10 Hours Ago - According to an ongoing debate over the GPL version 3, he does. How can this be, since Linus Torvalds, creator and chief architect of the Linux kernel, knows about software freedom and free software? He doesn't have a problem with what Richard Stallman refers to as "tivoization," which is the... (Read More)

4 Days Ago - At my last, best count, there were over 550 individual Linux distributions. From the most generic, flat installs of the most common distros to ultra-specialized, multimedia-oriented to the eye-popping, fancy ones--they're all there for the taking. I found ten distributions from among the 500 or so... (Read More)

Oct 11th, 2009 - It was exactly one year ago today that I published my original "The 10 Best Linux Distributions" and it's time to put forth a new list for this year's best. Without looking at the old list, I've decided to compile this one from scratch. This 2009 list takes several factors into account for... (Read More)

Sep 29th, 2009 - Since I check my linkbacks religiously, I noticed one of the comments over at linsux.org (An anti-Linux rant site) on my recent post, "5 Things You Can Do to Put Linux in the Driver Seat" and thought I would share one of the entries with you. He wants us Linux types to stop work on so many... (Read More)

Sep 22nd, 2009 - Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel, said at the LinuxCon in Portland yesterday that, "We are not the streamlined, small, hyper-efficient kernel I envisioned 15 years ago," he said. "Our kernel is huge and bloated. Whenever we add a new feature, it only gets worse." It's time to put Linux... (Read More)

Sep 28th, 2009 - This is a plea to all hardware manufacturers: Please create Linux drivers for your hardware. OK, so Linux isn't the Stormin' Norman of the Desktop arena but that doesn't mean its users don't want or need drivers for hardware. I don't blame the kind volunteers that donate their time to program bits... (Read More)

Jul 7th, 2009 - Quick question: What do the following things have in common? A Mythical Horned Rabbit from Douglas, Wyoming. A French-Canadian Linux Guy. An A4 Format. An African Word. A Double-sided DVD. An Abundance of Information. Give up? (Read More)

Aug 16th, 2009 - Today I'm pondering if the current open source model is still valid or if it's outdated. Do we need licensing for open source software? Do we need the GPL, LGPL, APL and all the other licenses that plague...er, grace us? If your software is free and open source, why bother with a license at all?... (Read More)

Aug 6th, 2009 - My good friend and partner in crime, Jason Perlow is working on (as I'm writing this) a new Linux distribution that is Hyper-V ready. It is a modified OpenSUSE 11.1 that includes the Linux Integration Components (ICs) from Microsoft. He'll have a link to it on his blog in a day or two for everyone... (Read More)

Aug 4th, 2009 - It's hard to convince Joe and Mary User to convert to Linux when the first things you hear from them are: "Where's my <insert stupid application here>?" "Why can't I just have <insert ridiculous thing here>?" or the ever-popular "This doesn't work like <insert overpriced application here>?"... (Read More)

May 6th, 2008 - Yesterday Sun Microsystems officially released OpenSolaris and suggested that it's going to go head-to-head with Linux as a Desktop Operating System. Solarisx86 is nothing new and has been around about as long as Linux but it is historically proprietary and closed source. It was also very... (Read More)

Jul 31st, 2009 - DATELINE - July 30, 2009 An open letter was sent to Lance Davis, primary administrator, describing the problems experienced by the other major members and contributors to the CentOS project. Here is that letter, in its entirety that's also posted on the front page at centos.org: ... (Read More)

Jul 30th, 2009 - If you haven't heard of ProxMox yet, you need to hit the site right now and grab the ISO file for the latest version (1.3) as of this writing. ProxMox is a bare metal (Type 1) hypervisor that comes with KVM (Kernel Virtual Machine) and OpenVZ technology rolled into a single system. That's right.... (Read More)

Jun 25th, 2009 - Ok, so we all know that I've been giving Fedora a bit of a black eye lately with my BaitNSwitch and Is Fedora Still Relevant posts so I've decided to give them some positive press and enter their Spins Zone. Spins are live Fedora CD images designed with a specific purpose or function in mind. ... (Read More)

Jun 3rd, 2009 - The Linux Foundation notified me a few days ago about some new member benefits and I'm excited to tell you about them. For starters, you receive discounts on their training courses and entrance to their conferences--which translates to several hundred bucks to those of you watching your budgets.... (Read More)

Jun 2nd, 2009 - I received a newsletter from rPath concerning Lean IT and it occurred to me that Linux is the keystone in each one of the elements listed in it: Virtualization, Cloud Computing and Cost reduction mandates. As more businesses work toward saving money, they'll look for ways to save on IT... (Read More)

Mar 10th, 2009 - I've had the pleasure of taking a special Debian 5.0 distribution (Debian 5.0 i386 XFCE LXDE) for a recent test drive as a virtual machine in Citrix XenServer 5.0. This single CD distribution comes with two selections for a graphical interface, XFCE and LXDE. XFCE works great and is very similar... (Read More)

May 13th, 2009 - The topic of certification surfaces every so often in technical circles--especially when job seekers face tough job competition. The value of such certifications comes into question versus that of years of experience. For experienced technicians and engineers, the opinion is that experience is the... (Read More)

May 17th, 2009 - This week I'll be at InterOp Las Vegas looking for the latest and coolest Linux-based technologies that InterOp exhibitors have to offer. My favorites are certainly the "new innovators." New innovators are small companies who've developed their own products and are trying to get noticed in the... (Read More)

May 11th, 2009 - I wonder if the Linux Foundation is prepared to go to task for us, the Linux users, the Linux supporters, the Linux developers and the Linux Foundation members? I wonder if they are our National Rifle Association (NRA)? I wonder if the Linux Foundation is prepared to meet the challenges of the... (Read More)

Apr 1st, 2009 - IBM CEO, Samuel Palmisano, announced at 12:01 am EDT that IBM has completed the purchase of Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds for $4.6 Billion in cash and stock. This unprecedented human purchase by a corporation is being met with shock and surprise within the Linux and IT communities. Palmisano... (Read More)

Mar 30th, 2009 - I can't say that I've been waiting patiently or otherwise for the upcoming April 2009 (9.04) Ubuntu release and my indifference is justified. There are some updates and OpenOffice.org 3.x is included in this release--blah blah blah. Frankly, this release is a yawn. I'm not disappointed by it--it... (Read More)

Mar 27th, 2009 - This morning I heard a news blip about a Netbook offering later this year from Verizon. Verizon? The phone company? Yep. I had to do a double-take on it too. There's talk that the Netbooks will be subsidized and cost about $100. I'm sure that price is a result of main-in rebates or vouchers for... (Read More)

Mar 18th, 2009 - Everyone from techie bloggers to technical journalists to stay-at-home moms are talking about today's big news: IBM is trying to buy Sun Microsystems. Big deal. What's in it for Linux? As a matter of fact, it is a big deal. And an even bigger deal for Linux. Sun owns MySQL, Java, Glassfish,... (Read More)

Mar 17th, 2009 - A little while ago, a friend of mine tapped me on the shoulder--virtually speaking--and asked me why there isn't an easier way to install software on a Linux computer. He asked innocently enough why we can't have a Universal Package Manager (UPM) to handle the software regardless of distribution.... (Read More)

Mar 15th, 2009 - Is there a stimulus package on the way for those who use Linux and Open Source Software? You bet there is but it might not come from where you'd expect. Too many wasted stimulus dollars have already rained down upon those who wasted their own money but this time it'll be different. Sure, it will. I... (Read More)

Mar 11th, 2009 - Cisco in the server hardware business? With VMware? Using Linux? Has the world gone topsy-turvy while I wasn't looking? If you think about it, Cisco's forte--routers--are lightweight computers that do one specific job--routing packets from one network to another. So, their foray into the dark realm... (Read More)

Mar 8th, 2009 - I've read almost a dozen articles in the past week about Netbook computers and am sorely disappointed with some of the news about them. The general consensus is that Windows dominates the Netbook space. The info was gathered from sales reports by Asus, MSI, Dell and Sylvania. This news is an... (Read More)

Feb 28th, 2009 - PCWorld announces new blog: LinuxLink. Wow, it's only taken PCWorld a mere 10 years to come up with this fantastic brainchild. I'm impressed. There's nothing quite like being on the leading edge of technological advances like Linux. I hope their rapid move in this obtuse new direction doesn't singe... (Read More)

Mar 2nd, 2009 - Here's some good news for a change: Linux-related jobs are on the rise. According to the freelance marketplace, Odesk, the number of Linux jobs has increased more than 1,400% since 2006. This sharp increase as raised some eyebrows over at The Linux Foundation and they're responding appropriately. ... (Read More)

Mar 5th, 2009 - I am proud to say that the Linux Community now has a place to land--a single place--and a great one at that: The Linux Foundation. You don't often read encouraging words from me about consolidations, mergers, buyouts and strategic partnerships but when they make sense for everyone, you do. As... (Read More)

Dec 5th, 2008 - Whether the ailing economy is real or imagined, you might be looking for ways to shed some pounds off your bloated IT budget. You should seriously consider Linux and Open Source software to put your 2009 financial appetite on a diet. Here are 10 reasons to choose Linux in a bad economy and none of... (Read More)

Feb 23rd, 2009 - Do my eyes deceive me or did Red Hat just deliver its own smackdown on the virtualization community today? I was wondering when they were going to offer a solution that combined their new acquistion, Qumranet and the KVM product. I don't have to wait any longer. The products, including the... (Read More)

Feb 21st, 2009 - I saw this article yesterday titled, "Study: Federal Gov't. Can Save Billions in IT Spending," and feel compelled to comment. The gist of the article is that by switching to open source software, like Linux and OpenOffice.org, the federal government would save billions of dollars in IT costs. ... (Read More)

26 Days Ago - The Associated Press reported this weekend that the official White House website has been switched to using the open-source Drupal content management system Using open source will result in improved security -- because more programmers will be looking for errors in the software -- as well as... (Read More)

Sep 29th, 2009 - In its ongoing effort to become the coolest city in the U.S., the mayor of Portland, Oregon, is going to attempt tomorrow night to make it an "open source city," making its data as open as possible while respecting privacy, and buying open source applications when possible. If passed by the City... (Read More)

Jun 9th, 2008 - Acer is the latest company to jump on the ultra-portable bandwagon with Aspire one, a 2.2-pound unit that sports a near-full size keyboard and can yield as much as six hours of battery life per charge, according to claims by the PC maker. Rival Asus last month began shipping the Eee PC 900, an... (Read More)

May 9th, 2009 - This coming Monday, May 11th, marks the start of the first annual openSUSE Community Week, an event conceived of by openSUSE community members to help mentor folks who want to get involved with the openSUSE open source Linux project, but don't know how to get started. The virtual conference... (Read More)

Mar 2nd, 2009 - Everyone is talking about how open source technology is the answer to budget cuts and belt tightening in the workplace. There's no denying its use is on the rise and, in fact, the Linux server market is predicted to extend into the tens of billions over the next few years. Clearly IT professionals... (Read More)

Feb 25th, 2009 - Dell is taking the netbook market by the horns, it would seem. First it refuses to accept that the Psion netbook trademark is a valid one, and now it bucks the market trend for not being able to sell Linux powered netbooks. While the netbook market seems to be moving away from Linux and selling... (Read More)