2 Days Ago - Hey Windows fans, would you like to take Linux for a spin to see what everyone's buzzing about? It's easy to do in just five easy steps. You can test Linux for yourself without having to setup multibooting, worry about partitioning or installing over your current Windows system. That's right, you... (Read More)

Jul 12th, 2009 - Any list of best or worst will have its opponents and proponents and I foresee that this list of worst Linux distributions will be no different. There were, at last count, almost 300 Linux distributions and they all can't be great. But, this list of Linux distributions are, in my opinion, the worst... (Read More)

Aug 19th, 2009 - Nothing gets people in the Linux World riled up like comparing distributions, desktops or editors. But for the new Linux user, the whole thing is a bit confusing. What do we tell them? Do we verbally slug it out in forums or do we offer gentle guidance to those entering the Linux jungle for the... (Read More)

6 Days Ago - If you weren't already familiar with the likes of GNOME, KDE, XFCE, LXDE, Enlightenment and others, what would you like to see in a Linux User Interface? Whether you call it a desktop manager, a window manager, an XGUI or user interface; what do you think it needs to be successfully adopted for... (Read More)

14 Days Ago - It's a fact of life that Linux distributions go extinct and it happens more often than our Linux fan base would like to admit. At last count, there are approximately 50 individual distributions that are now extinct. What happens to the poor unfortunates who adopt and use these defunct distros? Are... (Read More)

Oct 5th, 2009 - Ubuntu has redeemed itself with its latest version 9.10 (Karmic Koala). I took a look at Ubuntu 9.10 on October 1st and have been playing around with it for a few days. My first impression is that it is good stuff--seriously good stuff. From the new, updated installer to the faster boot times, I'm... (Read More)

Oct 19th, 2009 - My "10 Best Linux Distributions of 2009" list drew a bit of disdain from some of my readers, so I thought I'd make it up to them by posting a list of Linux distributions that they like to use. Since I have no way of knowing which of these distributions is better or worse than the others, I've place... (Read More)

31 Days Ago - It's a cell phone for crying out loud. Do you get it? A cell phone. You know, you make and receive phone calls on it. It's a telephone that you carry around in your pocket. Who gives a rip whether it's equipped with a web browser, a file editor or an ice cream dispenser; it's a telephone. People... (Read More)

21 Days Ago - Have you searched for Linux distributions that are 100% free? Did you find more than one that suited your needs? Well, here's a list of nine from which you can choose your favorite. Free means freedom to alter, redistribute, sell or release as a different product with no restrictions on you or your... (Read More)

30 Days Ago - Ubuntu's CEO, Mark Shuttleworth fired one over Microsoft's bow with a statement that the soon to be released Ubuntu 9.10 is ready to go head-to-head with Windows 7 on Netbooks. He also said that Windows XP is still hanging around on some Netbooks as a "ghost." Shuttleworth wants another shot at the... (Read More)

Oct 9th, 2009 - I had the honor and pleasure of speaking to Richard Stallman a few days ago while he was in New Zealand on a speaking tour. I had been in an email conversation with him over several days asking about which software programs he uses and I finally connected with him for some clarification and more... (Read More)

Sep 14th, 2009 - A couple of weeks ago, I wrote, "Has Linux Fallen Into a Well?." It was a tale of two brothers, aka The Cave Dwellers, who had too many complaints and angst concerning the Windows XP installation on my wife's old HP DV-5000 laptop. Reinstalling XP didn't do any good the last time I did it, so I... (Read More)

Sep 27th, 2009 - This is the third entry in the continuing "cave dwellers" saga and their new lives with Ubuntu. Someone posted a comment on the previous cave dwellers entry about iTunes not working on Linux and I was absolutely sure that it did. It doesn't. Much to my surprise (and disappointment), iTunes isn't... (Read More)

Oct 5th, 2009 - You often hear the terms 'free software' and open source used interchangeably but they're not the same. In fact, true free software zealots launch into a fiery diatribe on the issue should you even utter the words "open source" when speaking of free software. Free software is not related to the... (Read More)

Sep 24th, 2009 - I will never again refer to the Linux Desktop in any of my writings beyond this post. From now on, it's the Linux User Interface, which encompasses the likes of GNOME, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, CLI and others. These Linux User Interfaces may be used on any Linux-enabled device. These interfaces are not... (Read More)

Sep 17th, 2009 - All the glass clicking and cheers of late surrounding the apparent conversion of Microsoft to the open source fold needs to stop. We need the Cold War. We need Communism. And, yes, we need the OS Wars. Like any war, the OS Wars stimulate creativity, spark religious battles and divide the wannabes... (Read More)

Sep 8th, 2009 - This year is not the year of the Linux desktop. Next year is not the year of the Linux desktop. In fact, NO year is the year of the Linux desktop. Every year, there are at least ten writers (Ashamedly, I'm included in that ten) who proclaim that the current year or the upcoming year will be the... (Read More)

May 6th, 2009 - I downloaded and installed Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) and am happy to say it's an overall success. Of course, I would say that because I love Ubuntu; it's my favorite Desktop Linux distribution and I've seen a lot of them. Being Debian-based, it is rock-solid, stable, easily updatable and a... (Read More)

Jul 26th, 2009 - I recently upgraded a friend of mine to Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop for his five-year-old Acer laptop with 512 MB of RAM. I removed Windows 2000 after backing up his precious documents, pictures and browser favorites. I installed the latest stable version of Ubuntu, restored all of his settings, Internet... (Read More)

Jul 19th, 2009 - Just like the international gang summits in Los Angeles, Linux needs a collective, "sit-down" to discuss the future of this now formidable operating system. I'm not talking about a nice little get together with keynote speakers with high-powered, 10,000 foot views of where Linux is and where it's... (Read More)

Dec 8th, 2008 - If you've always wanted to create your own Linux distribution (distro), like I have, now you can by using a tool that was originally developed to create Virtual Appliances. SUSE Studio (still currently in alpha) is a web-based tool that helps you create Linux Virtual Appliances and complete... (Read More)

Jul 24th, 2009 - Linus has spoken so get back to work and stop burning up the Internet with your hate speeches and endless ramblings about Microsoft and how this is so wrong. Linus accepted the code and gives his reasons as to why. Here's my take on the whole thing with responses to an interview with Linus done by... (Read More)

Oct 19th, 2008 - The ominous 13th entry in my ongoing Crystal Ball Sunday series highlights a somewhat controversial and oft misunderstood computing space known as Cloud Computing. As I explained in my I'm Smarter Than Larry Ellison entry, Cloud Computing allows applications to be hosted in leveraged environments... (Read More)

Jun 13th, 2009 - Back in October '08, I wrote "5 Things I Wish Linux Had" but never realized that it would inspire the heated debate (Read the comments) that it did. I also didn't realize that it would inspire an actual operating system. One of my readers commented briefly that he would take on the project. With... (Read More)

May 29th, 2009 - Perhaps it's my role as the family computer guy that's leading me in this direction today but it seems to me that there should be Linux distributions that are age-oriented and age appropriate. Seldom do I see my parents-in-law playing a heated game of Quake or doing any kernel tinkering, nor do I... (Read More)

Apr 18th, 2008 - Neither RedHat nor Novell feel the need to push for a Linux Desktop that competes with the ubiquitous Windows OS. So the two largest commercial Linux vendors are throwing in the towel in the Desktop arena. There it is. Now go by yourselves a copy of Windows Vista--and while you're at it, buy a new... (Read More)

Feb 9th, 2009 - Someone commented on one of my posts the other day, stating that Linux is a tool and not a religion. Can this be true? I would hate to think that for the past 15 years that I've invested in Linux, it would turn out that Linux is merely a tool, a--dare I say it--a monkey wrench? Say it ain't so.... (Read More)

Apr 12th, 2007 - IBM has today announced a breakthrough chip-stacking technology in a manufacturing environment that paves the way for three-dimensional chips to extend Moore’s Law way beyond traditionally expected limits. The ‘through-silicon-vias’ technology allows different chip components to be packaged much... (Read More)

Feb 15th, 2009 - Has the world gone mad? Sony is getting set to launch a cellphone with, wait for it, no less than a 12.1 megapixel camera built in. To put that in to some perspective, I take photographs for publication as part of my day to day working life as a jobbing journalist. The digital camera I use has 8... (Read More)

Feb 8th, 2009 - A week ago I was reporting how 'leaked' documents were suggesting that the PlayStation 4 would build upon existing CELL processor architecture with the Cell Broadband Engine (Cell BE). At the time I said that this was good news, not bad, in that it meant costs should be kept down and that will be... (Read More)

8 Days Ago - What do you get if you combine a computer company with a group of Vegans and someone who used to present a popular children's TV show? The less than obvious answer is a Linux computer designed especially for old people. But there you have it, and according to the press release that sits before... (Read More)

Jul 28th, 2009 - To be honest, these days it takes a new iPhone or maybe the latest Android-powered beast to get my smartphone pulse racing even if BlackBerry is the top of the smartphone pops in raw number terms. So news of a new BlackBerry, the Curve 8520 which was also know as Gemini during the many months of... (Read More)

Dec 9th, 2008 - Asus pretty much invented the whole netbook concept as we understand it today with the Eee PC, and for the longest time it sat pretty at the top of the netbook sales charts. The more astute reader might have noticed the past tense here, because Asus no longer rules the netbook roost it would seem.... (Read More)

Jun 16th, 2009 - There is little doubt that when it comes to consumer satellite navigation devices, TomTom pretty much rules the roost. There is equally little doubt that in the past it has made some pretty serious mistakes, such as introducing the world to the first virus infection distributed by a satnav device.... (Read More)

Jun 11th, 2009 - Everyone knows that China is not exactly the most Internet friendly country, in fact the Chinese government pretty much hates it. Despite being a truly connected superpower, the Chinese government has already declared war on Internet porn. Of course, the Internet is a cool tool when used as a... (Read More)

Apr 29th, 2009 - I hope I am not the only person who has occasionally thought that his mobile phone bears more than a passing resemblance to something straight out of Star Trek. Not being a Trekkie myself I cannot say whether it is a communicator or one of those handheld medical scanners, a tricorder is it? Anyway,... (Read More)

30 Days Ago - Thought you were bleeding edge with your quad-core PC? Think again. A company called Tilera today announced that it's working on a chip containing 100 processor cores, which it says could be seen by 2011. It's part of its new TILE-Gx line of 64-bit multi-core processors, the first of which--a... (Read More)

Sep 12th, 2009 - Microsoft announced a new organization this week called CodePlex, which according to its web site, is "a non-profit foundation formed with the mission of enabling the exchange of code and understanding among software companies and open source communities." Now, you don't normally see Microsoft and... (Read More)

Dec 23rd, 2006 - According to Linux.com, A few librarians working at the The Georgia Public Library have now created a new Linux-based system for content management and organization for large-scale library operations. Evergreen, the name of the system was written in a mixture of languages, including C, Perl, and... (Read More)

Jan 8th, 2009 - If your company CEO is walking around with bags under eyes, clutching a balance sheet in one hand and a bottle of Chivas in the other, it could be because she can’t get financing to keep the company going. Business Week has a great article on this topic, pointing out that the TARP money that is... (Read More)