With news yesterday that the U.S. is formally in a recession, and with broad economic strife around the world, the fact that Ubuntu doesn't cost anything to download, is easy to install, maintains higher performance numbers than Vista and is easy enough for kids to use could start to make a dent in Microsoft's desktop OS business in the PC space.
If that happens, even making Vista available for discounts on its Live Search Cashback site may not be enough to keep Ubuntu, and Linux, from getting beachhead.
In today’s article we review a fresh version of Dreamlinux, a linux distribution that promises to be good-looking, lightweight yet fully featured, with useful extras available out of the box - making it an attractive package for new users.
WebConfig currently integrates with CentOS, a popular Linux distribution based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The integrated product creates the CentralPointe Server which provides the server and network gateway functions for small and distributed environments.
Of course, both of those lists will probably grow as I use the distro more. But, using it exclusively for about 4 days now that is what I have found. Overall, I am finding it a pleasure to work with.
In other Ubuntu news, I’m considering giving my dad one of my Ubuntu laptops. He’s 88 years old and not technical. If he can adapt to it, I imagine anyone can. He never was able to figure out Windows, so on the one hand that doesn’t bode well for computer skills potential, but on the other hand there’s nothing to unlearn, either. Stay tuned.
Last month, Canonical launched Ubuntu 8.10 with significant new features and performance upgrades over previous versions. But what is becoming increasingly clear is that the free, downloadable operating system has in many critical ways caught or surpassed Microsoft's flagship desktop operating system -- and poses a significant threat to the software giant if the market catches on.
Nokia announced a home automation system based on the open source OpenWrt Linux distribution. Due in late 2009, the Z-wave wireless radio-equipped Nokia Home Control Center will let users remotely control security, automation, and energy management applications via their mobile phones, says Nokia.
Barcelona, Spain-based Tuxbrain has released an application-rich Linux distribution for the Openmoko Neo FreeRunner phone called Fat and Dirty OpenMoko (FDOM). In addition, Openmoko announced that both Tuxbrain and French design firm FaberNovel have joined the company's network of more than 20 distributors.
Motorola formally announced its MotoRokr EM35, a slider version of the EM30 music phone that runs MontaVista Linux. The phone offers Bluetooth, USB, a 3-megapixel camera, and a haptic scroll interface, as well as music playback that is said to include virtual surround effects.
Just how does the A110 hold up against the regular laptops? Well, when used with pre-installed Linpus Linux, it does live up to its advertised claims. On a cold boot, the machine fully logs into the Linpus Desktop in about 20 seconds. Wi-Fi connection is about 10 seconds. You can access all your e-mail accounts from Acer's One Mail.
Reading the New York Times Bits blog story titled "A Microsoft Veteran Embraces Open Source," I'm left with one burning question: Why is this news?
Up 17 Percent Year-Over-Year Record Media Revenue -- Up 23 Percent Year-Over-Year and 14 Percent Sequentially
Egyedi, a researcher of standards at the Technical University in Delft, the Netherlands, this Sunday emailed a public letter to representatives at of IT venders Sun, Microsoft and HP, to standard organisations ISO, Oasis and ECMA as well as policy makers at the European Commission. "ISO's approval of a second, overlapping standard will not have lessened government fears about interoperability in a multi-vendor environment. The market has become less rather than more transparent."
Similarly, if the transition chooses to make video accessible on YouTube, releasing the same video simultaneously in a standard, universal format will allow other video sites to syndicate that content as well.
Ideally, that format should be nonproprietary. But so long as the content is freely licensed (Principle #1), and free access is secured (Principle #2), transcoding would not be inhibited. The transition would thus not be supporting one platform to the exclusion of others.
Just two weeks after US District Judge William Alsup threw out wannabe Mac-clone vendor Psystar's countersuit against Apple, the One True Mac-Maker has un-holstered another weapon in its campaign to crush the Florida-based upstart.