Posts by khess

Linux distributions could use a boost in a few different areas, specifically these five: Virtualization, Graphics, Games, Point-of-Sale and Education. Some significant progress has been made in the past year or so in virtualization and graphics but there's still more to do. Everyone has their own set of ideals for Linux development but if effort is focused in each of these areas, we'll see much more mainstream adoption of Linux-based technologies.

1. Virtualization - Linux is currently the platform of choice when it comes to virtualization. VMware's ESX and Citrix XenServer are synonymous with enterprise virtualization. However, now that Microsoft's Hyper-V is on the loose, free of charge and able to virtualize almost any Linux distribution; that could rapidly change.
What's needed: Fully developed virtualization solutions that are free and include enterprise-capable management tools. Offering a free platform with shabby tools won't cut it up against Microsoft's Hyper-V product.

2. Graphics - Linux needs wider support for leading graphics cards. Yes, it's much better than it used to be in this area but how many of you have bought a hot new graphics card to find out that there are no Linux drivers for it or that they are beta and not ready for heavy production work. This drives early technology adopters to stick with Windows and to never seriously look at Linux for high-end graphics applications and work.
What's needed: Manufacturer Linux support that's equivalent to that …

As promised, here's Jason's recipes for installing Linux on Hyper-V R2: http://blogs.zdnet.com/perlow/?p=10830

The most cost-effective way would be to install CentOS (a Red Hat Enterprise clone compiled from RHEL source) and buy yourself an RHCE/RHCA study guide. Red Hat Certification exams aren't like the trivia-based exams from other vendors, you have to know the product and work with it in these exams.
I personally believe that experience far outweighs any list of certifications and that certifications are just vendor money generators.

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 to use.

So, Jason is baking a new Linux distribution that he calls the Jason Server and he's using OpenSUSE because it's free and he can build a distribution easily on Novell's SUSE Studio. The Linux ICs allow you to install Linux seamlessly onto a Hyper-V server and have everything just work out of the box, so to speak.

He tells me personally that he doesn't really want to become a distribution maintainer. However, I can't think of a better person to do it. He's messed with Linux for a lot of years, has been involved with the highest level of the Linux world, wrote for Linux Magazine for a decade and is a respected writer and commentator on all things Linux. Who better to head-up a new distribution?

I tried to get him to name his first distribution OpenSUSE Argonaut Linux but he hasn't embraced that idea as yet. I thought that he should create a whole set of distributions with his special touch called the Argonauts. It has a ring to it--Jason and the Argonauts. I don't know, maybe it's …

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>?" Honestly, it's enough to make me want to tell them to "just buy a Mac and stop calling me." Linux, after all, is for smart people and I really don't find any reason to "dumb it down" for the general population.

Linux converts feel that they must proselytize everyone they know and have them experience the awesomeness of Linux. Well, stop it--it just isn't going to work. Spend your time doing something more constructive and less frustrating. You'll be happier. They'll be happier. Apple and Microsoft will make more money, which will make them happier.

There's no need to convert the masses to Linux. Let them flounder and complain and pay you to fix their systems. Why fight it? If they buy into a Microsoft system and need you to fix it, you can charge them. On the other hand, if you convert them to Linux, you'll have to fix their system free of charge for the rest of your life because you converted them to it.

Linux is too complex for Joe and Mary User and that's as it should be. You wouldn't try to convert them to partial differential calculus just because you find …

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:

July 30, 2009 04:39 UTC

This is an Open Letter to Lance Davis from fellow CentOS Developers

It is regrettable that we are forced to send this letter but we are left with no other options. For some time now we have been attempting to resolve these problems:

You seem to have crawled into a hole ... and this is not acceptable.

You have long promised a statement of CentOS project funds; to this date this has not appeared.

You hold sole control of the centos.org domain with no deputy; this is not proper.

You have, it seems, sole 'Founders' rights in the IRC channels with no deputy ; this is not proper.

When I (Russ) try to call the phone numbers for UK Linux, and for you individually, I get a telco intercept 'Lines are temporarily busy' for the last two weeks. Finally yesterday, a voicemail in your voice picked up, and I left a message urgently requesting a reply. Karanbir also reports calling and leaving messages without your reply.

Please do not kill CentOS through your fear of shared management of the project.

Clearly the project dies if all the developers walk away.

…

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. For the price (free) of a single download, you have two distinct types of virtualization supported on the same system. KVM is fully virtualized virtual machines (VMs)and OpenVZ is a zone or container-based virtualization.

ProxMox is a web-manageable dual-purpose virtualization hypervisor. To me, it is the most powerful virtualization platform created to date. To use ProxMox, you'll need a 64-bit CPU-based system with Virtualization extensions and enabled in BIOS. I recommend at least a dual core, 4GB RAM system for testing. Production systems will need to be of higher capacity.

The KVM portion of the hypervisor supports full virtualization, booting from ISO or CD/DVD drives and almost every operating system you can imagine. Check out the list for your favorite.

Zones or containers are basically BSD "jails" that share your running kernel so that each VM is of the same type (Linux) running from the kernel on the host system. Each zone is given its own chrooted filesystem into which you can install applications without affecting other running applications or zoned virtual machines.

Zones make for an excellent development environment because every …

I can connect to it with RDP but what I see is a command prompt window and a nice cyan screen behind that. There are no local tools that I can find. This is Hyper-V on what amounts to Server 2008 Core.

I'm having a rather traumatic experience with certain Microsoft products lately. My problem is that I'm trying to "get to know" Microsoft's Hyper-V for my virtualization column over at Linux Magazine. The problem is, that to manage a true Hyper-V system remotely, you must have a Windows Vista or Windows 7 system. The problem with that is that I'm not gonna do it. I refuse to adopt either system, which in turn, will also prevent me from using Hyper-V or writing anything about it. I think that for Linux to survive and thrive as a desktop operating system, it needs some proprietary tools.

Must we follow the path of the unrighteous to survive? I believe that all this freedom and openness might be turning in on itself and hurting us in such cases. It is also surprising to note that one must have a Windows Server on which to install VMware's Virtual Center to manage VMware ESX/ESXi systems that are Linux-based.

Where's the freedom in that?

Microsoft recently made a code offering to the Linux kernel for its Hyper-V but yet won't make the remote tools available for anything but <gasp> Vista or the messianic Windows 7.

If vendors feel that they must create proprietary tools for their solutions, they might soon realize that they're cutting out a huge market for those solutions. Why not offer a web-based tool for remote management? Is security the reason? Then offer a cross-platform application to …

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 connection and documents. He immediately fell in love with the GNOME interface, the speed at which the system booted and how snappy it responded to his barrage of clicking. He was in heaven.

What came next was a bit of a shock. A few days after the "big transition," I received a frantic phone call. The conversation went something like this:

Bill: Hey, thanks for fixing up my laptop the other day.

Me: No problem. How's it going?

Bill: Well, that's the thing. It isn't going too well.

Me: What's wrong?

Bill: Umm, I think I broke it already. I can't get it to come up. It's there at a blue screen.

Me: A blue screen. No, we took Windows off of it. There's no blue screen.

Bill: No, seriously dude, there's a blue screen with a bunch of words on it and I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to do anything. Can you come over right now?

Me: <painful sigh>

Bill: I have some new beer and it's cold.

Me: I'll be right over.

Bill was outside waiting for me with a …

You have a valid point.

Stallman? A paragon of credibility? I don't know, maybe he is but he's also a certifiable whacko.
As we might say in the Great State of Texas, "He's crazier'n a peach orchard boar."

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 Linux Magazine.
Quotes from Linus are in green text.

“Oh, I’m a big believer in “technology over politics”. I don’t care who it comes from, as long as there are solid reasons for the code, and as long as we don’t have to worry about licensing etc issues.

Thank goodness he's made this clear to everyone. Thanks, Linus. It's time someone like you said "technology over politics."

So complaining about the fact that Microsoft picked a selfish area to work on is just silly. Of course they picked an area that helps them. That’s the point of open source - the ability to make the code better for your particular needs, whoever the ‘your’ in question happens to be.

Exactly. I think people forget that the operative term "open" refers to anyone, even Microsoft. They know people are going to run Linux. They've given up on the idea of an all Microsoft world and are trying to accommodate those who wish to run Linux on Microsoft products like Hyper-V.

I may make jokes about Microsoft at times, but at the same time, I think the Microsoft …

Well, for the masses, Linux is an OS. When people say "I use Linux," they are referring to an OS. It doesn't make sense to separate the two for easy communications. Linux refers generically to a Linux kernel and a distribution wrapped around it but there are so many distros that saying Linux is just much easier. Like in Texas, we say "coke" to refer to any soft drink. "Let's go get a coke" means let's go get a soft drink which may or may not be Coca Cola.
Yes, everyone uses Linux differently but we need some common goals on which to focus our efforts.

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 going. And I'm not talking about vendor booths touting the latest and greatest Linux toys or big blowout parties from a spectacle-making platinum sponsor.
What we need is a nuts and bolts, sound-proofed room, gathering of the minds and Linux thought leaders to discuss Linux, its current state, its legal standing and its future as an operating system.

It's time to get serious.

It's time to put aside our petty differences with the likes of Microsoft and Apple and just take care of business--the business of producing an operating system.

It's time to focus on the future.

We need key players and contributors from Google, Yahoo, Red Hat, Novell, Debian, Ubuntu, The Linux Foundation, Slackware, CentOS, Oracle, IBM, HP, Intel, AMD, VMware and Citrix to come together and hash out a grand plan for this once niche operating system that's grown up into the enterprise-level beast that has changed the world.

We're standing at an important crossroads in history with …

@yonnie

How about a Linogogue?

@Zeke123

It's easier to criticize than to create. I guess that's why God has so many critics. ;-)

New members: Don't forget to Gentoo-flect when in the presence of a Linux host.

Also, if you want to keep Losher, you're allowed to eat Nachos, Hamburgers, Chinese food and drink Diet Dr. Pepper. Gin and Tonic seems to be acceptable as well.

Soooo, you're saying that Steve Ballmer asked me to write this? I haven't gone that far to the dark side.

If I hadn't already known--or at least had some idea of the religious zeal I was about to face, I would have been more shocked at the response to my 2009's 10 Worst Linux Distributions post from the other day. I now have definitive evidence that Linux is a religion--a religion that spans the globe, crosses all cultural boundaries, all languages and has as much power as any other "established" religion. Today, 16 July, 39 AL (After Linus), I now officially establish The First Church of Linux.

If you seriously analyze it, Linux has all the ingredients and meets all the requirements for a religion, it has:

A divinely-inspired prophet: Linus Torvalds.
A Bible: Source code.
Individual sects: Novell, Red Hat, Slackware, etc.
Fundamentalists: Gentoo, Debian.
A Priest Class: Ubuntu.
Apostles: John 'Maddog' Hall, Richard Stallman, etc.
A Lunatic Fringe: CentOS, gOS, Google Chrome OS, Knoppix, etc.
Scribes: Developers.
Believers: You, me and millions of others.
Zealots: Those who convert by the sword (pen) and who believe that Linux is the one true way.
Martyrs: Jason Perlow and me - who get crucified on a regular basis.
An Accuser/Devil/Adversary: Steve Ballmer.
The Anti-Linus: Steve Jobs.
A Non-Profit Status.

If you want to join The First Church of Linux, let me know, I'd be glad to add you to the roll. I am the Kernel of the new church and will …

@lazlong

Now, you're getting it! The foreign language one was kidding...I said that Red Hat should have kept redneck...and there is no Eskimo Linux...at least I don't think there is.

The article is meant to do what it did, start discussions and lead to knowledge transfer. Thanks for reading. Check out my other posts...like The 10 Best Linux Distributions...that one is 100% serious though you might not 100% agree with it.

@lazlong, et al.

I think some of you are missing the point here.

I was an early adopter of Linux (1995), started the local Linux Users Group, and have done much work within the Linux community. If people would read what I wrote in the actual tone in which it was written, you'd understand it better. For example, lots of people think I'm dissing Ubuntu...and I'm not. I'm saying that to label a distribution as a Microsoft Killer is bad and Ubuntu has been listed in many places as a Microsoft Killer. That puts it at the top of the list of the worst in that respect.
Security: Astaro is a great distro. However, as I stated, when you label something with "Security", it becomes a target. Check the distros I listed there to see when they were last updated. A secure distro...to remain secure must be updated almost constantly.

@cmccullough
The thing is...that you said that I'm way, way off...and that is your opinion, is it not?

It's funny how EVERYONE assumes that they are correct and that their opinion is the standard by which all others are judged.

I mentioned the worst of the lot for each type plus some generic types that are just terrible.

@necrolin: Thanks for that, it is funny.

@matthewb

You'd be surprised to know that I'm not a WASP as you suggest. I found LFS to be difficult but it's been 3 years since I've tried it...maybe I'll give it another go on Dan's advice. As for SLAX, it's also supposed to be a platform where you'd create your own distros. Many distros are based on it. Here is a partial description: "SLAX-Live CD is a bootable live CD based on Slackware Linux distribution. All the scripts and source code are included to build your own live CD, or just download the ISO image."

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 of the lot. Beginning with the least offensive at number 10 to the least desirable at number 1, this list is a compilation of my opinions and experiences with various distributions over the past 15 years but only current distributions are included.

10. Security-enabled Distributions - If you want to get hacked and owned, just label your next distribution with the word 'Security' somewhere in its name or description and wait about 5 hours. Some offenders in this category are Astaro, NetSecL and Engarde Secure Linux. The biggest problem with these kinds of distributions is that they aren't updated regularly enough to provide the security that they tout.

9. Super-specialized Distributions - A couple of years ago I saw a Linux distribution called something like 8086 Linux. OK, I admit that it's cute but is it practical? Keep those kinds of distros in academia where practicality isn't important. The throwaways in this category include GeeXBoX, LinuxConsole and Zenwalk.

8. Minimal Desktop - How many of these do we need? Seriously, if you want a minimal desktop, install busybox, xfce or lxde and …

They have to make money somehow, plus the ads that are generated don't have to be loaded locally, they could be streamed to the OS via some other method. I guess only time will tell.

Yesterday, Google announced that they are entering the Netbook operating system market with the Google Chrome OS--a Linux-based, web-oriented effort. On the surface, I see this as yet another ploy to take my Netbook from me. No, Google won't realize any direct profits from taking over my little blue Netbook but it's another attempt at making me remove Windows from it once and for all. Now, why would they want me to do that?

Maybe I can answer that question with the following list:

1. Google Chrome
2. Google Docs
3. Google Calendar
4. Google Apps
5. Google Books
6. Google Earth
7. Google Scholar
8. Google Everything That You Can Think Of

OK, I made up the last one but I think you get my point. These are all free services, you say? Yes, they are free to use but they're going to be linked to advertising--the 'Pay per Click' (PPC) kind.

That isn't so bad, though, is it?

No, PPC advertising isn't bad at all. The ads are unobtrusive and not "in your face."

So, is there any bad news in all this?

Of course there is, otherwise why would I write about it?

The bad news is that PPC advertising isn't where this kind of Netbook is going. You'll be inundated with 'targeted' ads in your inbox, browser, applications and possibly even running along the bottom of your …

FYI and Disclaimer

I am not associated with Linux New Media or Ubuntu User in any way. I get no royalties or payments from it nor have they even asked me to write for it. But I certainly hope to contribute at some point in the future. This post is simply my excited review of a new magazine for Ubuntu enthusiasts. I hope you enjoy Ubuntu User.

Actually, Dan, Linux Pro Magazine is called Linux Magazine in the UK. Linux Format is a different publication. And guess what? The editing for the mag is done in Kansas. That's right, Kansas...home of Dorothy, Tornadoes, Jayhawks and 70MPH highway speeds. All good things come from Kansas. Ok, I'm exaggerating.

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?

Don't. But since you'll never guess it, I'll tell you.

It's the premier issue of Ubuntu User, the magazine. It's brought to you by the same people who publish Linux Pro Magazine that you've grown to know and love. And like Linux Pro, it's in that giant euro A4 format. I guess the Europeans realize that the world's population is aging and we need a bigger rag to read.

So, it's true that now Ubuntu users have their very own magazine--4 issues per year for a very reasonable $40 US subscription. I strongly suggest the subscription since individually the mag will set you back a full $15.99 per issue.

Ubuntu User, Issue #1, is on newsstands right now--shell out the $16 buckazoids and enjoy all the Ubuntu you can stand. There are articles by Marcel Gagne and Jono Bacon, a Q&A section by Ubuntu Forum guy Mike Basinger, a New Features section and in-depth interviews.

Included with Issue #1 is a double-sided DVD containing the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Jaunty Jackalope (aka Ubuntu 9.04).

I'm hoping for a long and happy life for Ubuntu User magazine and I think it's something we've needed for some time …

I'm suggesting fully functional online virtual labs. Much like the one at http://www.elastichosts.com. You can build and test out VMs free there for a limited time period.

This post has nothing to do with Michael Jackson, his death, his kids, his Neverland Ranch or anything related to him. It has everything to do with my need for a virtual laboratory where I can test virtual machines, write about them or produce other documentation about them without a significant financial outlay of my own. I call this virtual playground, Neverland, because currently it is a fantasy of mine and the way many see it--it's likely to remain so.

Last week, I posted "My Midsummer Night's Dream of A Virtual Lab" on my Virtualization column at Linux Magazine to which this is sort of a sequel.

My desire is to plead with virtualization vendors to provide a virtual laboratory with which prospective customers, resellers and technical writers may work with their products. Working with the product as the vendor intended, is worth more than even the slightest frustration caused by trying to do it yourself for the first time.

Having a virtual lab would also make it easier to compare live, running systems on a feature by feature basis. The problem with a do it yourself option is that if something doesn't work, then the potential customer becomes frustrated and installs a competitive product. Rarely does anyone blow away a system that's working perfectly to research another.

I am further proposing to call this virtual lab, Neverland. Neverland because the services would never grow old or stale. Vendors could showcase their …

You're right tmpfs is a pretty good alternative (tmpfs is based on ramfs) but it isn't dynamically resizable. I do like the idea of tmpfs using swap for unneeded pages so indeed ramfs needs improvement, hence the article.

Most often, when someone talks about a filesystem or file system, they're referring to disk filesystems such as NTFS, FAT, ext2, ext3, ext4, ISO 9660 and many others but can also refer to network file systems such as CIFS (Common Internet File System aka Samba) and NFS. A filesystem is a specially-designed database of files, their disk location, definition and attributes. Everything on a Unix or Linux filesystem is a file: Directories, processes, links, programs, and device references. All files.

But, is there a perfect filesystem?

Distributed filesystems such as Google's filesystem come pretty close. Ext4 is being praised as the best thing since French toast and VMware's VMFS is responsible for its blazing speed and high security.

But none of them are perfect.

Is there anything that creeps closer to perfect?

Yes, there is one filesystem that comes very close to perfect. It is ramfs.

It is dynamically resizable and very fast. The major downside is that there is the possibility of filling up the ramfs until there's no memory left and, as a result, the system will hang. Another downside is that the data in ramfs is not reboot persistent so any data contained in a ramfs will be lost upon reboot.

If one is clever, however, the data can be written to disk periodically to prevent its loss.

Data reads and writes to and from a ramfs mount are very fast and would be perfect …

Yes, I forgot to mention that the XFCE Spin also has the choice of LXDE. I like the interface too.

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.

For example, there are Spins sporting the XFCE window manager, an Appliance Operating System (AOS) version, a Fedora Electronic Lab (FEL) edition that supports high-end hardware, a games Spin and a Brazilian Spin (huh?). All Spins are available in 32-bit and 64-bit format. There are Spins for Fedora 8, 9, 10 and 11.

You'll have to have a BitTorrent client to download the Spins since they're all in torrent format.

I've used the XFCE Spin and am going to soon try the AOS Spin since it sounds intriguing. There's been a lot of buzz surrounding AOS from Red Hat and I'm curious to see it and test it since I do a lot of work with virtualization.
An Appliance Operating System is a stripped-down version of the Fedora distribution that includes only those pieces that are needed to make a functional system. The Fedora 11 AOS Spin is approximately 127MB so it's very stripped-down and a perfect testing ground for virtual appliances.

Spins, like all live Linux CDs, allow you to try before you commit, which is a …

Prejudices and opinions aside, at some point in your career you'll be asked to select a viable Linux distribution for your corporate network. How will you choose? Will you use the same distribution that you use at home or will you do some research and find something that's corporate-ready? Are you up to the task? Do you know what to look for in a distribution to support a corporate environment?

Here are 5 ways to decide on a Linux distribution for your corporate network.

1. Commercial Support - This is a sore subject among some Linux types since most believe they can solve any foreseeable problem or glitch that happens. When you're dealing with multiple--possibly hundreds--server systems, sometimes you need help, you need it fast and you need to have it setup and ready before you need it. Your distribution should be backed by a stable company--a community just won't do when you're faced with a major outage situation and the clock is ticking and you don't have time to troll forums or "google" for an answer.

2. Multiple Repositories - A repository is how apt-get, yum, smart and other repository querying tools reach out and grab updates and new software for your distribution. Most distributions do have multiple repositories, however, I think that if one were to count up the available number of repositories worldwide, Debian and its derivatives would have the edge. Still there's also the possibility of creating your own software repository and I …

I've been in discussions with a group of other writers, Linux distribution watchers, Linux community leaders and developers in the past few days concerning Linux commercial vs. Linux community versions and some of us came to the conclusion that Fedora's relevance has waned. In fact, it might be time to scrap it completely. Or maybe it's time for Red Hat to step up and support it formally and unconditionally.

Fedora is the only major community Linux edition that has no commercial support option from its commercial benefactor. Even OpenSolaris has commercial support from Sun.

This brings me to the question, "Does Red Hat really care about its community?"

The answer, from its policies, tell me no.

Don't get me wrong, I love Red Hat Linux--or did until my recent negative experiences with it. My first negative Red Hat experience was a few years ago when they decided to scrap what was then known as Red Hat Linux that ended with version 9.0 in 2004. They then began the infamous Fedora Project to which this post is aimed.

It seems to me, and others, that Fedora is nothing more than a early adopter testbed and package foundry and not a serious linux distro with strong community support with commercial support options.

This is unfortunate since many, like me, saw something special in Red Hat in the latter 1990s and adopted it as their platform of choice. To say the …

@r_a_trip

You're right but you took a direct quote from that conversation to analyze. I didn't say those words; they were said to me. Interesting, huh?

I do jest. This post was divinely inspired from an email conversation I had with a major Linux vendor's community manager. Some of the info here is directly lifted from that conversation. True but hard to believe.

Today, I'm announcing my new Linux company, HookLineNSinker, Inc. (HLNS) which will produce a new commercial Linux distribution: Pricey Linux. HLNS products include Pricey Linux Enterprise, Pricey Linux Small Business Server and The Pricey Linux Desktop. There are also Pricey Linux Support options for those of you who need 24x7 support for your Pricey Systems. And to comply with Linux licensing, we'll also offer a free, community edition of our Pricey Linux known as BaitNSwitch Linux.

BaitNSwitch Linux is the distribution where we test out new features, versions and options. It is to be used at your own risk and is generally not recommended for business or production use.

Why is it not recommended, you ask?

Well, BaitNSwitch is actually very stable, reliable and free but what makes it generally not acceptable for business use is that we don't provide commercial support for it--only community. Versions change often and, although we release a "stable" version and a less stable development version, we'd obviously prefer that you spend several thousand dollars per copy of our operating system, plus support and training.

We, at HLNS, want the community version users to know that there is more to free than just cost. While free (As in beer), might sound great on the surface; there's no commercial support, training or certifications to support it.

Our initial releases are as follows: Pricey Linux 1.0, the Mondo MegaBux release, is due out July 1 and soon to follow is the BaitNSwich …

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 the inspired words, "Alright then. I'll make you one," amongst the fray of negativity, a new distro was born: Xenon.

Xenon is the brainchild of British developer and student, Dan Dart. Over the past few months, Dan has gathered steam and inspired other developers and members to join the effort--most notably, Kumail Hunaid and Kevin Ghadyani who is now hosting the project on his site.

A summary of the Xenon project in Dan's own words:

Dan Dart wanted to change the world of the operating systems forever. He and Kumail Hunaid decided to come up with an operating system that was simple, unique, and had an exciting user interface ready to break the boundaries of convention. They set forth to create Project Xenon, the beginning of an operating system revolution. With a goal set, the vision for Xenon preinstalled on a majority of future hardware, is becoming a reality.

Project Xenon, codename for Xenon, shows an already working version of this futuristic operating system. The nomecature aligns with trace amounts of a noble gases citing a blend of stability and uniqueness. There will be no updates or patches. Since …

I guess my major angst with the whole plugin thing is that if your browser were a car, you'd have to install the horn before honking or install the windshield wipers while it's raining. They should just include them. There's really no reason not to.

The difficulty is when it doesn't work and you have to troubleshoot, which is often. FireFox on Linux has lots of quirks--not sure about FireFox on Windows and I've only seen a shiny yellow bar on IE, not FireFox. These are just my experiences.

FireFox 3.5 is due out by the end of June and includes some pretty interesting new features--and not a moment too soon. Some of these new features include the ability to play videos in the browser without the need to download and install a third-party plugin. It also includes TraceMonkey, which is a JavaScript Engine that is much faster (And hopefully less buggy) than the one in previous FireFox versions.

This is all good news but you realize that with every bit of good news there's something dark and mysterious waiting to be brought into the light: Plugins.

I hate plugins. Hate them. They are the bane of my online existence. Why do I need plugins? Why can't the browser just come equipped with the plugins I'll need to successfully and happily navigate through websites?
Surely the developers can come to an agreement with Adobe or whomever it is with the technology that requires a damn browser plugin to just allow them to include the plugin with the browser.

Why do I need to download and install a browser plugin just because someone has some Flash video thingy on their website?
And how often do I need to continue to send my eternal soul to the deepest, darkest reaches of hell by cursing and yelling at browser plugins that don't work or won't install?

It's very frustrating.

It is just this kind of annoying behavior that makes open source …

Yesterday, Apple announced significant price drops on many of its consumer products including the iPhone and Mac Air. This is an unusual move by Apple since it carefully controls its pricing--so much so that rarely, if ever, do its products go "on sale." So what's up with this big price drop? Is Apple out to "get" Linux?

Is Apple feeling the pressure of competition from Google's Android, Netbooks, Windows 7 or something else?

Personally, I think that Apple lowered its prices to better compete with an ever-expanding PC market, so the answer is really: All of the above. I think that Apple is feeling pressure from consumers to produce a Netbook, to get their pricing more in line with their competition and to become more of a marketing machine. Lowering their prices won't hurt their bottom line due to the coming upsurge in sales from it and they'll enjoy a larger user base that their high prices kept them from penetrating.

I don't own an i-anything for that single reason. I think that Apple stuff is good, reliable and easy to use but they are out of my budget.

So, to answer my question, "Are Apple's price drops aimed at Linux?" Not specifically, but it will have the effect of hurting further Linux uptake by Bill and Sally Consumer. It will also produce some head-scratching when decision-makers look forward to replacing existing hardware and …

Have you bought a Kindle or Kindle 2 yet? Don't--at least not until you check out the COOL-ER ebook reader. It's about the same size and weight of a Kindle--so what makes it so much cooler than the Kindle?

It could be your choice of eight cool colors, its magical portrait/horizontal page display, its high resolution (800x600) display or its extremely long battery life (8,000 page turns--it only uses battery life when turning pages). More likely it's that the COOL-ER reader is over $100 less expensive than the Kindle!

Yep, that's right. You can have an ebook reader for $249. The Kindle costs $359 by comparison.

The COOL-ER is Linux-based and is ready to deliver with 128MB RAM, 1GB storage (Expandable to 4GB--SD Card) and its Samsung® S3C2440 ARM 400MHz processor.

The only downside to the COOL-ER is that it has no wireless access so all your ebooks have to be transferred to it via a USB connection from a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux). This one lacking option might hurt its initial uptake but the price point will put it in more hands with or without wireless.

Using USB also means that you're not locked into a particular vendor for purchasing books. Google has made thousands of books available in digital format and Project Gutenberg has about 18,000 books available free of charge.

I'm wondering if a USB network interface (NIC) would make it wireless capable? It …

Intel acquired Wind River for $884 million to boost Linux adoption in the Intel Atom market. Obviously Intel sees Wind River's embedded Linux market as new opportunity for its Atom processor family. There's also buzz about multi-core processor offerings from the two in the near future.

I see this as a major blow to what we techies have historically referred to as the Wintel market. Wintel refers to Intel systems running Microsoft's Windows software. We frequently talk about Wintel boxes and Wintel architecture and I'm sure that some of that will continue but now, with this acquisition, we'll soon refer to devices as Lintel to distinguish their Linux operating system from Windows on a particular piece of hardware.

Will Lintel replace Wintel completely?

It's possible with this acquisition.

I'm looking forward to an AMD-Microsoft agreement now to counter this one. AMD offers virtualization enhancements, embedded processor technology and some of the finest processing power in the business as well but Intel has always had the edge. They (Intel) is Master and Commander of the CPU manufacturer space. AMD is, and always has been, a distant second.

Wind River is a good acquisition for Intel. This one will work for both companies and propel them into new markets and advance Linux into mainstream devices.

Who else needs to watch out for Lintel? Apple. Apple has long dominated the consumer gadget market with its iPhone, iPod …

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. Want more? How about a linux.com email address? Yep. You got it.

Those benefits are for individual members, Partners receive even bigger benefits that put the savings into the thousands of buckazoids. All benefits for both the individual and partner levels are given below as they were sent to me.

Linux Foundation Benefits:

Your own Linux.com email address with forwarding service. Don't suffer from bob.smith2315@mail.com
A weekly Linux.com "Briefing Book" with news, technical tips, and analysis to keep you ahead of the curve.
30% Off of Linux Foundation LinuxCon 2009 registration fees.
20% Discount on registration fees for Linux Foundation Training.
Partner Discounts:

35% of O'Reilly Books and E-Books
20% Off O'Reilly's Open Source Convention (OSCON)
35% of No Starch Press Publications
15% off Subscription to Linux Journal
15% off Neuros Technologies NeurosLink. The Neuros LINK allows you to watch internettv (Hulu, Youtube) as well as downloads on your TV using Linux.
50% off Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE)
$10 off every $40 order on Thinkgeek (excluding shipping and taxes)

Impressive, huh?

There's more. I know...what more could there be? …