Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 28/07/2009: Desktop Environment Reviews, More GPLv3-licensed Project



GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • ''Iron Linux'' – Promwad’s Motto at the Vth International LVEE Conference
    The phrase “Iron Linux” had become a motto for Promwad Innovation Company when preparing reports for V International LVEE conference. Company’s employees presented a range of presentations, the main goal of which was to show to the audience uncommon examples of application of Linux on different hardware platforms, or, in other words, show “Linux life forms in hardware and how to locate it there”.




  • UNIX

    • Say 'Cheese': OpenSolaris' Time Slider
      Whenever an operating system — however obscure — comes up with a killer feature, it's worth sitting up and taking notice. And there's no doubt that OpenSolaris' Time Slider feature is heavily armed and dangerous.


    • Timeline: 40 Years Of Unix
      AT&T-owned Bell Laboratories withdraws from development of Multics, a pioneering but overly complicated time-sharing system. Some important principles in Multics were to be carried over into Unix.

      Ken Thompson at Bell Labs writes the first version of an as-yet-unnamed operating system in assembly language for a DEC PDP-7 minicomputer.






  • Applications

    • Studio DV, Open Octave, And More
      Recently I profiled the latest LiVES video editing system, and in that article I mentioned that I intended to buy a camcorder for use with LiVES and other video editing software. Since then I purchased a Samsung SC-D382 midiDV recorder. Studio Dave is now on its way to becoming Studio DV.

      [...]

      And just for the sake of completeness I must mention that VLC can read from V4L (Video for Linux) and V4L2 devices, i.e. your webcam. Too cool.






  • Desktop Environments

    • GNOME, KDE, and Xfce: Which Desktop is Right for You?
      These are not the only desktops available for GNU/Linux. Many regard LXDE, another lightweight desktop, as an up and coming choice, although it lacks some of the polish of Xfce. Others prefer one of the time-honored window managers, or simple graphical environments, such as IceWM or FVWM, or the tiled window managers like ratpoison. Without straining, you should be able to find several dozen alternatives, most of them catering to a specific need or design philosophy.

      But, mostly, GNOME, KDE, and Xfce are the deskops that people are likely to see most often. Each is a useful place to start, and, if it doesn't suit you, one of the others can be installed in minutes. Graphical environments can be confusing in GNU/Linux, but one thing is sure -- you'll never lack alternatives.


    • LXDE 0.4.2 Review and Screenshot Tour
      I am a big fan of light desktop environments. Well, most people looking for a lighter alternative normally settle for a lightweight window manager, such as Fluxbox or AwesomeWM.








  • Distributions

    • Review: antiX M8.2 'Thasunke Witko'
      Thasunke Witko is the Oglala Lakota name for the native American more commonly known as 'Crazy Horse', one of the main leaders of the tribes who fought the white man at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.


    • Review: New Linux Mint a Desktop Lightweight at Best
      Overall, Mint 7 offers most of the software that an average user needs. Though I have issues with the OS, it still can be used as a "light" desktop.


    • Red Hat Chairman:'We spend over $100 million per year to advance Linux'
      Matthew Szulik, Red Hat's former CEO and current chairman, has been in semi-retirement for the past two years, but you'd never know it from listening to his interview with the BBC's Peter Day. Szulik, ever the revolutionary, talks up open source's opportunity to disrupt conventional software and promote social reform.




    • Ubuntu

      • Ubuntu Netbooks: Strong Demand at System76
        As I scour the market for a potential Ubuntu netbook purchase, I’ve stumbled onto two interesting tidbits of info: First, Ubuntu netbook demand recently exceeded supply at System76. Second, another niche Ubuntu PC maker will introduce a netbook this August.

        Sorry I don’t have specific “sales figures” for you. But I do have anecdotal pieces of info…


      • CrunchBang Linux 9.04 (OpenBox with Ubuntu) Review and Screenshots
        CrunchBang is a fine distro. It is very fast, and thanks to OpenBox, full of configuration options for the power user. The initial drab desktop can be configured to a very graphical environment, or left as-is.

        A casual Linux user might be better served to start with a more standard distro like Ubuntu or OpenSuse, with all the graphical eye-candy. CrunchBang ain’t pretty out of the box, but it surely gets the job done quickly!

        If you have an older machine, or are looking for a fast distro with many customization options for you to design the desktop of your dreams, then you will definitely want to try CrunchBang Linux.










  • Devices/Embedded

    • VPX board steps up to Penryn processors
      GE Fanuc has announced a Linux-compatible SBC (single-board computer) using the military-friendly VPX format. The VPXcel3 SBC341, "available in five ruggedization levels," includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, DDR3 memory, and 1GB of flash storage, according to the company.


    • $8 ARM chip touted for DDR2 support
      Atmel announced a new member of its Linux-compatible ARM9-based SAM9G family of industrial-focused embedded processors. Touted for supporting DDR2 memory and 100Mbps+ data rates, the "AT91SAM9G45" clocks to 400MHz, supports LCD touchscreens and 3.3 V power, and offers a 480Mbps USB interface, says the company.


    • Study: Wind River outpaces MontaVista
      VDC Research issued a report estimating that Wind River has pushed past MontaVista Software, taking the top spot among commercial embedded Linux providers. In a separate study on the overall embedded market, meanwhile, VDC said that real-time solutions outperformed the general embedded market last year, with nine percent growth over 2007.


    • Timesys(R) Provides First Commercial Open-Source Linux(R) Solution for the Texas Instruments OMAP-L137 Processor
      Timesys Corporation (http://www.timesys.com), provider of LinuxLink, the first commercial software development framework for building custom embedded Linux based products, today announced LinuxLink availability for the new OMAP-L137 processor from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI). This represents the first LinuxLink release for the low-power OMAP-L1x applications processors and will be followed by support for the OMAP-L138 processor.


    • OLPCsb: Deploying XO Laptops in USA Classroom (Pt 5)
      With our international program still developing, technological kinks being worked out, and our local teacher and University students still exploring and researching ways for the XO's to be integrated into the California 3rd grade curriculum, we have not yet done extensive documentation and created a resource model. We have been conducting sit-in observations of the class, and working with the teacher to understand his needs, concerns, and ideas for the future.








Free Software/Open Source

  • Graffiti Tutorial
    Today we are going to create some realistic graffiti in the Gimp. This tutorial is partially inspired off of Photoshop tutorial by DreamDealer v5.0 at DreamDealer.nl Let's get started!


  • Wiki founder hopes win over Apple bodes well for online freedom
    The open source project that aimed to get iPods and iPhones working with Linux and other software should be re-posted next month.


  • 101 Lectures for Your Open Source Education
    As a college student, open source philosophy has a lot to offer you. You can not only take advantage of the great resources open source has, but also become a part of a movement that shares more freedom of ideas. In these lectures, you’ll learn more about the open source philosophy and what it can be used for.


  • Plex celebrates 100th plug-in
    The current stable release of Plex is version 0.8.1 released under the GNU General Public License (GPL2), apart from the Plex Media Server which is currently closed source and connects to the GPL licensed client over the network.


  • Kaltura.com Tries To Position As The Open-Source Option In Video-Management
    This “Community Edition” is a free version under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.


  • Calibre 0.6 Adds More E-Book Formats
    Calibre is under GPLv3 license for Linux, Mac OS and Windows download.




  • Office Suites

    • Openoffice.org- The rise and rise of Open Source.
      OpenOffice.org 3 is developed using an open-software, "no secrets" approach. Anyone can look at the programs and suggest improvements, or fix bugs. Anyone can report problems or request enhancements, and anyone can see the response from other users or developers. The status of current and future releases is displayed on a public wiki, so you can decide if and when you want to upgrade to take advantage of new features. Anyone used to commercial software and its hyping and marketing speak will find OpenOffice.org 3 refreshingly different. Enjoy the benefits of open-source!


    • OpenGoo: An Open Source Answer To Google Apps
      What's not to like about Google Apps? It has a ton of features, it's incredibly easy to collaborate with other people, and it's free. Well, how about the fact that your data is only as accessible as Google decides to make it? If you're looking for the usefulness of a Web-based collection of office apps but want complete control over your data, OpenGoo might be just the answer you're looking for.








Leftovers





Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day



Luis Casas Luengo, Director of Extremadura's Fundecyt foundation 07 (2004)



Digital Tipping Point is a Free software-like project where the raw videos are code. You can assist by participating.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Mainstream Media is Paid to Link "AI" Criticism/Boosting to Jeffrey Epstein Enablers, in Effect Showing How Corrupt This Media Became
Many readers will have noticed what was a paid-for PR campaign of a global scale
GNU/Linux Does Not Need Social Control Media to Succeed
When it comes to Social Control Media, Richard Stallman was right
SLAPP Censorship - Part 163 Out of 200: Attack on Computer Science and on Computer Security (or Associating Back Doors and Kill Switches With "Security")
Nowadays there are many who pretend to be security professionals
 
Gemini Links 27/08/2026: Oklahoma, Tennessee, Haiku OS, Digital Resistance, and Staying Offline
Links for the day
Links 27/08/2026: Facebook to Pay Up to $17.1 Billion to Cover Up Known Harms, Nepal Landslide Kills Many
Links for the day
The Register MS Has Just Published Paid Spam That Says "AI" 19 Times
1.5 hours ago
RSS is King: Why Having Subscribers or Followers in Sites You Neither Own Nor Control is Loss of Autonomy and Search is Mostly Slop (Plagiarising Sites, Not Linking to Them)
Because digital connections in third parties aren't assets; they endow another party with tremendous power over people (e.g. MElon getting to decide who can and cannot reach people or what messages to "dim down")
Claims of Tens of Thousands of 'Silent Layoffs' at IBM (and Red Hat)
Looking at recent activity in thelayoff.com, about 80% of the comments and posts are about PIPs
Links 27/08/2026: "Flock’s CEO Is Lying to Cops" and Microsoft's GitHub Actions Breaks Down Again (Too Many Layoffs, Loss of Knowledge)
Links for the day
Clownflare Sees GNU/Linux and ChromeOS at Over 13% in Bahamas
Narrowing down to desktops and laptops, and judging by Web requests that go through Clownflare, many people there use GNU/Linux or Google's 'bastardised' version of it (with spyware preloaded)
Richard Stallman Complains That Linux Gives a Bad Name to GNU and Asks for Feedback on What's Wrong with Systemd (and Wayland)
Maybe some people want to send him a detailed, polite explanation
Increasing Focus on Patent Injustices
We'll soon cover the EPO a lot more
There's No "Next XBox"
Nothing comes ahead except layoffs and price hikes
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 26, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Gemini Links 27/08/2026: Conditioning, Lagrange 1.21, and Computer Games
Links for the day
Links 26/08/2026: Patent Troll InterDigital Utilises Software Patents in Unconstitutional Court, "WikiHow Launches Copyright Infringement Suit Against" LLM Plagiarism
Links for the day
The Register MS Has New Fake Article ("SPONSORED FEATURE") With "AI" 21 Times In It
The Register MS is one among many culprits
Gemini Links 26/08/2026: “Doomsday Clock”, Rwanda Genocide, and Boasting About Using LLMs Instead of Writing Code (Due to Employer's Pressure)
Links for the day
No Allure in Omarchy, the Political Hyenas Only Give it More Free Publicity
To me, Omarchy seems like a weak project because of the slop (an HR problem)
Twitter is Not an API or a Communication Site, It's a Really Bad Site That Forces You to be Enslaved by Its Algorithm (Amplifying Its Owner's Worldviews)
the crackdown on Nitter means we should all avoid accessing or linking to x.com (Twitter)
Don't Let Bastards and Haters Grind You Down
They say "jealousy is the sincerest form of flattery"
GNU/Linux Rose in Caribbean Islands
combined population is measured at 44,182,048
IBM's Quantum Computing Lies Explained Again by Sabine Hossenfelder
To become a CEO at IBM one must lie
Controlling Culture and Social Behaviour by Digital Locks
if you don't fully control the technology in your possession, then you're not using that technology, this technology covertly uses you
Goodbye, Dolly
This week we say "goodbye, Dolly."
Links 26/08/2026: Election Bribery (aka Vote-Buying) Deemed "OK" in the US, "Nitter is Shutting Down After a Cease and Desist Letter" by MElon
Links for the day
Analogue So Much Better and Faster
From what we can gather, the tram ticketing system does not use Windows; we never saw it crashing or rebooting (or showing some Windows logo) in decades, so we assume it runs some kind of Linux
Linux Today Dumped All Social Control Media Last December
Linux Today seems to have concluded that all Social Control Media is just a waste of time
Don't Say X.com is OK Because People Can Access It by Alternative Means
Can Mozilla please clarify who inside Mozilla greenlit a return to X.com?
The Reach of techrights.org Is Increasing
We are on the side of women victims
SLAPP Censorship - Part 162 Out of 200: An Outline of Events
An outline of events
Pushed to Live
We still have some other work - stuff related to the editing of pages - which is work in progress and has been subjected to testing for many months
GNU/Linux Measured at 10% in Germany, Based on Cloudflare
It's peaking late at night
Richard Stallman's GNU Project Began 42 Years Ago With GNU Emacs and More
GNU Project announced almost 43 years ago (next month it's the anniversary)
Fake Articles "Sponsored by HPE" Published in The Register MS
Selling proprietary products as 'alternatives' to other proprietary products
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Gemini Links 26/08/2026: Journal Plans and Extending Finger Protocol
Links for the day
How Many Web Requests From "Linux"...
If one was to assert that "Linux == Android" or "Android == Linux" (it's not that simple), then "Linux" already accounts for about 30% of Web requests
An Explainer About Injunctions Done Wrong - Part I - Saving Money Where Money Cannot be Saved
Of course Garrett not being able to afford his own case is a key factor here
Links 25/08/2026: "U.S. Marines Cancel Drill With South Korea", "UK Prime Minister Burnham Arrives in Ukraine"
Links for the day
Not for the First Time This Week, Site Called "It's FOSS" is Promoting Software That is NOT FOSS (And It Knows It)
Is this an editorial choice? Advertising? What is it?
Gemini Links 25/08/2026: Geometry and FidoNet History, "Goodbye I2P and Yggdrasil, Welcome Telnet!"
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2026: Microsoft Salaries Leaked Again, "Oasis Photograph Sparks Copyright Lawsuit"
Links for the day
Microsoft Trots Out Its Propaganda Agent Preston Gralla to Make It Sound Like Microsoft Breaks Up With China (Reality: Microsoft Got Dumped by China)
This discredits any publisher that plays along
GNU/Linux Did Not Start in 1991 and America Wasn't Discovered by Europeans
it'll be 43 next month
SLAPP Censorship - Part 161 Out of 200: Low Standards in Defamation Cases Just Muddy the Waters and Distract From Legitimate Cases
The judge at the trial said that Garrett's case was a waste of the court's money
Rolling Out Some Changes Soon
To the regular reader no change will be seen
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, August 24, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, August 24, 2026
Gemini Links 25/08/2026: Separated by Plexiglass, Low-Tech Information Networks, Jörg Rippel Comes to Geminispace
Links for the day