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

Like Microsoft and IBM, the 'Alicante Mafia'-Governed EPO Does PIPs Nowadays (at the EPO, It's "Professional Incompetence Procedure")
So "PIPs" are definitely in the EPO and we saw letters sent to staff
Time for Change, More New Articles, Less Curation
The oligarchy wants to gut the real press and replace media with slop and social control media (or social control media with slop in it, i.e. their own voices, mechanised)
Almost 1,600 EPO Employees Went on Strike Last Week
There is another strike coming 2.5 weeks from now
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
You Know Microsoft's "Value" is 100% Fictional When in One Single "Trading" Day in Wall Street It Loses THREE TIMES More in "Value" Than It Was 'Worth' in 2009
Microsoft does not behave like a company riding trillions but like a company that struggles with payroll
Better Outcomes When Facing the Discomfort of Conflict
Don't take the easy way out when the "hard way" is the right way and it can result in positive revelations
Leaving the United States 3 Years Ago Was the Best Decision We Made
A lot of stuff is being consolidated
BillBC (BBC) Covered Up Pedophilia, Now It's Covering Up for Its Sponsor Bill Gates by Reprinting His Lies, Which His Own Wife Disputes
Is Bill Gates having orgies (group sex)?
 
"Sponsored by Azul" to Write Fake 'Article' About Azul, Quoting Azul Itself
The "journalism" industry [sic] became so utterly corrupt
JuristGate is for sale: three billion Swiss francs for a domain name
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 05/02/2026: Coercion, Antibiotics, and LVDT Project
Links for the day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, February 04, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, February 04, 2026
Links 04/02/2026: Extreme Malice in Microsoft's Visual Studio Code on GNU/Linux, More Hey Hi (AI) Chaos
Links for the day
Sexism & GNOME: shaming men, hiding women, Sonny Piers update
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 04/02/2026: Humanity and Animality, systemd (Controlled by Amutable, a Proxy of Microsoft) Moves on to "Extinguish" Phase
Links for the day
Certificate Authority Let's Encrypt Used to be Widely Used in Geminispace, Now It's Down to Just 0.2% of the Whole
Let's Encrypt is not your friend
What IBM Does Is Clearly Illegal in the US: Tying Severance Packages to NDAs (Non-Disparagement Agreement/Clause)
The NDAs make things worse; they keep people isolated and silent
Microsoft's Giant Snowball of Layoffs and PIPs (in 2026)
They would delay until March or April if they wanted to, but then we can expect numbers exceeding 10,000 layoffs (Microsoft always low-balls the real figure/s)
Mozilla Turned Firefox Into Shovelware, Adding 'Kill Switch' for Slop Still Means Mozilla is Participating in a Pyramid Scheme, Plagiarism, Grifting
Mozilla is still a slop pusher
Links 04/02/2026: "Laws of Succession" and Microsoft's VS Code as Code-Stealing Malware
Links for the day
Phoronix Swims With the Real Trolls, People Who Fancy Proprietary Software and Back Doors
If Larabel begins to actively participate in provocation with the "Microsoft GitHub fans club", what does this tell us about Phoronix?
They Know Microsoft Layoffs Are About to Hit Them Hard
The gaming division at Microsoft is a complete catastrophe, lots of money (debt) down the drain [...] Buying Activision was all about misleading shareholders or hiding the deep trouble/problems XBox was having
Red Hat is Not a Linux Company, It's IBM's Ponzi Scheme Enabler
Had we still been stuck in 2021, perhaps IBM would plaster "NFT" or "metaverse" all over RedHat.com
Keep Grinding
"Don't let the bastards grind you down"
Mobbing at the European Patent Office (EPO) - Part III - Who's Going to Pay for the EPO's Corruption? (Aside From European Citizens)
Some people inside the EPO reached out to us
"Investors Are Concerned About an AI Bubble" (That GAFAM and IBM Ride)
A few decades from now IBM will only be remembered in the same sense many so-called 'AI' companies will be remembered
EPO Staff Union: "Very High Strike Participation on Friday 30 January", Another Strike Starts 19 Days From Now
EPO management in a bit of a panic
Censorship/Free Speech and Social Control Media
It's important to have a grasp of how contemporary censorship works and how to tackle it
Google News as Slop Booster
this is what Google links to
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, February 03, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, February 03, 2026
Gemini Links 04/02/2026: "Raspberry Pi Relaxes the Rules for Its RP2040 Hacking Challenge" and "Long Web Society"
Links for the day
IBM Falls by Over 10%
a recipe for disasters like accounting fraud
Links 03/02/2026: Windows Copies GNU/Linux, Windows TCO Shown Again
Links for the day
Gemini Links 03/02/2026: Alhena Turns One, Slop Rejected, and Max Roy Carrouges Recalled
Links for the day
How to Identify Demonisation or Dehumanisation Tactics Against Interesting Figures or Luminaries in Free Software
Rather than in general or generally in technology
We Should Learn From Bulgaria
Why can't European companies and government recognise and react to a threat (when they see one)?
Dr. Andy Farnell on Why and How European Authorities Can Adopt Free Software, Parenting in the Age of Digital Abundance
Will Europe use technology that Europe controls (not the hegemon), for a change?
Canonical: Ubuntu is GAFAM (US), We're Resellers of American Proprietary Software
They want people to pay for a licence
Seems Like IBM Trolls Use Chatbots to Vandalise Platform That Discusses IBM's Secret Layoffs, Forever Layoffs
Not for the first time either
You Know Your Company is Dead or Basically a Pyramid Scheme When Jim Cramer Keeps Promoting Its Stock
How much does IBM pay for "puff pieces" or "fluff" about QC?
Red Hat (Under IBM) Works for Microsoft (Proprietary Software) and Slop
Yesterday Red Hat's official site, redhat.com, published exactly 5 new blog posts
IBM is Dying (More Layoffs), Red Hat Will Continue to Suffer From the Acquisition
Financial engineering
Colombia Adopting GNU/Linux Even Faster (at Microsoft's and Apple's Expense)
Do politics play any role in this?
An Effort to Tackle Slavery in 'Open Source' Clothing
"a civil rights lawsuit to examine the concerns of censored developers in the free, open source software ecosystem"
$15 billion lawsuit: Ubuntu, Google & Debian crowdfunding campaign launch
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Delusion - Part II - Why We Need to Expose the SRA to More Daylight, Public Scrutiny
SRA is neither effective nor regulated
Links 03/02/2026: "Distraction is a Sin" and Fake "Encryption" (Surveillance With Good Marketing)
Links for the day
400-Page US Federal Court Against Abuses by Google, Microsoft and Front Groups That Abuse Volunteers for American Corporations
There are 386 pages in total (in the US claim)
Corporate Influence Never Impacted Us
There's no reason to assume we'll ever "sell out"
Growth of GNU/Linux in Cuba
Right now a lot of the world drafts or already implements a GAFAM exit plan
A Day After EPO Strikes an Escalation to Heads of Delegations to the Administrative Council
They rely on the European media playing along, helping them to hide major blunders, even crimes
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, February 02, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, February 02, 2026
Gemini Links 03/02/2026: Stargazing, Development Boards, and Tcl/Tk Slop
Links for the day