Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 15/09/2009: HP PCs to Boot Linux, gNewSense 2.3 Released



GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • OpenSolaris vs Linux
    Because OpenSolaris is advertised as a desktop distribution, it's fair to compare it with current Linux distributions. However, the first thing you notice is that the operating system is much slower than Ubuntu on the same hardware, so don't think about installing it on older hardware. For the rest it looks like a fairly standard Gnome desktop, although NetworkManager is replaced by an application called Network Auto Magic, which does more or less the same thing but has fewer features.


  • AMD solves a fundamental GPU scaling problem
    If you are thinking that Linux, and sometimes even Windows, can do multiple monitors, there is a very large problem with how some implementations work. For Windows, each monitor is it's own separate workspace, and this has some hugely important implications. If you put two monitors on Windows, and drag a video, or something that uses overlays, so it spans two screens, half of the image or movie will not display.


  • HP busts out fall PC lineup
    Both Envy machines will ship with Windows 7, by the way, and they come with the baby QuickWeb Linux environment that lets users open up the laptop and punch up a Web browser, email client, media player in a few seconds instead of waiting for Windows to load.




  • Games

    • Indie Game Studio Amazed At Linux Sales
      Koonsolo Games, an independent game studio that developed Mystic Mine, is amazed at the rate which Linux users are purchasing their game. We know that Linux gamers are excited for new games, but Koonsolo has released figures showing the proportion of Linux gamers to those on Windows and Mac OS X. Surprisingly, the Linux market-share is not in third, but second!


    • Good News, id Tech 5 Is Likely Coming To Linux
      Contrary to earlier reports stating that the forthcoming id Tech 5 engine from id Software would likely not be ported to Linux due to the involved work, cost, and lackluster Linux graphics drivers (according to John Carmack), it looks like we will end up seeing this next-generation game engine running with Linux.






  • Desktop

    • Reflections on Linux
      Additional to this website (which is by no means a successful venture, but costs me nothing to support), I run a small computer business out of Casa Grande, Arizona. After dealing with dozens of clients with their own individual needs and wants, I have come to one conclusion regarding the Linux operating system. The average user LOVES Linux!


    • Is there an easy way to adapt to Linux?
      So why is Linux different? It needed to be. The Windows way of computing is proprietary. Meaning that it can't be replicated or improved upon unless it is done by Microsoft. Microsoft decides what features the users get, they decide how you are to use your computer and they decide when to stop supporting their purchased products, the latter also decides when you buy a new computer. Because of all these restrictions, users are trapped into having to adopt other similarly restrictive products. Since this business model is copyrighted, it can't be modified, so a new way had to emerge.


    • One more Linux user, one less Windows support headache
      Not everyone is going to be as receptive to Linux as my Aunt Jean was; on the contrary, I think where Jean saw lots of opportunity for a new way of doing things, most people react with “OMG THIS IS DIFFERENT! PUT WINDOWS BACK!”, and that’s to be expected. But I think the important thing is to stick to your guns, and keep to that bargain. You’ll find that in doing so, those technically challenged friends and relatives will either be easily-supported converts, or will no longer bother you with Windows problems that need to be constantly untangled.


    • My new laptop is here! My preciousss!
      Installation 1: Ubuntu for serious work

      This installation is meant to be used for actual, productive stuff, not just fun. I booted the latest Ubuntu 9.04 64-bit CD and the real fun started. Everything worked out of the box. Simply everything.


    • Welcome to the Linux Generation
      All that being said, the move to Linux computing is becoming more noticeable now than ever before. Without the economic crisis to factor in to people’s spending decisions, people probably wouldn’t have considered the Linux option as strongly as they’re doing today. When every dollar saved counts, the decision to go Linux may be more about cost savings than anything else, but that might be what it takes to get people to try the OS computer geeks have been raving about for years. Give Linux a shot, and you might be surprised.








  • Kernel Space

    • Google File System II stalked by open-source elephant
      As Google rolls out GFS2 - a major update to the custom-built file system underpinning its online infrastructure - the company's former infrastructure don sees no reason why the open source world can't follow suit.


    • Linux 2.6.31's best five features
      2) Improved desktop speed. Due to some recent changes in the kernel, when Linux systems started running out of memory, the kernel was set up so that PROT_EXEC pages, memory pages that usually belong to currently running foreground programs were being mishandled. Instead of being kept in the memory cache, they were being written to disk until they were needed. As anyone who's ever done system optimization knows, the last place you want frequently accessed or active desktop programs is on disk. In a worst case scenario, your performance can slow down by 1000% or more. Yuck!

      But now, Linux's memory management has been improved so that currently running programs stay on top of the list of active memory pages. Technical benchmarks show that netbook users and other people who run Linux on limited memory systems can except to see a desktop that's up to 50% faster than it's been in the recent past.


    • LinuxCon Keynote Series: An Interview with IBM’s Bob Sutor
      Q: What are you most looking forward to at the debut year of LinuxCon?

      A: I always try to get an early sense of the vibe of a conference. Is there excitement among the participants? Are people looking forward to creating more technical innovation and greater business growth? Is the community expanding? Are there grand challenges that developers are ready to leap into? I think I’ll see, hear, and feel all that at LinuxCon. I’m also looking to meet in person many of the people involved with the Linux Foundation.






  • Applications

    • Getting Started with Money Manager Ex
      Money Maneger Ex (MMEX) is cross platform. The developer provides editions for both Windows and Linux (Mac users are out of luck). Proceeding to the download page, the site will detect your OS. Linux users are given choices of a download for Ubuntu, OpenSuse, and Slackware. Ubuntu users have a further choice between 32 and 64 bit versions. While not covering all of us, most people will be able to use it.


    • 4 Linux Applications To Keep Your Kids Ahead of the Game
      Kanagram mixes up the letters of a word, creating an anagram. You have to guess what the mixed up word is. Kanagram is a great children’s Linux program that features several built-in word lists, hints, and a cheat feature which reveals the original word. Kanagram also has a vocabulary editor, so you can make the game be as hard as you want it to be.


    • Five Open Source Flash Card Apps to Make Rote Learning Easier
      Chances are, when you've needed to learn something by rote memorization you've turned to flash cards (multiplication tables, anyone?). There are plenty of ways to learn things that require instant recall but few are as effective as flash cards. The next time you need to memorize a bunch of facts, give one of these desktop and mobile open source flash cards applications a try.


    • RotateRight's Zoom 1.5 Makes Linux Performance Optimization Easier Than Ever
      Zoom is an essential performance analysis tool for all Linux developers and users. Version 1.5 features several enhancements to help increase programmer productivity and optimize Linux application performance. This reduces costs by making software faster and more energy efficient. Zoom is available for $199 (USD) and offers a 30-day free evaluation period.


    • Bordeaux 1.8.4 for Linux Released
      The Bordeaux Technology Group released Bordeaux 1.8.4 for Linux today. Bordeaux 1.8.4 fixes a critical bug in our wget implementation. If you have had problems with Bordeaux 1.8.2 not installing a application we recommend you update to 1.8.4 and the problem should now be resolved. There has also been a couple other small bug fixes and tweaks.






  • Desktop Environments

    • The Bluecurve Theme For GNOME
      Bluecurve is a desktop theme for GNOME and KDE created by the Red Hat Artwork project. The main aim of Bluecurve was to create a consistent look throughout the Linux environment, and provide support for various Freedesktop.org desktop standards. It has been used in Red Hat Linux since version 8.0, and Fedora Core. Enterprising GUI artists have created themes that emulate the Bluecurve theme on other operating systems, including Windows.


    • Best of both worlds: twin
      I have mentioned a lot of console applications over the past few weeks, but usually either in conjunction with screen-vs, or with something running under X, like Musca.


    • Open-PC users choose KDE
      The first Open-PC survey is now finished. Over 12,000 people participated in our survey with interesting results: 48% choose KDE as the Desktop. 42% choose GNOME and 9% choose Xfce. 52% chose Amarok as mediaplayer and 88% choose Firefox as default Browser.








  • Distributions

    • Trisquel 3.0 STS Linux (Dwyn)
      Pros: Includes free software only. Easy install. Good selection of software. Cons: Somewhat unattractive desktop theme and wallpaper. Suitable For: Beginner, intermediate or advanced Linux users. Summary: Trisquel Linux is best suited for those who prefer not to have non-free software included in their desktop distributions. Beyond that much of what it offers can already be found in other, better known distributions. Rating: 3.5/5


    • Mandriva 64bit Review
      The excellent Mandriva Control Center allows you to most of the above. Below are a few more MCC screen shots to show how easy it is to manage your system to graphically.




    • Red Hat Family

      • Top 10 Benefits of CentOS over Fedora
        CentOS or Community ENTerprise Operating System is often compared to Fedora in various Internet forums. CentOS is essentially a community supported free and open source operating system based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It's targeted at people looking for enterprise-class operating system stability without the cost of certification and support. Whereas Fedora is a Red Hat sponsored, RPM based, free and open source operating system that runs the latest versions of software.When it comes to commercial use CentOS scores highly over Fedora. Let's see 10 benefits of CentOS over Fedora.


      • Laurus Technologies Expands Reach with RedHat Partnership
        Laurus Technologies, Inc., a privately-held Itasca, Ill.-based consulting and technology solutions provider, announced today a partnership with Red Hat, Inc. to expand its presence in the free and open source software community. Red Hat is known in the industry as a major Linux distribution vendor and a leading purveyor of middleware, applications and management products.








    • Debian Family

      • Karmic Gets New IM Session Status Icons
        Karmic's session applet icons have been updated to a new set of stylish glossy status symbols.


      • Gecko Edubook Running wattOS
        wattOS is a lightweight Ubuntu based Linux distro designed to run on low power computers and recycled systems. The main goal of the project is to create a full featured operating system with low energy consumption.


      • gNewSense 2.3 released!
        The gNewSense project is pleased to announce version 2.3 of its 100% FSF Free GNU/Linux distribution, in the form of a point update to the release codenamed ‘deltah’.


      • Pen Drive GNU/Linux - GnewSense
        Here is an how to for booting GnewSense from usb drive. GNewSense is a complete Free Operating System and is recommended by Free Software Foundation (FSF). It is derived from Ubuntu. The current version is 2.2 as of writing this post. Since the proprietary components are removed from the Kernel (Linux) and the OS it boots much faster.


      • Break Free with gNewSense 2.3
        I installed gNewSense and have taken these screenshots to share in hopes a few users will give it a shot.












  • Devices/Embedded

    • 6WIND Launches 6WINDPath Multicore Solution to Enable Simplified Networking Scalability and Performance for IP-Based Telecommunications and Enterprise Applications
      6WINDPath is an easy to install and easy to use end-to-end solution. 6WINDPath ensures any existing application running on single-core architectures, using a standard Linux networking stack, can be made to seamlessly and transparently work on a multicore-based architecture.


    • Home smart grid system runs Linux
      Control4 announced a home energy management system designed for "smart grid" interaction, and announced version 2.0 of its Linux-based Control4 Home Automation software. The Control4 Energy Management System (EMS) 100 combines an "EC-100" home area network (HAN) controller with ZigBee-enabled "WT-100" wireless thermostats and energy-management software, the company says.




    • Phones

      • Nokia launches N900 hack fest!
        The Nokia N900 net tablet’s hardware is impressive enough, but its real selling point is the all new, multitasking Maemo 5 operating system. Espoo’s proud of what it can do, and to show it off, it’s launching its very own, Nokia endorsed hacking competition for crafty coders. Want to get involved? Keep reading to find out how.








    • Sub-notebooks











Free Software/Open Source

  • Haiku OS Beta 1: Simple Is Beautiful
    Two things about Haiku stand in stark contrast to Linux. The first is the licensing -- it's far more liberally licensed than Linux, and so lends itself to being shaped and implemented in far broader ways. The other is how Haiku is developed -- as a total desktop stack, rather than a kernel plus userland tools plus windowing system plus window manager, etc., etc. It's already made a great deal of difference in terms of the way the whole thing feels and works. It embodies elegance, even if some of the individual windowing/UI metaphors are a bit aged and could use some slicking-up.


  • SpiceBird 0.7 – Strong bird to your fleet
    Still using Thunderbird? Mozilla Thunderbird is very good for sure. but If you haven’t used Spicebird yet, You are missing too much. However its still a beta.


  • Apple opens Grand Central; challenges impede Linux adoption
    Apple has opened the source code of Grand Central Dispatch, a sophisticated concurrency framework for OS X. Although this move opens the door for eventually bringing GCD to other platforms, there are still a number of licensing and technical issues that will impede efforts to adopt it on the Linux operating system.




  • SaaS

    • eyeOS 2.0 rethinks its webtop for 2010
      The eyeOS developers have announced that eyeOS 2.0 will be available on January 1st, 2010. EyeOS, dubbed the "cloud computing operating system" by its creators, is a webtop environment where a server presents the users desktop within a web browser. The Affero GPL3 licensed project, which debuted in 2005 and was released as version 1.0 in 2007, has been developing version 2.0 for a year. The result of this development is a new desktop and new focus on collaboration.


    • OpenGoo Review - DIY Web Office
      Much of project's polish is due to the fact that OpenGoo is sort of a distribution of other office productivity-related open-source projects. By tapping pre-existing components, such as the widely used FCKEditor for document creation and editing, OpenGoo has managed to progress much more quickly than if the project had been built from scratch.






  • Programming

    • SourceForge vs Google App Engine hosting
      The hosting of BleachBit's web site, bug tracker, and blog has bounced between SourceForge, Google's Blogger, Launchpad, Google App Engine, and SourceForge again. Certainly there have been some lessons learned on the strengths and weaknesses of each hosting provider. These may be useful to other open source projects choosing a web host—particularly for demanding, dynamic sites.








Leftovers

  • The Internet at 40: What's next?
    When the Internet hit 40 years old -- which, by many accounts, it did earlier this month -- listing the epochal changes it has brought to the world was an easy task.

    It delivers e-mail, instant messaging, e-commerce and entertainment applications to billions of people.




  • Intellectual Monopolies

    • The Propaganda The Copyright Industry Teaches Our Children
      None of the materials seem to recognize that technology has also changed the production, promotion and distribution of new works, and none seem to recognize that content creation can come from those outside of the big corporate entities who paid for these materials in the first place. Again, it's worth asking: why does any educational institution or education professional use such obviously biased (and at times misleading) educational materials?


    • Movie Industry Overreaction: Attacking Fan Subbers
      In this case, they're demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars from three people who helped translate a bunch of films, and run a site for more such fansubs. What a world we live in when those who do free labor for you are worthy of being sued for huge cash amounts.


    • Derivative Work
      Last year, RDR books endeavored to publish an unauthorized encyclopedia of all things Harry Potter. Warner Brothers filed suit, and the resulting litigation turned out to be a fascinating fight over the precise contours of copyright law’s “derivative work” right.


    • Dirt cheap: Techdirt bets on 'free' business models
      Heaping criticism and scorn on media companies has worked well for Mike Masnick, operator of the popular blog Techdirt.

      Mike Masnick thinks alternative business models for the music, film, and publishing sectors are out there. He wants to help find them.

      Masnick is the firey commentator who blasts copyright owners and anyone else he believes has failed to accept that in the Digital Age most of the control now rests with consumers. He strongly maintains, however, that there are still ways for entertainers, artists, and journalists to make money. They just have to be developed. Plenty of people disagree with him of course.


    • 50 Cent: Piracy Is A Part Of The Marketing
      However, when they ask him about piracy, and whether or not it makes him angry (around 2 minutes), he responds that: he sees it as a part of the marketing of a musician, because "the people who didn't purchase the material...


    • Extra Extra: An Interview with Matthew Helmke
      D&S: Why did you self-publish the book and not try to go the traditional publishing route?

      MH: I self-published the book for two reasons. First, I wanted the book to be accessible to as many students of Moroccan culture as possible and decided to license the book in a special way (using Creative Commons license) to allow people to make copies of it and share them or to make derivate works (like study guides or recordings) without fear of lawsuits (see the book’s license section for more information). Also, I didn’t feel that a major publisher would be interested in publishing a book that wasn’t likely to be a best seller even though the information was of high quality and worth publishing. However, by publishing myself and using a print on demand company, I can list the book on Amazon and make it available and easy to find for people with an interest in the topic (and I’m selling approximately one copy every two days, which is better than I anticipated).










Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day



Jim Hogg teaches GNU Linux to high school kids 03 (2008)

[an error occurred while processing this directive]



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

Recent Techrights' Posts

Slopwatch: Fakes, FUD, Duplicates, and Charlatans Galore
The Web as we once know it is collapsing. Some opportunists try to replace it with low-quality slop.
The Register UK Seems to Have Become American and Management is Changing (Microsofter as Editor in Chief)
The Register 'UK' is now controlled by the Directions on Microsoft guy
Microsoft Windows Lost 400 Million Users in a Few Years, Why Does The Register Double Down on Windows With New US Editor?
days ago they hired a new US editor
Links 25/07/2025: NOAA Cuts Endanger Lives, "Europe's Self Inflicted Cloud Crisis"
Links for the day
 
Doing My Share to Tackle Online Slop and SPAM
Trying my best to 'fix' the Web
Blaming Programming Languages for Users' and Developers' Bad Practices
That's like blaming cars for drivers who crash into things
Many People Still Read Techrights Because It Says the Truth, Produces Evidence, and Does Not Self-Censor
Unlike so many other sites
The Register is Desperate for Money, According to The Register
I decided to check how they're doing as a business
Microsoft Finally Finds a Use Case for Slop?
Create low-quality chaff to shift the media's attention?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 25, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 25, 2025
For Libel Reform One Must First Bring (or Raise) Awareness to the Issues and Their Magnitude
I myself know, from personal experience
Links 26/07/2025: Rationed Meals in the US and TikTok Repels Investments (Too Toxic)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/07/2025: "Bloody Google" and New People in Geminispace
Links for the day
Response to Solderpunk (Father of Gemini Protocol) About the Gemini Community
Solderpunk responds to non-sequitur
HTML and the Web Used to be Something a Child Could Learn, "Modern" Web is a Puzzle of Frameworks, Bloat, and Worse
When the Web was more like Gemini Protocol
New US Editor in The Register is 84% Microsoft/Windows Booster
It'll be worrying if it carries on like this
Links 25/07/2025: Slop Blunders and China Has Code of Conduct for Lawmakers in HK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/07/2025: Some Books and Babies and Capital
Links for the day
They Try to Lecture Us on Ethics
They even removed "master" from Microsoft GitHub
The Future of the Web is One Rendering Engine or 'Flavours' of Chrome
The future of the Web does not look bright at all
Best Sites Are Not Optimised for Any Browser, They Work Equally Well With All of Them
Red Hat (IBM) is making rubbish sites
YouTube is a Spamfarm, Slopfarm, and Clickfarm (a Lot of Numbers There Are Fake)
Those who don't fake look unpopular and unimportant
We Don't Do JavaScript and Pages Are Small
Thankfully Gemini Protocol has nothing like JavaScript
'Tech' is Not Technology
Some people use terms like 'Old Tech'
IBM's Debt Rose by Almost 10 Billion Dollars in the Past 6 Months Alone
The "hey hi" circus is coming to an end
Yes, Master
Gaslighting by actual racists
Microsoft Bribes and Buys Politicians to Tell Europe What to Do About Free Software (Which It's Attacking)
Microsoft: we speak for the thing that we are attacking! Follow the money...
Making Backups Quickly and Reliably
Backups are imperative, more so in an age of uncertainty, unpredictable weather, and worsening standards (quality of products going down while prices go up)
Techrights Investigation: Estimating the Point in Time LinuxIac Turned Into LLM Slop (Part of the Time)
Bobby Borisov got lazy
10th Month, Ten Weeks From Now, at Ten AM
In Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 24, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 24, 2025
A Nadella Memo Distracts From Microsoft's Cheapening Of the Workforce
Right now the "MSM" (mainstream media) is flooded/overwhelmed by garbage pieces that relay lies for Nadella
Vanishing Faces of GNU/Linux
Free software projects do not depend on any one person or company to still exist
Microsoft Says It Lost 400 Million Windows Users, Now It's Waiting for GNU/Linux to Stop Booting on 'Old' PCs
When it comes to Windows, Microsoft is fully aware of the issue and statements it made earlier this summer suggest it lost 400 million Windows users
Slopwatch: LinuxTechLab, linuxsecurity.com, LinuxIac, and More
Also: The Register's Microsoft agenda (new editor)
Gemini Links 25/07/2025: Gemtext Aware Titan Editor and Gemini Protocol Comeback
Links for the day
Links 24/07/2025: Convicted Felon Quits UNESCO, "Vibe Coding Goes Wrong", and Signalgate Gets Worse
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/07/2025: Forgejo Woes and Smolnet Directory Week
Links for the day
Misinformation is Not Intelligence
It's low-grade plagiarism and it fails to show any signs of intelligence
Links 24/07/2025: Storage Tapes Still Kicking, Windows TCO 'on Steroids' (Microsoft-Induced Catastrophes)
Links for the day
Bobby Borisov (LinuxIac) Has Apparently Begun Experimenting With LLM Slop, So We Cannot Trust LinuxIac Anymore
So did LinuxIac become a slopfarm? Maybe not yet, but it's getting there
Informa TechTarget's ITProToday is Becoming a Slopfarm Generated by Microsoft Chatbots
Busted.
'Tech' Gimmicks Are for Advertising, Not for Usability
In the case of Microsoft, they latched onto slop
BetaNews Sacked Brian Fagioli and Deleted His Comments, But He Still Tries to Use the "BetaNews" Brand for Self-Affirmation
Fagioli takes the work of other people
[Meme] Hard to Be a Better Person?
Sooner or later they'll realise that for each pound I spend they need to spend about 1,000 times more
The LLM Con Artists Are Highly Destructive
Who will ever be held accountable for this scam?
Too Bribed by Microsoft to Move to Free Software?
Microsoft lies and Microsoft bribery (in politics)
New US Editor for The Register is a Microsoft Booster
"Avram Piltch has served as US editor for The Register since July 2025."
Microsoft Hiring European Politicians is Another Form of Bribery; There Should be a European Investigation
When Microsoft bribed people in Europe for OOXML (there's no denying this!) a European government delegate said that Microsoft operated like a cult
Reda Demanded That FSF Removes Its Founder, Now Reda Works Directly for Microsoft
A sellout and a traitor, first working for GAFAM, now Microsoft
PCLinuxOS is Raising Money to Support Development After Fire Incident at the Host
PCLinuxOS has not had announcements lately
Speed of the Site Should be Better Now
The "bot attacks" impact the speed of the sister site too
Getting More From AnalogNowhere
Recently we used many images from AnalogNowhere
Microsoft, Microsofters and 'Secure' Boot Shills Already Storming the LWN Report About Expiring Certificate, Shooting the Messenger
LWN has clearly stuck a nerve
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Disable "Secure" Boot Today (the Only Better Time to Do So Was Yesterday)
Don't trust anything Red Hat tells you about security
Links 23/07/2025: Windows Killed Company After 150+ Years, US Government Mimics Russia's Attacks on the Media
Links for the day
Freedom Generally Wins at the End, History Shows (But It's Constantly Attacked, Too)
At the moment people realise "Linux" (e.g. Android) isn't enough to guarantee any freedoms
Over 3 Months Later Brett Wilson LLP Still Unable to Recruit a Media Lawyer?
"Immediate start", but not found... still unfilled