05.13.09

Contents

• GNU/Linux
  • Distributions
  • Devices/Embedded
• Free Software/Open Source
• Leftovers
• Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day

GNU/Linux

• Desktop

  • Leaving The Nest: From Windows To Linux

    The hour grows late, so after installing the updates I restart my computer. I can’t help but wonder if Windows is okay. This time I select XP Pro from the menu options, and my breath catches in my throat. Soon enough, I am staring at the progress bar. Already I find myself aggravated by the time it takes for my system to load. Sure enough, Windows is still there, just how I left it. It has already lost some of its glamour. I grin as I shut it down, thinking that I’ve made a wise choice today.

  • Announcing BrDesktop for the Brazilian home desktop user

    ALL of its packages are installable from the official Debian GNU/Linux repositories. The BrDesktop difference is in the selection, default language, programs and security preconfigurations for home desktop users, a streamlined installation aided by preconfigurations, a Live-CD option, a unique desktop theme, and the participation of the Brazilian Debian community.

• Applications

  • 12 Worthy Alternative Browsers for Linux

    Even though Firefox is the default browser in most Linux distro, that doesn’t mean you have to confine yourselves to Firefox. While I love Firefox for its user friendliness and its marvelous library of extensions, there are times where I hate it when it becomes a memory hogs and causes my computer to crash.

    Luckily, in Linux, there are plenty of great alternative browsers that you can use. So, check out 12 alternative browsers for Linux.

  • openc2e

    openc2e is a free and open-source game engine designed to be compatible with the various engines used in the Creatures series of artificial life games (Creatures, Creatures 2, Creatures 3, Creatures: Docking Station)

• Window Managers

  • Ratpoison: an efficient and minimalist WM.

    Ratpoison. It sounds like something that kills a rat. It sure does. Ratpoison is a WM (Window Manager) that runs on Linux that has one purpose: to kill your rat. Here we are referring to that disgusting little lump beside your keyboard that shoots lasers out of its arse.

  • Get to know Linux: IceWM

    IceWM is a very clean desktop and, even though it is not highly configurable, it is a fairly serviceable desktop. With that in mind let’s take a look at what most will consider a blast from the past.

  • KPhotoAlbum Competition to Create Showcase Video – Win $100

    Today the KPhotoAlbum team has launched a competition to create the coolest showcase video for the new KDE 4 version of KPhotoAlbum. Besides fame and glory participant also has the chance to win $100 for the coolest video.

• Distributions

  • The Many Flavors of Linux

    Even the smallest amount if research into Linux will have illustrated the sheer range of distributions out there. They are all based on the original Linux kernel built by Linus Torvalds (the father of modern Linux) and can all inter-operate to varying degrees.

  • Fedora

    • Fedora Directory Server changes its name

      After long internal discussions, the Fedora Directory Server (FDS) developers have changed the name of their project to the 389 Directory Server (389DS). One of the main arguments for the name change is that the “Fedora” name, initially intended to be a generic brand for all of the Red Hat open source projects, turned out to be an obstacle preventing cooperation from other Linux distributions

    • The Countdown to Fedora 11 Begins!

      Fedora 11 is less than two weeks away. The excitement is in the air and we all can’t wait to see the product of more than a few long months of hard work. It’s prime time to start talking about what users can expect to see, highlight new features and describe some of the enhancements that we can all look forward too.

  • Ubuntu

    • Health Check: Ubuntu and Debian’s special relationship

      Ubuntu is five years old. The release of Jaunty Jackalope coincided with the fifth anniversary of a meeting that Mark Shuttleworth called of a dozen or so Debian Developers in his London flat in April 2004 to map out his project to create a distribution that was capable of taking Linux to the masses. During the five years since that meeting Ubuntu has sprung from nothing to become the most popular Linux on the street.

    • Ubuntu Fans Move Quickly to Ubuntu 9.04

      According to the poll, conducted over the past three weeks:

      * 71 percent of WorksWithU readers are already running Ubuntu 9.04
      * 11 percent planned to upgrade sometime in April
      * 11 percent planned to upgrade within three months
      * 5 percent had no plans to use Ubuntu 9.04
      * 2 percent planned to upgrade before the end of 2009

    • Time to take another look at Linux

      So during a break I showed him the Ubuntu website and we downloaded an ISO in the background and then later burned it on his XP system and booted from it. His face went something like this:

      

      

      

      =D

      Because suddenly he was staring at a fully graphical OS booted entirely from a CD… that didn’t have any malware issues… and that was free. And then I pointed out to him that Dell sells Ubuntu systems. And HP is now selling modified-Ubuntu-based systems.

• Devices/Embedded

  • 802.11n access point design taps new PowerQUICC chip

    Freescale Semiconductor and Flextronics are shipping a jointly developed reference design for an 802.11n WiFi access point. The MPC8377EWLAN 802.11N Access Point RDS is based on Freescale’s newly sampling PowerQUICC II Pro MPC8377E processor, offers 300Mbps throughput, and ships with a Linux BSP and open source applications, say the companies

Free Software/Open Source

• The Open Database Alliance: Forking MySQL?

  It’s not exactly clear what that “industry hub” will do, and to what extent it will be involved with creating and nurturing a MySQL fork. But it’s good to see that Widenius is following up his words with some action.

• about:mozilla – Webby, Design Challenge, Prism, Weave, Firefox 3.5, QMO, add-ons, Thunderbird, and more…

  In this issue…

  * Download Day gets a Webby!
  * Design Challenge “Best in Class” announced
  * Prism 1.0 beta available
  * Weaving identity into the browser
  * Front-end performance in Firefox 3.5
  * QMO: Introducing Test Dev Thursdays
  * Multiprocess Firefox project underway
  * Relicensing Wiki.mozilla.org to CC-BY-SA
  * Mozilla as a data driven community
  * The future of Add-ons

• FSF/GNU

  • Free Society Conference and Nordic Summit: Gothenburg, Sweden, 13-15th November 2009

    The Free Society Conference and Nordic Summit (FSCONS) is a meeting place for social change, focused on the future of free software and free society. The growing speed of new and innovative changes taking place within digital culture, as well as the pressing need for members of a marginalised society to gain access to important and updated information without financial or governmental barriers, means that the 2009 FSCONS will deal with an array of hot topics.

  • GNU Hackers Meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, 11-15 November 2009

  • Episode 0x0D: Stormy Peters of the GNOME Foundation

    Bradley and Karen interview the Executive Director of the GNOME Foundation, Stormy Peters.

Leftovers

• Censorship/Web Abuse

  • Time for Magna Carta 2.0

    We will run Magna Carta 2.0 as an independent campaign with as many allies and media partners as possible, such as Liberal Conspiracy.

  • Prosecutors Still Want To Pretend Lori Drew Was Convicted Of Harming Megan Meier

    The fact that Megan Meier later committed suicide has nothing to do with what Lori Drew was actually convicted of doing. The only reason to allow them to speak at the sentencing is to push for an emotional reason for the sentencing rather than a legal one.

  • Murdoch: the free Internet is over [Satire]

    ISENGARD, Wapping, Monday (NNN) — Rupert Murdoch, speaking out on the news business, stated today that “the Internet free access model is clearly malfunctioning, as I don’t make enough money from it.”

• Copyrights

  • The War on Sharing: Why the FSF Cares About RIAA Lawsuits

    In one of RIAA’s high profile cases the Free Software Foundation backed defendant Joel Tenenbaum, much to the dislike of the music industry lobby. John Sullivan, Operations Manager at the FSF explains in a guest post why they think these cases impact not just music, but also free software and its technology.

  • A Modest Proposal: Three-Strikes for Print

    Yesterday the French parliament adopted a proposal to create a “three-strikes” system that would kick people off the Internet if they are accused of copyright infringement three times.

    This is such a good idea that it should be applied to other media as well. Here is my modest proposal to extend three-strikes to the medium of print, that is, to words on paper.

  • 3-strikes MEP Toubon cut off by his own party

    Jacques Toubon – the MEP who pushed the copyright amendments in the Telecoms Package – is to quit the European Parliament after being dropped from the selection list by his own party. As a parting shot, he lashes out at the ‘terrorist tactics’ that led to Amendment 138 being carried in its original form.

  • France ignores EU and passes antipiracy law

    The French National Assembly ignored a vote last week by the European Parliament and approved its “Création et Internet” three-strikes bill on Tuesday.