10.19.08

Links 18-19/10/2008: Two-day Heap

Posted in News Roundup at 3:58 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Linux phone pioneer acquired
PSPP brings an industry standard statistical tool to Linux
Ten essential Linux office apps
Vista marks end of ‘planned software’

Whitehurst claimed that there are “half the number of bugs in Linux per thousand lines” compared to the Microsoft operating system, because of the open source collaborative model.
Russia’s Open Source Revolution

From what I have seen and experienced of ALT Linux, it appears to be a first class platform on which to build a strong, flexible network of Linux-driven computers.
Hands on: Revive an old PC with Linux

So what about computers more than just a few years old? Reader Graham Steel wrote to ask about his computer. He said: “I have an old IBM Thinkpad installed with Windows 98 and incapable of running newer versions of Windows, with just 96MB of Ram and a Pentium II CPU.
Switch to Ubuntu Linux not Apple Mac OS

So why are people not going over to Ubuntu? Beats me. If you are looking for commercial technical support, Ubuntu does offer that. If you are looking at extreme personalization options Ubuntu offers that, probably even more than the Mac OS. If you are looking for easy upgrades to future versions, Ubuntu offers that. If you are looking for ease of use, Ubuntu offers that. If you are looking for robustness and security, Ubuntu is the best. Ubuntu can be installed on all types of hardware and even on older hardware. Mac OS does not offer this flexibility.

The more I use Ubuntu, the more I fail to understand the lure of the Mac OS. Is it the snob value or stupidity that make people consider a Mac over Windows and not Ubuntu?
Linux powers ‘cloud’ gaming console
Updating your system: GNU/Linux 5, Windows 0

The pace of software development — regardless of the licence — is pretty fast these days. The state of your systems need constant monitoring. New features, bug-fixes and (most important) security updates need to be properly managed. Here, in no particular order, are five ways that choosing a free operating system will make system maintenance a lot easier and simpler. In short they are ways that — when it comes to system updates — GNU/Linux beats Windows.
Nine Smart Tips for Becoming an Anti-Linux Troll
Compiz-Fusion MPX Support is Complete!

I have now completed the first draft of the patches to add MPX support to Compiz-Fusion. These are only the first draft patches, so there are still tons of bugs to be fixed. After I fix those bugs, I’ll begin work on the Input Redirection patches for the rest of Compiz-Fusion.
Interesting Linux Blogs To Follow
Linux Digital Photography Studio
COM Express module runs Linux
Advice
- Introducing Open Source to the World – Part 1
- Making The Switch To Linux – Keep In Mind … (10 Ubuntu Tips)
Events/Forums
- Is the Linux Foundation allergic to the media?
- Linux Foundation to boost user ties following summit
- The Linux Foundation End User Summit
- Linux Kongress 2008
- NEP Alliance redefines ‘scope’
Kernel
- GEM Patches Submitted For Linux 2.6.28-rc1
- Greg K-H Recommends New Kernel Version Naming
- Under Kroah-Hartman’s proposal the first release of 2009 would be 2009.0.0.
KDE
- Quick Look at KDE 4.2-SVN
- KDE Relaunches Community Forums
Phones
- Almost Human: a review of Google’s Android G1 phone
- Google is calling
- Web surfing on Motorola Razr still outranks iPhone
EMC’s Linux
- Iomega tempts SMBs with low-end storage
  
  The Iomega StorCenter ix2 houses two SATA-II drives, and although it has been around now for a year or so as a storage device, it now incorporates EMC’s Linux-based LifeLine software, which has broadened the features it can offer both the small business and consumer.
Distributions
- Zenwalk: Slackware’s Moment of Zen
- Upcoming Linux Distributions in Pictures
- 25 reasons to use Linux Mint
- Debian
  - Debian as a Desktop GNU+Linux Distribution
    
    Thinking about it, I’m not entirely sure what constitutes an “end-user distribution”. Perhaps I am equating an “end-user distribution” with a “desktop distribution”. And why not? What determines if a GNU+Linux distribution is an end-user distribution? It seems to me that the packages that are available within the distribution, and the functionality of said packages, are what determines if a distribution is an end-user distribution. And, as most people are aware, Debian contains a huge amount of packages within its repositories. Packages that deliver no less functionality than those GNU+Linux distributions that everyone can agree are “end-user distributions”. Just that fact, alone, should be enough to convince anyone that Debian is, indeed, an end-user distribution.
  - Adept 3.0 Beta 4
- Ubuntu
  - Ubuntu debuts its Upstream Report
    
    Ubuntu has taken some heat over the years for its relationship with upstream projects, but the distribution seems determined to change that impression. To that end, Ubuntu has started by looking at bugs and bug reporting between the distribution and upstream projects. The visible result is the beta release of the Ubuntu Upstream Report, which displays the progress of getting bugs upstream.
  - Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex – Review & Tutorial
    
    Ubuntu gets a lovely 9/10 score. It feels good. As simple as that. If you disregard the Private folders option, which is merely okay, Ubuntu is another great step of the already proven family of distros.
  - I love Ubuntu, and here is why
  - Ubuntu 8.10 ‘Intrepid Ibex’ Beta Screenshots Tour
- Mandriva
  - Mandriva One 2009 – Kaptivating KDE
    
    I can easily say that this is one of the best KDE 4 distros out there. openSUSE has the KDE 4 desktop as default for a while now, but I should say that nothing comes close to the polish that one can see in Mandriva Linux 2009. The OS is a pleasure to use.
  - Mandriva One video tour
- OLPC
  - OLPC Releases Fedora-Based Linux Distribution for the XO Laptop
  - OLPC’s Last Billion
Fast Boot
- Reboot like a racecar with kexec
- Microsoft ‘Innovates’ Again – By Copying GNU/Linux
Proprietary
- Siteconcept to Distribute the AXIGEN Mail Server in France
- Benchmarking Flash Player 10 (Updated)

Notebooks

Everex Zonbu Notebook: Greener and safer option for new users

Individuals, especially new users, preferring better security for their saved files always opt for Linux as their operating system. The security system of Linux is difficult to be cracked and hence it is popular amongst professionals from varied organizations. However, most notebooks do not execute the operating system and its files with equal efficiency. Everex Zonbu Notebook, a recently launched laptop, is amongst those ones that are available with a version of Linux OS. Zonbu Notebook comes with a rechargeable Lithium ion battery. While undergoing normal load, the notebook gives an adequate 2-3 hours backup after full recharge. However, the backup time reduces considerably to 90 minutes when it is put under full load, whether by running heavy applications or putting it through a DVD playback test (as done in most laboratories).
Sub-notebooks
- My Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Blog
- Ultra-Portables Creep Towards £100
- EXTRA: Eee PC 900A netbook below $300
- Asus and Sub-$300 Laptops: Where the Action Will Be
- Apricot PicoBook Pro: First impressions
- The netbook newbie’s guide to Linux
  
  Thanks to their design as appliances, you can get down to useful work straight away with any of the new breed of Linux-based netbooks. But sooner or later, a fair few folk come up against the unfamiliarity of Linux. And, like the legendary tribe of pygmies, you may find yourself jumping up and down in the head-high long grass shouting out the incantation that gave the tribe its name: “We’re the Fukarwi.”
- What a Difference a Year Can Make
Signs of Change

F/OSS

Cloud Computing

Leftovers

Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day

Colin Angle, Co-founder and CEO, iRobot 03 (2005)

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