Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 14/04/2009: State of Illinois Supports ODF, Firefox Extensions Extravaganza



GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • He's a Mac, he's a PC, but we're Linux
    Earlier this year the Linux Foundation launched a competition for budding writers, film makers and just general Linux enthusiasts to make their own grassroots advertisement to compete with Apple’s highly-successful “I’m a Mac” series of adverts. The winner has now been announced.


  • Linux For Absolute Beginners: 3 Easy Ways to Test-Drive Linux
    The computing marketplace is nearly unique in its lack of customer choice. In most other industries we have many good choices. If you don't like your Ford, you can buy a Toyota, Saab, Chevrolet, Audi, Dodge, or any of several other good brands. If you don't like Pepsi you can try Coke, Shasta, Western Family, RC. Ever notice how particular some people are about pens? There are dozens, if not hundreds of different styles and brands of pens. Milk comes from cows that are all pretty much the same, but you still have a choice of brands. Ever count how many different brands of tortilla chips are on your store's shelves?


  • How to end the Fail Whales? With Blue Whales.
    Before I joined IBM in September of 2007, I had just completed a project for a large government agency that needed a system that could accomplish approximately 5,500 database row inserts and reads per second, or approximately 18 million transactions per week. And as a customer requirement, we had to do it with COMMODITY HARDWARE. Read as, Intel Chips and Linux.


  • Windows dedicated site to try Linux!
    Neowin, the site which for the most part is Microsoft dedicated has just announced another revelation. Its editor Marshalus is trying out Ubuntu 9.04 beta.


  • Psystar Intros Core i7-Based PC with No Mac OS X Support
    Featuring your choice of Vista or Linux, the Open7 has enough configuration options to custom tailor this computer to meet your needs. Add up to three video cards with support for triple NVIDIA SLI for maximum performance.


  • [James Love on Apple]
    @cshirky notes Apple Works insists on proprietary file formats, and won't save to ODF. IMO, Apple sees Linux as desktop threat.


  • [But... But...]


  • Expanding Linux desktop market
    Making simple, big-button distros with lots of truly great commercial games, instant access to every conceivable media, dedicated support and brand-name endorsement by the titans like Dell or Google - it must work and it will.


  • What Price Cool? Mac vs. PC
    There are two major platforms: Apple and Windows, and Macs generally cost more than PCs. Thus ends the latest propagandistic report. But what about Linux?

    [...]

    This is not particularly earth-shattering news. Linux is never mentioned, of course, and some might argue that this report is a smokescreen to keep people from looking at the third alternative. And since this report emphasizes both short- and long-term costs and expenses, Linux is actually the elephant (or the jaunty jackalope) in the room.




  • K Desktop Environment

    • system trays
      A current assessment of KNotificationAreaIcon is that it's a really long name but it works right out of the box, including with xembed-only system tray environments, with only a few minor (though quite fixable) caveats at the moment. It needs some tweaking and polishing, but it should be in great order before 4.3.0 given it's current state.


    • improving freedesktop.org specs








  • Distributions

    • Distro Review - Arch Linux 2009.02
      After many broken promises and much procrastination, I finally made it onto Arch Linux and that’s where I’ve been for the past couple of weeks now. I had a failed attempt at Arch last year when my hard drive died; not Arch’s fault in any way, but since then I haven’t really had a chance to get back to it. It’s a distro a lot of people tell me about. The Arch fans are always really passionate and enthusiastic in describing it to me; so I figured it was high time I found out for myself what all this fuss was about…


    • My PCLinuxOS 2009.1 Desktop
      The installed KDE apps work perfectly in my PCLOS 2009 Gnome system. Great performance, no stability issues and now I have what I consider to be the best of both worlds working in harmony.


    • Enter gNewSense - the free Ubuntu
      By using gNewSense you can show that the freedom of the software you use is truly important to you. Hardware manufacturers can thereby be motivated to provide free drivers and firmware for their products and to allow transparency and innovation in this area of software production in the process. In addition, you can show the mother projects of gNewSense, Debian and Ubuntu, that you want to stick to principles and contracts consistently and are not content with phony exceptions.




    • Red Hat

      • Wake County Economic Development Launches New Video Series “Raleigh-Wake County Business Showcase”
        The first video profile for WCED will feature the Raleigh-based company Red Hat, Inc. Founded in 1993, Red Hat (www.redhat.com) is the world's leading provider of open source solutions and is one of the most recognized open source brands. Headquartered in Raleigh and with more than 65 offices across the globe, Red Hat serves global enterprises with open source technology and services. Solutions include Red Hat Enterprise Linux, JBoss Enterprise Middleware and a range of related management tools. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide.












  • Devices/Embedded

    • Review: Sandisk Sansa Clip
      I have always wanted a good quality audio player that works well with Linux and plays Ogg Vorbis files. Even though the Sansa Clip was originally released in 2007, I somehow missed it.

      [...]

      I give the Sansa Clip two thumbs up. It is affordable, it has a lot of features, it is durable... the software works well and it sounds great. It works great with Linux.


    • Will Linux overtake Windows on netbooks?
      ABI Research predicts that Linux and "alternative operating systems" (OSes) will overtake Windows XP in netbook sales by 2012. Reasons cited by ABI include the arrival of low-end ARM-based netbooks, as well as mobile stacks such as the Linux-based Android that are suited for these platforms.








Free Software/Open Source

  • Firefox

    • Install Firefox 3.6 alpha1pre Minefield in Ubuntu (from repository)


    • Firefox New Tab: Visual Update
      All has been quiet on the new tab front for the last couple of weeks. We’ve been up to two things in the process of getting the new tab ready for potential uplift into Firefox.


    • Browser wars 2009: Firefox, Chrome, & Internet Explorer
      So, while Chrome is faster and more secure and IE 8 is vastly improved over IE 7 and 6, the bottom line is that Firefox and its friends still give me a better over-all Web experience. And, when you're like me and you need to find information quickly on the Web all day long, that's no small thing.


    • Lifehacker's Favorite Firefox Extensions--Plus a Few of Our Own
      As most people who use Firefox know, its hugest advantage over other browsers is the powerful galaxy of extensions available for it. Lifehacker's top 10 list includes a few extensions that I don't use but will have to try out. In particular, I like the idea of AutoCopy, which lets you copy text online by simply selecting it, and fixes long and unweildy URLs. For anyone who writes online, it sounds like a time-saver.


    • Firefox Extensions Guide: Extend Your Experience
      If you are using Firefox and haven't yet gotten down to trying any add-ons, then hopefully this guide will help get acquainted. Sure it may seem daunting at first for the neophyte - but with a little bit of practice, you'll soon be zipping along like a pro and enjoying the experience to boot. For those of who haven't yet tried Firefox, this guide will surely help you open your horizon on what the competition offers.


    • Top 10 Must-Have Firefox Extensions, 2009 Edition
      Our new list keeps some, tosses others, and remains our go-to, Grandmaster list of the best Firefox add-ons.


    • 15 Firefox add-ons for Web developers
      They've made my work a lot easier, and they all can be downloaded in just a few seconds.








  • Licensing





  • ODF

    • Other Local Government Statistics
      Documents are available in Excel (.XLS) and OpenDocument(.ODS) formats. Before viewing the OpenDocument format you may need to download the free OpenOffice software.


    • PEAR Site Has OpenDocument Project For PHP
      This is the description of a project on the PHP PEAR site. I have to say that it looks abandoned, but that could be a false impression. Here's hoping that work continues on this. This could give every PHP developer the potential to import or export ODF documents within his project.








Leftovers

  • OneWebDay Founder Tapped By Obama
    Internet law expert Susan Crawford has joined President Barack Obama's lineup of tech policy experts at the White House, according to several sources. She will likely hold the title of special assistant to the president for science, technology, and innovation policy, they said. Crawford, who was most recently a visiting professor at the University of Michigan and at Yale Law School, was tapped by Obama's transition team in November to co-chair its FCC review process with University of Pennsylvania professor Kevin Werbach.


  • MPAA's hacking history bites it in the Aris
    THE MPAA has found that its nasty habit of paying hackers to steal emails from TorrentSpy and the Pirate Bay has ended it up in court again.


  • Obama Taps 5th RIAA Lawyer to Justice Dept.
    President Barack Obama is tapping another RIAA attorney into the Justice Department.

    Monday's naming of Ian Gershengorn, to become the department's deputy assistant attorney of the Civil Division, comes more than a week after nearly two-dozen public interest groups, trade pacts and library coalitions urged the new president to quit filling his administration with lawyers plucked from the Recording Industry Association of America.

    The move makes it five RIAA lawyers Obama has appointed to the Justice Department.






Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day



Nelson Pavlosky, Co-founder of Free Culture.org 07 (2005)

Ogg Theora





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

Recent Techrights' Posts

Windows Measured at 5.7% 'Market Share' in Philippines, GNU/Linux Rose to 5%
It was 3.62% last month
statCounter: GNU/Linux Up to 4.6%, Windows Down Sharply This Month (Almost 22% Worldwide)
Let's see it the figures stay stable throughout the month
Figures of Note: Tesla's Debt Has More Than Doubled in Two Years and It's a Symptom of a Fake Economic Order
Cash infusions by taxpayers can create "billionaires" who aren't "job creators" (see what happened to Twitter) and bring no benefits to these taxpayers, only poverty
Linux Foundation Let Linux.com Rot for Two Months and Now It Posts Ridiculous Spam
Mindless shopping site
today's howtos
some older leftovers
 
Microsoft Windows is Technically at 0% in Some Countries
It's not an important platform to target anymore
South America Has Made It (Android Majority Everywhere) and in North America New Records for GNU/Linux Usage
Windows monopoly rents cannot be salvaged
Windows Down to Only One in Six Internet- or Web-Connected Devices in Asia
it's not looking good for Microsoft
Microsoft Windows Market Share in the United Kingdom Has Fallen to About 20%
Microsoft knows the true numbers, but it would rather not tell
Links 02/12/2024: Journalists Arrested, Tesla Factories Destroying the Planet and Public Health
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/12/2024: Adventures With Bevy, Google Very Evil, Jumping Into Gemini
Links for the day
BetaNews is Still a Shrine of Microsoft, and Casually Also an LLM Slop Factory
Fake articles, anti-Linux FUD, and Microsoft propaganda make a sound "business model"?
[Meme] Cyber Monday is Not a Thing; There's No Such Thing (It's a Corporate SPAM Campaign Plaguing the Web)
Enough with these fake 'holidays' that billionaires (business oligarchs) keep inventing to make more money at other people's expense (debt)
Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) and Linux Foundation: Same Mentality of Revisionism and Plunder
Lie about history and then 'cash in'
[Meme] Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) Begs You for Donations
How does one even spend 20,000 dollars per month???
Why Software Freedom Conservancy Does Not Deserve Money (Karen Sandler is Already a Millionaire and Her Organisation Attacks Free Software Leaders)
These people speak for "Big Money" interests, not for freedom
On the internet [sic] (Lowercase), They Spread Misinformation About the Internet
Hugh Grant remembers what happened before he was born
Richard Stallman Was Getting Honorary Doctorates Almost Every Year Until 'Cancel Culture' Stepped in, Distracting From Jeffrey Epstein's Ties to Bill Gates
This finally ended... earlier this year (October)
Self-Deprecating Attacks on RMS
Drew DeVault seems to have deleted all of his social control media accounts
When Bills Are Rising, Whereas the Demand Isn't (OpenAI is Insolvent)
Latest month on record shows traffic fell about 3 times lower than earlier this year
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, December 01, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, December 01, 2024
Links 02/12/2024: Climate, Sportwashing, and Software Patents
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/12/2024: Words and Apologies, Being Rude, and Geminauts 0.1.0 Release
Links for the day
The Microsoft OSI: All the Latest Blog Posts Are Written by Microsoft Operative Salaried by Microsoft
OSI is truly occupied. Microsoft more or less 'bought' the OSI...
Links 01/12/2024: Russian Police Raiding Gay Bars, Zelensky Wants NATO Membership
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/12/2024: Recycling and Interest in Computers
Links for the day
Links 01/12/2024: 23andMe's DNA Bubble Imploded, Web Server Survey Shows Microsoft Nosediving
Links for the day
Vulture funds war-gaming Ireland loss of corporation tax revenue, Donald Trump
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gerry Hutch & Debian: suicide by Monk?
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch: criminals vs geeks, multinationals vs Ireland
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
"Microsoft suffered the next largest loss, down by 634,406 sites (-3.24%)"
Microsoft is now in only 2 of the 5 tables; over time Microsoft slips out of visibility in more categories
The Post Offices Have Turned Into Trash. They Swallow Packages and Only Spit Them Out If You Get Lucky.
Nom nom nom
Four Years of Videos (Self-Hosted, Not Social Control Multimedia)
Seeing how the "hey hi" (AI) hype spreads to GulagTube and ruins GulagTube, we're glad we need not worry about Google (Gulag) policing our "content" via supposedly 'free' (not really) platforms, such as GulagTube, the social control (multi)media "market leader"
[Meme] Hiding From Bullies Not the Solution
‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, November 30, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, November 30, 2024
If You Support Free - is in Freedom/Libre - Software, Then Support the Free Software Foundation (FSF)
2024 was the most productive year so far
CNN's Front Page is About 250 Times Heavier Than Techrights' (Also Far Slower)
Those who value performance and users' experience will give bloat the boot
[Meme] What 'Social Justice Warrior' Has Come to Mean by 2024
People who have long called themselves "SJW" aren't exactly any of those things
We Already Know What Makes Techrights So Attractive to Online Abuse and Cybercrimes
Techrights helps explain how to dismantle the 'cancel culture' against Free software (it also names the key perpetrators)
Microsoft Controlling Apache by Proxy/ies
This is a broader attack on what "Open Source" actually means
Two Years Later Sirius Open Source is Basically Dead (With a Zombie Web Site)
1 day from now it's exactly 2 years since Rianne and I resigned
[Meme] The Internet is More Fragile Than They Are Willing to Admit
If your site ready for a war on pipes and cables?
In Case Undersea Cables Are Cut...
The issue has been somewhat of a taboo - mostly overlooked or entirely ignored at times of peace
IBM is More Than 60 Billion Dollars in Debt (Which It Cannot Pay Back)
IBM debt is growing
IBM and Microsoft Fake Headcount in Exactly the Same Way (While Mass Layoffs Persist and Real Revenue Falls, Not Just Compared to Inflation Rates)
They convert profits into fake 'growth' instead of cashing in (so debt continues to soar), in effect gaming the system based on misleading metrics
Daniel Pocock Moved Up Two Spots in the Political Battles
He has made a statement about it
Links 30/11/2024: Cable Cuts Under Investigation, America’s Cemeteries Are Rewilding, Panda Protection Money Misused
Links for the day
Understanding Irish general election 2024 results Dublin Bay South
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 30/11/2024: Social Control Media Under Growing Scrutiny, Patent Propaganda Sites Still Promote a Fake Court (UPC)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 30/11/2024: SIGINT Foo and Hooking Up an Old Serial Terminal to a NetBSD Machine Over USB
Links for the day
Apache Software Foundation, Already Infiltrated by Microsoft for Well Over a Decade, Still Controlled by Proprietary Giants With Openwashing Agents
No wonder things get outsourced to Microsoft's proprietary prison (GitHub)
Tux Machines Turning Twenty a Half
Contact us if you want to join us and live not far from Manchester
Stable at Over 4% and 400+ Days' Uptime
Hopefully some time this weekend we'll find enough time to upload party photos (this site turning 18)
With a Month Left to Raise Money the Free Software Foundation (FSF) Has Already Raised 56,000 Dollars
December starts tomorrow
The Irish Have Voted, We'll Soon Know How Many Voted for a Debian Developer and Free Software Specialist
Dublin Bay South results
[Meme] The Word Security Has Been Redefined
"See what the media tells us?"
Proving Yet Again That Techrights Was Right About UEFI 'Secure Boot' All Along (Since 2012)
'Secure Boot' or 'secure' boot is about anything but security
[Meme] Growing Up and Becoming Sceptical
Social control media is a toxic weapon against what's true
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, November 29, 2024
IRC logs for Friday, November 29, 2024
Reporting Information and Facts at Times of War (and Information Wars), Dissent of Merit and Scepticism//Critical Skills Impermissible
The world is full of white-collar crime, so the more people report, the better
Links 30/11/2024: More Strongarming and Threats to Taiwan, Ananda Krishnan is Dead
Links for the day