably is the first ever Linux distro to overshoot popularity of Linux itself. And now, Ubuntu is steadily increasing its market share on web servers as well. According to w3techs.com statistics, Ubuntu is now the 4th most popular Linux distro on web servers and growing at a much faster rate than its competitors. more
Ubuntu has been the most popular Linux distribution on desktop systems for sometime now and according to Google Trends data, Ubuntu probably is the first ever Linux distro to overshoot popularity of Linux itself. And now, Ubuntu is steadily increasing its market share on web servers as well. According to w3techs.com statistics, Ubuntu is now the 4th most popular Linux distro on web servers and growing at a much faster rate than its competitors. more
Novell's Stockholders approve Attachmate buyout but the Deal's far from done
Last week, Novell announced that its stockholders have voted to adopt the previously announced merger with Attachmate and Longview Software Acquisition Corp., a special purpose vehicle formed by Attachmate designed to acquire all of Novell’s stock. The deal is still far from done though. more
Last week, Novell announced that its stockholders have voted to adopt the previously announced merger with Attachmate and Longview Software Acquisition Corp., a special purpose vehicle formed by Attachmate designed to acquire all of Novell’s stock. The deal is still far from done though. more
Banshee Alpha for Windows coming next week and other Banshee news
The much anticipated alpha release of Banshee for Windows is coming next week. The Windows port is attracting a lot of new contributors, bringing our new Windows effort up to 5 people actively working on it. Novell recently held their annual hackweek where their employees are allowed to work on anything they like and Gabriel Burt used his time improving the Banshee on Windows experience. All this hard work is now paying off and all of Banshee is benefiting. more
The much anticipated alpha release of Banshee for Windows is coming next week. The Windows port is attracting a lot of new contributors, bringing our new Windows effort up to 5 people actively working on it. Novell recently held their annual hackweek where their employees are allowed to work on anything they like and Gabriel Burt used his time improving the Banshee on Windows experience. All this hard work is now paying off and all of Banshee is benefiting. more
Acer in alleged Chrome OS monitor plot
Acer has announced the first Google Chrome OS device, according to a somewhat sketchy report out of Germany citing Acer itself. Oddly enough, the device is not a notebook. It's an all-in-one PC.
Heise Online reports that Acer has unveiled a Chrome OS–based all-in-one PC dubbed the Acer DX241H. According to Heise, which cites Acer itself, the 24-inch LCD display includes an ARM Cortex-A8 system-on-chip. Much like Apple's iMac, PC brains are built into the monitor. Allegedly. more
Acer has announced the first Google Chrome OS device, according to a somewhat sketchy report out of Germany citing Acer itself. Oddly enough, the device is not a notebook. It's an all-in-one PC.
Heise Online reports that Acer has unveiled a Chrome OS–based all-in-one PC dubbed the Acer DX241H. According to Heise, which cites Acer itself, the 24-inch LCD display includes an ARM Cortex-A8 system-on-chip. Much like Apple's iMac, PC brains are built into the monitor. Allegedly. more
Debian 6: Have your Debian and eat your Ubuntu too
GNOME, KDE, and beyond
A new version of Debian was once cause for celebration in Linux circles - no doubt it still is in some quarters. Debian's offspring Ubuntu, though, has managed to steal much of the thunder lately. Of course without Debian, Ubuntu would cease to exist. Part of the reason Ubuntu has been able to focus on polishing the Linux desktop is that Debian provides the core packages Ubuntu relies on. No Debian, no Ubuntu.
Ubuntu's polish of the Debian core used to mean it was a much easier distro for Linux newcomers to install and use. But with Debian 6, two-years in development and available here, that's really not true anymore. more
GNOME, KDE, and beyond
A new version of Debian was once cause for celebration in Linux circles - no doubt it still is in some quarters. Debian's offspring Ubuntu, though, has managed to steal much of the thunder lately. Of course without Debian, Ubuntu would cease to exist. Part of the reason Ubuntu has been able to focus on polishing the Linux desktop is that Debian provides the core packages Ubuntu relies on. No Debian, no Ubuntu.
Ubuntu's polish of the Debian core used to mean it was a much easier distro for Linux newcomers to install and use. But with Debian 6, two-years in development and available here, that's really not true anymore. more
Microsoft backtracks over internet quarantine
Microsoft has revised its proposal, presented last November, to isolate infected PCs from the internet and place them in quarantine until they have been disinfected. According to Microsoft's Vice President for Trustworthy Computing, Scott Charney, the new proposal would make web service operators decide on potential restrictions based on a PC's "device health". more
Microsoft has revised its proposal, presented last November, to isolate infected PCs from the internet and place them in quarantine until they have been disinfected. According to Microsoft's Vice President for Trustworthy Computing, Scott Charney, the new proposal would make web service operators decide on potential restrictions based on a PC's "device health". more
U.S. House Votes to Allow Cable Providers to Throttle Internet
House Republicans have managed to pull off a high profile rejection of a key tech-related component of the Obama administration's initiatives. In control of the House for the first time in four years, Republicans have voted to overturn so-called "net neutrality" rules proposed earlier this year by the Obama administration.
The rules had previously been approved by the Democratic House, but were stalled in the Senate as Republicans awaited the prospect of regaining control of the House in the new year. more
House Republicans have managed to pull off a high profile rejection of a key tech-related component of the Obama administration's initiatives. In control of the House for the first time in four years, Republicans have voted to overturn so-called "net neutrality" rules proposed earlier this year by the Obama administration.
The rules had previously been approved by the Democratic House, but were stalled in the Senate as Republicans awaited the prospect of regaining control of the House in the new year. more
Linux 101: Using chmod and chown
When you use Linux long enough you are going to use the command line. Although nearly every command line trick can be done from a GUI front end now, there are times when the command line is the only route (headless server for example). When you have to go that route, you will be glad to have the fundamentals of the more important Linux commands under your belt. Two very important commands, chmod and chown, deal with permissions and ownership (respectively). With these tools you control who owns and who reads, writes, and executes files and folders on your Linux system. Let’s take a look at how to use these commands. more
When you use Linux long enough you are going to use the command line. Although nearly every command line trick can be done from a GUI front end now, there are times when the command line is the only route (headless server for example). When you have to go that route, you will be glad to have the fundamentals of the more important Linux commands under your belt. Two very important commands, chmod and chown, deal with permissions and ownership (respectively). With these tools you control who owns and who reads, writes, and executes files and folders on your Linux system. Let’s take a look at how to use these commands. more
Fedora and openSUSE Linux drop unity efforts
Ubuntu 11.04, or Natty Narwhal, remains the only desktop Linux distribution to offer the new interface in the near future. more
Ubuntu 11.04, or Natty Narwhal, remains the only desktop Linux distribution to offer the new interface in the near future. more
Google legal move could alter course of Oracle trial
Google's decision this week to ask the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to re-examine a number of the Oracle patents at issue in the companies' ongoing intellectual-property case could have a significant effect on how the dispute plays out. more
Google's decision this week to ask the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to re-examine a number of the Oracle patents at issue in the companies' ongoing intellectual-property case could have a significant effect on how the dispute plays out. more
Microsoft gives us a good reason to avoid Windows Phone
Microsoft may say it loves open source software, but it certainly has a funny way of showing it. In fact, the company has now banned apps involving any open source licensing from its Windows Phone Marketplace. more
Microsoft may say it loves open source software, but it certainly has a funny way of showing it. In fact, the company has now banned apps involving any open source licensing from its Windows Phone Marketplace. more
Weekend Project: Taking the Next Step with Linux after the Install
You've installed Linux. Now what? A lot of folks hear great things about Linux, decide to try it out, and then aren't really sure where to go from there. Relax, and take the weekend to get settled with your brand new Linux install. more
You've installed Linux. Now what? A lot of folks hear great things about Linux, decide to try it out, and then aren't really sure where to go from there. Relax, and take the weekend to get settled with your brand new Linux install. more
Open Source Obama
Every day, tens of thousands of developers from businesses, colleges, and homes contribute patches or new code to open-source programs. It’s not every day though that the White House does it. That’s exactly what happened last week when the White House’s New Media Director Macon Phillips announced the White House’s second code release to the open-source Drupal content management system (CMS). more
Every day, tens of thousands of developers from businesses, colleges, and homes contribute patches or new code to open-source programs. It’s not every day though that the White House does it. That’s exactly what happened last week when the White House’s New Media Director Macon Phillips announced the White House’s second code release to the open-source Drupal content management system (CMS). more
Debian 6 Review
Debian 6.0, aka Debian “Squeeze”, is the latest stable release of Debian. It was made available for download earlier this month. In Debian country, a major release of this sort is a once-in-a-very-long-time event, unlike other distributions where it happens at least twice a year. This article provides a detailed review of Debian Squeeze, and it marks the second review of a major Debian release published on this website. more
Debian 6.0, aka Debian “Squeeze”, is the latest stable release of Debian. It was made available for download earlier this month. In Debian country, a major release of this sort is a once-in-a-very-long-time event, unlike other distributions where it happens at least twice a year. This article provides a detailed review of Debian Squeeze, and it marks the second review of a major Debian release published on this website. more
Mozilla's "modern browser" attack on IE overlooks Firefox shortcomings
Microsoft and Mozilla traded barbs this week in a dispute over what constitutes a "modern" Web browser. The competitive friction is starting to heat up because the Redmond software giant and Silicon Valley nonprofit are preparing to release the next major versions of their respective Web browsers. more
Microsoft and Mozilla traded barbs this week in a dispute over what constitutes a "modern" Web browser. The competitive friction is starting to heat up because the Redmond software giant and Silicon Valley nonprofit are preparing to release the next major versions of their respective Web browsers. more
Electric CAD program on Linux
If you are an electrical engineer, or someone who likes to dabble in designing electrical circuit boards (or anything with regards to electricity) and you’re looking for a FOSS (Free, Open Source Software) CAD program to aid you in the process, then Electric might be the solution. Although it doesn’t have the most modern looking GUI – what electrical engineer really cares about how “modern looking” a GUI is? – Electric offers a lot of features and will serve you well in your designs. more
If you are an electrical engineer, or someone who likes to dabble in designing electrical circuit boards (or anything with regards to electricity) and you’re looking for a FOSS (Free, Open Source Software) CAD program to aid you in the process, then Electric might be the solution. Although it doesn’t have the most modern looking GUI – what electrical engineer really cares about how “modern looking” a GUI is? – Electric offers a lot of features and will serve you well in your designs. more
Gnome Shell is Almost Ready to Rock Your Desktop
When Gnome Shell was first becoming available over a year ago, we took a look at it to see what the foundation was like, and to see what direction the Gnome desktop was likely to go. At the time, we liked it, though it was clearly a “rough draft” of what it could eventually become. Since then, time has gone by, and while Ubuntu may have decided to go with Unity instead, others have taken Gnome Shell up to the next level. Fedora, among others, will be putting it front and center in future releases. Today we’re going to take a look at one of the most recent builds available to see what this slick desktop environment has got to offer. more
When Gnome Shell was first becoming available over a year ago, we took a look at it to see what the foundation was like, and to see what direction the Gnome desktop was likely to go. At the time, we liked it, though it was clearly a “rough draft” of what it could eventually become. Since then, time has gone by, and while Ubuntu may have decided to go with Unity instead, others have taken Gnome Shell up to the next level. Fedora, among others, will be putting it front and center in future releases. Today we’re going to take a look at one of the most recent builds available to see what this slick desktop environment has got to offer. more
Minus Desktop App for Linux Lets You Drag-N-Drop Photos Into Taskbar for Instant Upload
Minus desktop application was something which I had never heard about before and it even had a Linux version. Minus desktop application lets you drag-n-drop photos and files into the Minus taskbar and instantly upload onto Minus. Those of you who use free image/file hosting websites other than min.us extensively might want to consider using min.us instead solely because of this very interesting desktop application. more
Minus desktop application was something which I had never heard about before and it even had a Linux version. Minus desktop application lets you drag-n-drop photos and files into the Minus taskbar and instantly upload onto Minus. Those of you who use free image/file hosting websites other than min.us extensively might want to consider using min.us instead solely because of this very interesting desktop application. more
Open Source Finds a Friend in Big Government
Major federal agencies in the U.S. are gradually getting the hang of dealing with open source technology -- a situation that bodes well for commercial open source providers.
In a recently released "report card," Open Source for America (OSFA) says that a handful of top level cabinet departments have achieved a high level of success in adopting the technology, and that other departments have at least committed themselves to pursuing appropriate open source options. more
Major federal agencies in the U.S. are gradually getting the hang of dealing with open source technology -- a situation that bodes well for commercial open source providers.
In a recently released "report card," Open Source for America (OSFA) says that a handful of top level cabinet departments have achieved a high level of success in adopting the technology, and that other departments have at least committed themselves to pursuing appropriate open source options. more
Stuxnet virus targets and spread revealed
A powerful internet worm repeatedly targeted five industrial facilities in Iran over 10 months, ongoing analysis by security researchers shows. Stuxnet, which came to light in 2010, was the first-known virus specifically designed to target real-world infrastructure, such as power stations. Security firm Symantec has now revealed how waves of new variants were launched at Iranian industrial facilities. more
A powerful internet worm repeatedly targeted five industrial facilities in Iran over 10 months, ongoing analysis by security researchers shows. Stuxnet, which came to light in 2010, was the first-known virus specifically designed to target real-world infrastructure, such as power stations. Security firm Symantec has now revealed how waves of new variants were launched at Iranian industrial facilities. more
Intel to Go Ahead With MeeGo Platform Without Nokia
For beginners, MeeGo is a Linux based open source mobile operating system project which was announced at Mobile World Congress in February 2010 by Intel and Nokia in a joint press conference. With Nokia deciding to partner with Microsoft, the fate of Linux based MeeGo OS now hangs in balance. Or so we thought. But there is some good news for all open source folks out there. Intel is not yet ready to call it day and has made it clear that it intends to develop and push MeeGo platform ever further. more
For beginners, MeeGo is a Linux based open source mobile operating system project which was announced at Mobile World Congress in February 2010 by Intel and Nokia in a joint press conference. With Nokia deciding to partner with Microsoft, the fate of Linux based MeeGo OS now hangs in balance. Or so we thought. But there is some good news for all open source folks out there. Intel is not yet ready to call it day and has made it clear that it intends to develop and push MeeGo platform ever further. more
Alienware conducting a survey about linux systems
Alienware is conducting a survey about the possibility to sell their system with Linux preinstalled, the more manufacturers that embrace Linux, the more popular it becomes and the better hardware support we all get, so why not help out? more
Alienware is conducting a survey about the possibility to sell their system with Linux preinstalled, the more manufacturers that embrace Linux, the more popular it becomes and the better hardware support we all get, so why not help out? more
Google CEO: we tried to convince Nokia to go Android
Google CEO Eric Schmidt confirmed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that his company held extensive talks with Nokia about replacing Symbian with Android. The company tried very hard to convince Nokia to pick Android as its future platform over Windows Phone 7. more
Google CEO Eric Schmidt confirmed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that his company held extensive talks with Nokia about replacing Symbian with Android. The company tried very hard to convince Nokia to pick Android as its future platform over Windows Phone 7. more
The London Stock Exchange moves to Novell Linux
September 8th 2008 was one of the worst days ever for the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and high-end Windows server-based applications. That was the day that the LSE came to a crashing stop. What happened? While the LSE has never come clean on the whole story, my sources told me that the LSE’s Windows-based .NET TradElec stock exchange had crashed. What we do know is that the CEO who had brought Windows and TradElec in was fired, TradElec was dumped, and a Novell SUSE Linux-based platform was brought in to replace it. more
September 8th 2008 was one of the worst days ever for the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and high-end Windows server-based applications. That was the day that the LSE came to a crashing stop. What happened? While the LSE has never come clean on the whole story, my sources told me that the LSE’s Windows-based .NET TradElec stock exchange had crashed. What we do know is that the CEO who had brought Windows and TradElec in was fired, TradElec was dumped, and a Novell SUSE Linux-based platform was brought in to replace it. more
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 web browser goes live
Microsoft has said the latest version of its internet explorer web browser puts it ahead of competitors like Google and Firefox.
The software giant, which is losing market share, made the bold claim as it unveiled what is known as the release candidate of IE9.
This is the final test drive for the new browser - a chance to catch any last-minute bugs before its debut.
IE9 has been downloaded 25 million times during beta testing.
Privacy and speed are being highlighted as two of the features that set IE9 apart. more
Microsoft has said the latest version of its internet explorer web browser puts it ahead of competitors like Google and Firefox.
The software giant, which is losing market share, made the bold claim as it unveiled what is known as the release candidate of IE9.
This is the final test drive for the new browser - a chance to catch any last-minute bugs before its debut.
IE9 has been downloaded 25 million times during beta testing.
Privacy and speed are being highlighted as two of the features that set IE9 apart. more
Ubuntu 11.04 Drops Release Candidate
Kate Stewart, Ubuntu Release Manager at Canonical, announced on the ubuntu-devel announce mailing list there will be no release candidate for the Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwal release.
What does this means for Natty? more
Kate Stewart, Ubuntu Release Manager at Canonical, announced on the ubuntu-devel announce mailing list there will be no release candidate for the Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwal release.
What does this means for Natty? more
Apache Web server - Complete Guide
This article includes a free PDF guide available for download!
The Web server - Apache - Complete Guide was one of the many topics covered in a series of books that I started writing on Linux, the goal of which was to help any enthusiastic Windows user or a Linux newbie become a powerful, confident Linux professional. As a preview of what this series of books might have been, I decided to post a single Part on my website. more
This article includes a free PDF guide available for download!
The Web server - Apache - Complete Guide was one of the many topics covered in a series of books that I started writing on Linux, the goal of which was to help any enthusiastic Windows user or a Linux newbie become a powerful, confident Linux professional. As a preview of what this series of books might have been, I decided to post a single Part on my website. more
MPEG LA begins search for WebM/VP8 patents
MPEG LA, the organisation which acts as a patent pool for many royalty bearing standards, including H.264 and MPEG2, has begun a search for patents which are considered "essential" to Google's open source and royalty free WebM/VP8 video codec. The move by MPEG LA is the first step in possibly creating a patent pool which would be able to demand royalties for the use of WebM/VP8. more
MPEG LA, the organisation which acts as a patent pool for many royalty bearing standards, including H.264 and MPEG2, has begun a search for patents which are considered "essential" to Google's open source and royalty free WebM/VP8 video codec. The move by MPEG LA is the first step in possibly creating a patent pool which would be able to demand royalties for the use of WebM/VP8. more
The Latest Details On The State Of Qt & MeeGo
Yesterday's announcement of Microsoft and Nokia hooking up over Windows Phone 7 on Nokia's smart-phone has rattled the free software / Linux communities. There's more than 100 comments in our forums about this announcement and this isn't the only tech community where there are outraged customers and other parties disappointed in Nokia's decision. In particular, many are upset because with Nokia's decision it basically pushes the MeeGo Linux operating system and the Qt tool-kit to the back-seat. more
Yesterday's announcement of Microsoft and Nokia hooking up over Windows Phone 7 on Nokia's smart-phone has rattled the free software / Linux communities. There's more than 100 comments in our forums about this announcement and this isn't the only tech community where there are outraged customers and other parties disappointed in Nokia's decision. In particular, many are upset because with Nokia's decision it basically pushes the MeeGo Linux operating system and the Qt tool-kit to the back-seat. more
Debian 6 Squeeze Review
It wasn’t too long ago that I did a very late review of Debian 5. I’m happy to say that it didn’t take me nearly as long to get around to the latest release, Debian 6 Squeeze. If you aren’t familiar with Debian then this release is a great chance to learn about a distro that is the foundation for a lot of other distributions including Ubuntu, Linux Mint and others. Debian has three main branches:
Stable
Testing
Unstable
Debian 6 is the latest stable release. For more background on Debian in general, please see the Wikipedia overview article. more
It wasn’t too long ago that I did a very late review of Debian 5. I’m happy to say that it didn’t take me nearly as long to get around to the latest release, Debian 6 Squeeze. If you aren’t familiar with Debian then this release is a great chance to learn about a distro that is the foundation for a lot of other distributions including Ubuntu, Linux Mint and others. Debian has three main branches:
Stable
Testing
Unstable
Debian 6 is the latest stable release. For more background on Debian in general, please see the Wikipedia overview article. more
HP rocks Redmond with webOS PC play
When the world's largest computer maker announced that it plans to equip laptops and desktops with its own operating system, you can be sure that the squeals emanating from Redmond's corner offices were not squeals of delight. And we're guessing the denizens of Cupertino's executive suites pricked up their ears as well.
On Wednesday morning, at a press event unveiling its new webOS-based TouchPad and a pair of webOS phones, HP said that it would bring its Palm-acquired operating system "to the HP devices with the broadest reach," meaning PCs. And Just to make sure that no one missed the implications of that blockbuster, Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP's personal systems group, stood in front of a slide that included images of laptop and desktop PCs with "HP webOS" emblazoned on their displays. more
When the world's largest computer maker announced that it plans to equip laptops and desktops with its own operating system, you can be sure that the squeals emanating from Redmond's corner offices were not squeals of delight. And we're guessing the denizens of Cupertino's executive suites pricked up their ears as well.
On Wednesday morning, at a press event unveiling its new webOS-based TouchPad and a pair of webOS phones, HP said that it would bring its Palm-acquired operating system "to the HP devices with the broadest reach," meaning PCs. And Just to make sure that no one missed the implications of that blockbuster, Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP's personal systems group, stood in front of a slide that included images of laptop and desktop PCs with "HP webOS" emblazoned on their displays. more
Debian 6 "Squeeze" is finished
The developers of Debian have completed, Squeeze, version 6 of their distribution, having worked on this new stable version for 24 months. It provides Debian users with a wide range of new releases of common Linux software. With Debian, however, that does not mean that the software is brand-new; often, the software is a couple of version numbers old. But that is what makes Debian attractive: tested, stable versions are better than the latest fad. The developers' announcement provides details of which program versions are in the final OS release. The most prominent ones include Google's Chrome web browser, KDE 4 with Plasma Workspaces, GNOME 2.30, X.Org 7.5, OpenOffice.org 3.2.1, GIMP 2.6.11, Iceweasel/Firefox 3.5.16, Kernel 2.6.32 and Samba 3.5.6. more
The developers of Debian have completed, Squeeze, version 6 of their distribution, having worked on this new stable version for 24 months. It provides Debian users with a wide range of new releases of common Linux software. With Debian, however, that does not mean that the software is brand-new; often, the software is a couple of version numbers old. But that is what makes Debian attractive: tested, stable versions are better than the latest fad. The developers' announcement provides details of which program versions are in the final OS release. The most prominent ones include Google's Chrome web browser, KDE 4 with Plasma Workspaces, GNOME 2.30, X.Org 7.5, OpenOffice.org 3.2.1, GIMP 2.6.11, Iceweasel/Firefox 3.5.16, Kernel 2.6.32 and Samba 3.5.6. more
Report: Hackers break into NASDAQ US stock exchange - Update
The Wall Street Journal reports that unknown attackers repeatedly penetrated the networks of the NASDAQ stock exchange. US federal investigators are reportedly still unclear about the perpetrators and their purpose. According to the newspaper the exchange's actual trading platform wasn't compromised. more
The Wall Street Journal reports that unknown attackers repeatedly penetrated the networks of the NASDAQ stock exchange. US federal investigators are reportedly still unclear about the perpetrators and their purpose. According to the newspaper the exchange's actual trading platform wasn't compromised. more
Johannesburg Stock Exchange to move to Linux
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has announced that it is moving to an all Linux based trading platform when it relocates to Johannesburg. The JSE currently operates out of London and runs on the TradElect platform which is based on Microsoft .Net and SQL Server 2000. It plans to move to MilleniumIT's Millennium Exchange platform by the first half of 2012. more
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has announced that it is moving to an all Linux based trading platform when it relocates to Johannesburg. The JSE currently operates out of London and runs on the TradElect platform which is based on Microsoft .Net and SQL Server 2000. It plans to move to MilleniumIT's Millennium Exchange platform by the first half of 2012. more
Review: Hands on LibreOffice 3.3
The Document Foundation released the first new version of its LibreOffice suite on January 25th, and it was far too tempting not to grab a copy and run it through its paces. And while there are a few new features of note, this is still pretty much OpenOffice.org, with all the attendant advantages and foibles. more
The Document Foundation released the first new version of its LibreOffice suite on January 25th, and it was far too tempting not to grab a copy and run it through its paces. And while there are a few new features of note, this is still pretty much OpenOffice.org, with all the attendant advantages and foibles. more
Mozilla intend to ship Firefox 4, 5, 6 and 7 this year
Mozilla have revealed plans to put the Firefox development schedule on steroids. For 2011, they intend, will see the browser bunny-hop from version 3.6 all the way to version 7.0.
Well, that’s the plan, anyway. more
Mozilla have revealed plans to put the Firefox development schedule on steroids. For 2011, they intend, will see the browser bunny-hop from version 3.6 all the way to version 7.0.
Well, that’s the plan, anyway. more
European Parliament starts free software user group
One member of the European Parliament and a handful of their advisors and assistants started a free software group last Saturday, aiming to increase the use of free and open source software in the European Parliament’s IT infrastructure. The user group is open to all who works in the European Parliament, including staff and assistants working in political groups. more
One member of the European Parliament and a handful of their advisors and assistants started a free software group last Saturday, aiming to increase the use of free and open source software in the European Parliament’s IT infrastructure. The user group is open to all who works in the European Parliament, including staff and assistants working in political groups. more
GIMP Painter And GIMP Paint Studio Transform GIMP Into The Ultimate Painting Tool
GIMP Paint Studio is a package that comes with new tools and brushes, designed to improve the drawing capabilities of GIMP. We've covered GIMP Paint Studio a long time ago (wow, almost 2 years ago) and many things have changed since then - most importantly, GIMP Paint Studio now comes with an Ubuntu PPA so it's very easy to install it in Ubuntu. more
GIMP Paint Studio is a package that comes with new tools and brushes, designed to improve the drawing capabilities of GIMP. We've covered GIMP Paint Studio a long time ago (wow, almost 2 years ago) and many things have changed since then - most importantly, GIMP Paint Studio now comes with an Ubuntu PPA so it's very easy to install it in Ubuntu. more
The new Debian Linux: Irrelevant?
Once upon a time, a new Debian Linux release was a big deal in Linux circles. It still is, but its child, Ubuntu Linux, is the Linux distribution that gets all the headlines. There’s a reason for that. Over the years, Debian has become more and more a Linux just for Linux fanatics while the rest of the Linux family has become more end-user friendly. more
Once upon a time, a new Debian Linux release was a big deal in Linux circles. It still is, but its child, Ubuntu Linux, is the Linux distribution that gets all the headlines. There’s a reason for that. Over the years, Debian has become more and more a Linux just for Linux fanatics while the rest of the Linux family has become more end-user friendly. more
The Linux Action Show is climbing a mountain, WHY are we climbing a mountain? Because KDE 4.6 is HERE! We review!
THEN – The numbers for 2010 are IN, and they show that Linux professionals are worth a premium!
PLUS SO MUCH MORE!
All this week on, The Linux Action Show! more
THEN – The numbers for 2010 are IN, and they show that Linux professionals are worth a premium!
PLUS SO MUCH MORE!
All this week on, The Linux Action Show! more
KDE SC 4.6 Review
Hot off the oven, the latest from KDE was released just a few days ago. It builds on the greatly improved and reliable KDE 4.4 and 4.5 series and brings a number of exciting new features and enhancements, as well as a cool new look thanks to an impressive new wallpaper and much improved Kwin effects. more
Hot off the oven, the latest from KDE was released just a few days ago. It builds on the greatly improved and reliable KDE 4.4 and 4.5 series and brings a number of exciting new features and enhancements, as well as a cool new look thanks to an impressive new wallpaper and much improved Kwin effects. more
Lady Gaga, Ke$ha and the German Hacker Heist
A few young Germans have the world's biggest record companies at their knees. After hacking into the computers of famous recording artists and their managers, they have placed unreleased songs by the likes of Lady Gaga and Shakira on the Internet. Two have been caught, but the others are still at work. more
A few young Germans have the world's biggest record companies at their knees. After hacking into the computers of famous recording artists and their managers, they have placed unreleased songs by the likes of Lady Gaga and Shakira on the Internet. Two have been caught, but the others are still at work. more
Russia claims Stuxnet could have triggered second Chernobyl
Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian ambassador to NATO, has warned that Stuxnet could have triggered a catastrophe comparable to the core meltdown at Chernobyl in 1986. Reuters reports that Rogozin has asked NATO to investigate Stuxnet. In the ambassador's opinion, Stuxnet's impact is comparable to that of an explosive mine. more
Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian ambassador to NATO, has warned that Stuxnet could have triggered a catastrophe comparable to the core meltdown at Chernobyl in 1986. Reuters reports that Rogozin has asked NATO to investigate Stuxnet. In the ambassador's opinion, Stuxnet's impact is comparable to that of an explosive mine. more
A Cross-Distro Unified Installer Is On The Way
Developers from Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Suse, and Mageia attended to a conference last week in which they've tried to find a way to make "installing and removing software on Linux suck less." more
Developers from Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Suse, and Mageia attended to a conference last week in which they've tried to find a way to make "installing and removing software on Linux suck less." more
More "Operation Payback" arrests
In the UK, five males have been arrested in connection with recent attacks on the web sites of PayPal, MasterCard and Amazon. The DDos attacks were apparently in protest against the actions taken by companies and the US government against WikiLeaks and its spokesman Julian Assange; these have been attributed to the "Anonymous" movement. According to a Metropolitan police report, two minors and three young men aged between 19 and 26 years have been arrested. more
In the UK, five males have been arrested in connection with recent attacks on the web sites of PayPal, MasterCard and Amazon. The DDos attacks were apparently in protest against the actions taken by companies and the US government against WikiLeaks and its spokesman Julian Assange; these have been attributed to the "Anonymous" movement. According to a Metropolitan police report, two minors and three young men aged between 19 and 26 years have been arrested. more
SourceForge disables servers after break-in
Open source hosting service SourceForge.net is having to deal with a break-in: last Wednesday, the SourceForge staff disabled various source code management services, among them the CVS server that much project development depends on. SourceForge.net hosts more than 250,000 open source projects including such popular programs as the Audacity audio editor, the AbiWord word processor, the VLC Media Player and the 7-zip compression tool. more
Open source hosting service SourceForge.net is having to deal with a break-in: last Wednesday, the SourceForge staff disabled various source code management services, among them the CVS server that much project development depends on. SourceForge.net hosts more than 250,000 open source projects including such popular programs as the Audacity audio editor, the AbiWord word processor, the VLC Media Player and the 7-zip compression tool. more
Restraining order against PS3 hacker George Hotz
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco has found in favour of Sony Computer Entertainment America's recently filed motion against George Hotz and has issued a restraining order against the alleged PS3 hacker. According to the court documents, which Hotz has published on his web site, he is, with immediate effect, barred from distributing information which could help circumvent the PlayStation 3's security measures. To ensure the preservation of evidence, he is also barred from making changes to his disk drives and computers and required to hand them over to Sony's lawyers within ten days. more
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco has found in favour of Sony Computer Entertainment America's recently filed motion against George Hotz and has issued a restraining order against the alleged PS3 hacker. According to the court documents, which Hotz has published on his web site, he is, with immediate effect, barred from distributing information which could help circumvent the PlayStation 3's security measures. To ensure the preservation of evidence, he is also barred from making changes to his disk drives and computers and required to hand them over to Sony's lawyers within ten days. more
Net approaches address exhaustion
The last big blocks of the net's dwindling stock of addresses are about to be handed out.
The event that triggers their distribution is widely expected to take place in the next few days.
When that happens each of the five regional agencies that hand out net addresses will get one of the remaining blocks of 16 million addresses.
The addresses in those last five blocks are expected to be completely exhausted by September 2011. more
The last big blocks of the net's dwindling stock of addresses are about to be handed out.
The event that triggers their distribution is widely expected to take place in the next few days.
When that happens each of the five regional agencies that hand out net addresses will get one of the remaining blocks of 16 million addresses.
The addresses in those last five blocks are expected to be completely exhausted by September 2011. more
ArchBang Symbiosis is out
-Lighter than before
-New look
-Login as root works after installation
-Still a text-based installer but fully functional
-Documentation included
-Source Files available in the download section
-Coming with xorg-video-drivers for maximum compatibility
-We’re taking advantage of OpenBox tiling window functions
-note for distrowatch: ArchBang’s origin is from Canada and not U.K. more
-Lighter than before
-New look
-Login as root works after installation
-Still a text-based installer but fully functional
-Documentation included
-Source Files available in the download section
-Coming with xorg-video-drivers for maximum compatibility
-We’re taking advantage of OpenBox tiling window functions
-note for distrowatch: ArchBang’s origin is from Canada and not U.K. more
Don't suffer from 'Microsoft-trained brain syndrome'
If you find Linux scary, then you’re one of many victims of this widespread phenomenon. Never fear, though--help is at hand.
Windows users have many, many reasons to consider switching to Linux, as I've pointed out on numerous occasions already. For many, however, there's one big, fat obstacle standing in the way: "Microsoft Trained Brain Syndrome."
That's right: It's the simple fact that most of us "grew up" on Microsoft products and so have trouble imagining any other way of doing things. more
If you find Linux scary, then you’re one of many victims of this widespread phenomenon. Never fear, though--help is at hand.
Windows users have many, many reasons to consider switching to Linux, as I've pointed out on numerous occasions already. For many, however, there's one big, fat obstacle standing in the way: "Microsoft Trained Brain Syndrome."
That's right: It's the simple fact that most of us "grew up" on Microsoft products and so have trouble imagining any other way of doing things. more
Google Starts Censoring BitTorrent, RapidShare and More
It’s taken a while, but Google has finally caved in to pressure from the entertainment industries including the MPAA and RIAA. The search engine now actively censors terms including BitTorrent, torrent, utorrent, RapidShare and Megaupload from its instant and autocomplete services. The reactions from affected companies and services are not mild, with BitTorrent Inc., RapidShare and Vodo all speaking out against this act of commercial censorship. more
It’s taken a while, but Google has finally caved in to pressure from the entertainment industries including the MPAA and RIAA. The search engine now actively censors terms including BitTorrent, torrent, utorrent, RapidShare and Megaupload from its instant and autocomplete services. The reactions from affected companies and services are not mild, with BitTorrent Inc., RapidShare and Vodo all speaking out against this act of commercial censorship. more
Firefox 4 Beta 10 Improves Stability, Uses Less Memory
Hot on the heels of last week’s beta 9 release, Mozilla has pushed out another update for Firefox 4. With the final release drawing near, Mozilla is hard at work squashing the last few bugs blocking the Firefox 4 release. While the latest release, beta 10, doesn’t get them all, it is stable enough for early adopters. more
Hot on the heels of last week’s beta 9 release, Mozilla has pushed out another update for Firefox 4. With the final release drawing near, Mozilla is hard at work squashing the last few bugs blocking the Firefox 4 release. While the latest release, beta 10, doesn’t get them all, it is stable enough for early adopters. more
Switching to Desktop Linux? 6 Ways to Ease the Migration
With all the many compelling reasons for a company to switch to Linux on the desktop, it's no wonder that businesses large and small are increasingly relying on the free and open source operating system. After all, it's free, flexible, reliable, and highly secure--to name just a few of the most attractive features. more
With all the many compelling reasons for a company to switch to Linux on the desktop, it's no wonder that businesses large and small are increasingly relying on the free and open source operating system. After all, it's free, flexible, reliable, and highly secure--to name just a few of the most attractive features. more
OpenOffice.org 3.3 Released to Deaf Ears
One day after the announcement of LibreOffice 3.3, Oracle released the free version of OpenOffice.org. Perhaps it was due to the lack of fanfare, but it seems this release was met with a collective indifference. Smart money would probably bet that the lack of interest was due to the LibreOffice release, which, in contrast, was met with enthusiasm all over the Internet. more
One day after the announcement of LibreOffice 3.3, Oracle released the free version of OpenOffice.org. Perhaps it was due to the lack of fanfare, but it seems this release was met with a collective indifference. Smart money would probably bet that the lack of interest was due to the LibreOffice release, which, in contrast, was met with enthusiasm all over the Internet. more
Five Best Alternative Window Managers for Linux
GNOME and KDE are the most popular desktop environments for Linux by a mile, but they're not the only games in town. If you're ready to shake things up on the desktop, we've got five of the best alternatives for you to choose from.
I'm using the term "window manager" a bit loosely in the headline because, well, it's a headline. For the purposes of this round-up, I'm looking at the best desktop environment/window managers for Linux. What's the difference between a desktop environment and a window manager? I'm glad you asked. Window managers do just that — manage placement and handling of "windows" in X. GNOME and KDE, for example, have default window managers (Metacity and KWin, respectively) but also provide a lot of features and applications that you won't find with something like, say, FVWM or twm.
Even though KDE and GNOME get most of the attention, though, it doesn't mean they're always the best choice. Sometimes you want something that's more lightweight than KDE or GNOME. Maybe you want something a bit more configurable, or more minimalistic. Maybe you just want something old school because it's fun. Whatever the reasons, in no particular order, I've got five of the best window managers for you to choose from. more
GNOME and KDE are the most popular desktop environments for Linux by a mile, but they're not the only games in town. If you're ready to shake things up on the desktop, we've got five of the best alternatives for you to choose from.
I'm using the term "window manager" a bit loosely in the headline because, well, it's a headline. For the purposes of this round-up, I'm looking at the best desktop environment/window managers for Linux. What's the difference between a desktop environment and a window manager? I'm glad you asked. Window managers do just that — manage placement and handling of "windows" in X. GNOME and KDE, for example, have default window managers (Metacity and KWin, respectively) but also provide a lot of features and applications that you won't find with something like, say, FVWM or twm.
Even though KDE and GNOME get most of the attention, though, it doesn't mean they're always the best choice. Sometimes you want something that's more lightweight than KDE or GNOME. Maybe you want something a bit more configurable, or more minimalistic. Maybe you just want something old school because it's fun. Whatever the reasons, in no particular order, I've got five of the best window managers for you to choose from. more
Review: Linux Mint 10 Julia Gnome – With Screenshots
Linux Mint 10 Julia has been around for a while now, but I have not gotten around to reviewing it.
Now after using it for a while and getting to know it I decided to write up and post a review of this, arguably the best Linux Distro available.
For this review I am using the DVD edition of Linux Mint 10 Julia. more
Linux Mint 10 Julia has been around for a while now, but I have not gotten around to reviewing it.
Now after using it for a while and getting to know it I decided to write up and post a review of this, arguably the best Linux Distro available.
For this review I am using the DVD edition of Linux Mint 10 Julia. more
Boxee Box Review
For many, the Internet has become a preferred source of entertainment. With offerings like Netflix, VUDU, Hulu and digital downloads, even once loyal cable television subscribers are abandoning their service for online content.
Up until last year, delivering local media and web content to the living room has been a do-it-yourself Home Theater PC (HTPC) project requiring a long list of PC hardware components and software tinkering. Only recently have we seen a flux of low-profile, inexpensive, media extension devices pop-up on the market. more
For many, the Internet has become a preferred source of entertainment. With offerings like Netflix, VUDU, Hulu and digital downloads, even once loyal cable television subscribers are abandoning their service for online content.
Up until last year, delivering local media and web content to the living room has been a do-it-yourself Home Theater PC (HTPC) project requiring a long list of PC hardware components and software tinkering. Only recently have we seen a flux of low-profile, inexpensive, media extension devices pop-up on the market. more
Oops: No copied Java code or weapons of mass destruction found in Android
Sometimes the sheer wrongness of what is posted on the web leaves us speechless. Especially when it’s picked up and repeated as gospel by otherwise reputable sites like Engadget. “Google copied Oracle’s Java code, pasted in a new license, and shipped it,” they reported this morning. Sorry, but that just isn’t true. more
Sometimes the sheer wrongness of what is posted on the web leaves us speechless. Especially when it’s picked up and repeated as gospel by otherwise reputable sites like Engadget. “Google copied Oracle’s Java code, pasted in a new license, and shipped it,” they reported this morning. Sorry, but that just isn’t true. more
With Page as CEO, Open Source is stronger than ever at Google
When Google announced that Eric Schmidt was stepping down as CEO and Google co-founder Larry Page was moving up to the CEO chair, you could have knocked Wall St. analysts over with a feather. They didn’t see this coming. They’re already debating about what it will mean. more
When Google announced that Eric Schmidt was stepping down as CEO and Google co-founder Larry Page was moving up to the CEO chair, you could have knocked Wall St. analysts over with a feather. They didn’t see this coming. They’re already debating about what it will mean. more
