5 Free Linux Apps You Can't Do Without PC Authority: "Like a digital Swiss Army knife, these are the Linux utilities and tools that are so useful you won't know how you ever did without them." (Nov 2, 2009)
Linux Today Features
Linux Today Sticky Page On this page we'll maintain links to important articles and documents that pertain to Free Software, Linux, and the tech industry. Please submit your suggestions to editors@linuxtoday.com. Thank you! (Jun 15, 2009)
Small Features
The 10 biggest failures in IT history 10 Things: "I recently shared a list of events I believe were pivotal in shaping today’s IT industry - things like the development of COBOL and the creation of UNIX. This time around, I’ve listed a few of the biggest failures in IT..." Nov 1, 2009
Using Windows Is Like... (Nov 8, 2009, 12:03 UTC) (103 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Jamie's Random Musings: "
Fill in the blank: Using Windows is like kicking a ________ down the beach.
The correct answer is dead whale."
Installing Ubuntu 9.10 (Nov 8, 2009, 08:03 UTC) (665 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Softpedia: "We've created the following tutorial to teach Linux newcomers how to install the Ubuntu 9.10 operating system on their personal
computer. Therefore, it is addressed to people who have just heard about Ubuntu, those who have never installed Ubuntu before and want to test it, but don't know how."
Kubuntu 9.10: A Mixed Bag (Nov 7, 2009, 16:04 UTC) (2981 reads)
(5 talkbacks)
(feedback) IT News Today: "Right on schedule, the newest iteration of the popular KDE distribution “Kubuntu” has reached version 9.10 and was unleashed into the wild last week. When I checked out the previous version (9.04) I found it to be the worst Kubuntu release since the distribution’s inception."
Could Microsoft switch to Linux? (Nov 7, 2009, 12:04 UTC) (3786 reads)
(8 talkbacks)
(feedback) Cyber Cynic: "...Microsoft's future might best be served in releasing its own version of Linux that he's a Linux fan. Wrong, this prophet of Windows doom and gloom was Keith Curtis, a former Microsoft Research staffer. Could he be right? I think the answer is yes and no."
Creating Ebooks with Sigil (Nov 7, 2009, 04:04 UTC) (1452 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Linux Pro Magazine: "There are plenty of places on the Web where you can find ebooks in the EPUB format, but what if you need to create an ebook yourself? Sigil can help you with that."
Editor's Note: Making Multi-Channel Firewire Music With Linux (Nov 7, 2009, 00:15 UTC) (1699 reads)
(5 talkbacks)
(feedback) This column is a bit premature because I haven't had time to set things up and test them yet. But I'm excited about getting started, so here are some preliminary notes on multi-track recording in Linux using a Firewire device.
Amaya: A Simple, Yet Useful Alternative to Dreamweaver (Nov 6, 2009, 23:32 UTC) (3147 reads)
(5 talkbacks)
(feedback) MakeTechEasier: "While on a project, where money was scarce, we were scrambling around looking for a free or open source HTML editor that can provide us the same functionality as Adobe Dreamweaver. During my analysis of the different HTML editor out there, I came across Amaya."
Windows 7 Sales Up, But is it Really a Hit? (Nov 6, 2009, 23:02 UTC) (2929 reads)
(6 talkbacks)
(feedback) PC World: "But Apple isn't the only competition Microsoft has to worry about. Ubuntu, one of the world's more popular Linux distributions, recently launched its latest version, Ubuntu 9.10, and impressions about the new OS are largely positive."
Over clocking intel i7 on a Gigabyte EX58-Extreme (Nov 6, 2009, 22:32 UTC) (1005 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Raiden's Realm: "I'm told that the i7 920 Quad Core is really a i7 940 clock locked by Intel @ 2.65GHz. The target is the CPU, MOBO and CORSAIR 3 channel DDR3 and the goal is to bring it up to 4GHz a49% higher clock and you should take the time and locate you BIOS reset Mother Board jumper."
October 2009 OS stats: Windows 7 passes Snow Leopard, Linux (Nov 6, 2009, 20:32 UTC) (1877 reads)
(1 talkbacks)
(feedback) ars Technica: "At this point in time, Windows continues to dominate with more than 90 percent of the market, Mac OS is above the five percent mark, and Linux is just under one percent. In October, Windows was the only operating system not to show positive growth."
Google privacy controls: Most people won't care (Nov 6, 2009, 19:32 UTC) (1019 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) The Open Road: "Google's biggest threat is no longer Microsoft. It is itself.
As the company harvests copious quantities of personal data, it becomes dramatically better at serving customer needs...
...and at freaking them out over privacy concerns."
Discovering "Sita Sings The Blues" (Nov 6, 2009, 18:32 UTC) (969 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Free Software Magazine: "Sita Sings The Blues” by self-taught animator Nina Paley, may be the first feature-length animated film released under a free license (the Creative Commons By-SA)."
Google Dashboard: Convenient? Yes. Transparency, Choice and Control? Not so much. (Nov 6, 2009, 18:02 UTC) (1192 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Michael Zimmer: "Google describes Dashboard as a simple way to view “the data associated with your account”, and that it will provide users “greater transparency and control over their own data.” ...Unfortunately, Google Dashboard is none of these things."
Too Much Netbook For Too Litl? (Nov 6, 2009, 16:02 UTC) (1734 reads)
(3 talkbacks)
(feedback) Information Week: "A Boston-based startup named Litl is taking a big risk: they're betting people will go for a netbook that sports a Linux-based OS and focuses on Web-/network-based productivity (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). The risk is in the pricetag: $700"
9 Free Linux Distributions: A Linux Free For All (Nov 6, 2009, 15:27 UTC) (2299 reads)
(1 talkbacks)
(feedback) Ken Hess: "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 new distribution."
Kubuntu Linux 9.10 Review (Nov 6, 2009, 12:04 UTC) (3344 reads)
(3 talkbacks)
(feedback) Desktop Linux Reviews: "Last week I took a look at the latest release of Ubuntu. This week I thought it would be great to continue with Kubuntu Linux 9.10. For those who aren’t familiar with Kubuntu, it’s basically the KDE version of Ubuntu (Ubuntu uses Gnome as its desktop environment)."
TonidoPlug: Your Personal Cloud Server in a Plug (Nov 6, 2009, 09:04 UTC) (1537 reads)
(3 talkbacks)
(feedback) MakeTechEasier: "However, it can become a totally bad decision when the security of the cloud server is compromised or the third party providers wind up their services and all your data gone down with them. When such things happen, you might wonder why you have not heard of Tonido earlier."
SECURITY: Does Wine Make Linux Too Loose? (Nov 6, 2009, 06:04 UTC) (2216 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Linux Blog Safari: "For those Wine aficionados out there, beware of the remote possibility that your Linux system could be infected by Windows-seeking malware. "WINE running a Windows virus is nothing more than a 'stupid Linux trick' ... for now""
Package Management With Zypper (Nov 6, 2009, 04:34 UTC) (1181 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Linux Magazine: "Zypper is a command line tool for package management, it's based on ZYpp, aka libzypp. The WikiPedia entry for Zypp says:
"Unlike other common package managers, it provides a powerful satisfiability solver to compute package dependencies and a convenient package management API."
openSUSE DVD/CD cover art: Opinions wanted! (Nov 5, 2009, 23:32 UTC) (1332 reads)
(2 talkbacks)
(feedback) Dissociated Press: "Typically Novell has created the artwork for the openSUSE DVDs, but this time around we had some really interesting and creative input from openSUSE contributors.
Here are the choices:"
The Importance of an Open Internet (Nov 5, 2009, 23:02 UTC) (1069 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Community-cation: "Being against net neutrality is one of those arguments that on first glance seems reasonable. The power company, after all, charges us more as we consume more electricity--why shouldn't Internet carriers be allowed to charge based on data load and regulate traffic accordingly?"
More Reasons Why Linux Misses The Desktop (Nov 5, 2009, 21:32 UTC) (3679 reads)
(15 talkbacks)
(feedback) Information Week: "As my colleague Alex Wolfe noted, Linux hasn't made a dent in the desktop after years in the wild. The climb looks all the steeper now that Windows 7 and new versions of Mac OS X have arrived. I can think of a few other reasons why Linux hasn't achieved more than a fractional marketshare with end users, and they aren't pretty."
DOS to UNIX/Linux Translation (DOS to Linux Cheat Sheet) (Nov 5, 2009, 19:02 UTC) (1386 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Tech Source From Bohol: "The following are some of the most commonly used MS-DOS commands and its equivalent in Linux. This cheat sheet is for those of you who have just switched from Windows to Linux and are just getting acquainted with the terminal."
Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 Shines Bright (Nov 5, 2009, 18:02 UTC) (2001 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) LinuxPlanet: "Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) edition has been around since Ubuntu 8.04, and has taken on some pretty stiff competition of late from Moblin. Inquiring minds want to know which version is better for my netbook? Paul Ferrill pummels UNR in hopes of finding an answer."
Build a Silent, Standalone XBMC Media Center On the Cheap (Nov 5, 2009, 17:32 UTC) (2258 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Lifehacker: "You won't find a better media center than the open-source XBMC, but most people don't have the space or desire to plug a noisy PC into their TV. Instead, I converted a cheap nettop into a standalone XBMC set-top box. Here's how."
Cahn Seeks Court Approval of New Retention Agreement Terms for Boies Schiller (Nov 5, 2009, 16:32 UTC) (738 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Groklaw: "SCO's Chapter 11 Trustee Edward Cahn seeks to retain Boies Schiller for the SCO litigation, but at what he seems to think is a reduced rate...
We learned that Boies Schiller had offered to drop approximately $515,000 of pre-petition "fees" at the July 27th hearing about whether to convert to Chapter 7, during Darl McBride's testimony"
Fedora 12 vs. Ubuntu 9.10 Benchmarks (Nov 5, 2009, 15:32 UTC) (3666 reads)
(2 talkbacks)
(feedback) Phoronix: "With the impending release and the current development freeze, we took the compose release candidate for Fedora 12 x86_64 and have looked at how its performance compares to Ubuntu 9.10. In this article are our results, which actually show some rather large differences between Fedora and Ubuntu when it comes to the speed of the Linux desktop."
Newbie-Friendly Post-Installation Ubuntu Usability Setup Guide (Nov 5, 2009, 15:02 UTC) (1292 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Howtoforge: "This tutorial is designed for new Linux users that are familiar with Microsoft Windows. The goal is to address some of the most common issues that these people face. (Namely, media codecs, and general terminology.) I tried to write it as someone might explain it vocally; I attempted to add humor in an effort to keep it interesting, although I make no guarantees that it is actually funny."
Canonical Matching Creative Commons Donations (Nov 5, 2009, 14:34 UTC) (838 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Jono Bacon at Home: "This means that if you donate $1 to the Creative Commons, Canonical will also provide $1 until the $3000 total has been reached. "
Linux owns 32 percent of netbook market, says study
(Nov 5, 2009, 14:04 UTC) (1535 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) LinuxDevices: "ABI Research is projecting that in 2009 Linux will represent 32 percent of netbook sales, far higher than the seven percent figure claimed by Microsoft, says a report. ABI also estimates that Linux will overtake Windows on netbooks by 2013, largely due to sales in less-developed countries, says the story."
Linux for grandma & grandpa (Nov 5, 2009, 12:34 UTC) (1767 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Cyber Cynic: "Like a lot of technically savvy people, I'm the default technical support person for friends and family. I've no problem with that, but I can't spend all my time answering my mother-in-law's questions and worrying about what malware she might stumble over. So, I put desktop Linux on her laptop — and ever since then I've had a lot fewer late night calls."
Mandriva Linux 2010 is out! (Nov 5, 2009, 12:04 UTC) (1869 reads)
(4 talkbacks)
(feedback) Mandriva Blog: "Mandriva is proud to introduce its brand new release: Mandriva Linux 2010, code name Adelie. Take a look on a new desktop: smart, innovative and open!"
How to compile a kernel for Ubuntu Karmic (Nov 5, 2009, 09:04 UTC) (1998 reads)
(1 talkbacks)
(feedback) My Thoughts: "I wrote this how to because my laptop has 4GB of internal memory and with the default kernel that ships with Ubuntu Karmic the entire 4GB is not addressed.
Lets get started building our own custom kernel for Ubuntu Karmic from scratch."
Ubuntu 9.10: How To Upgrade (Nov 5, 2009, 07:04 UTC) (1680 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Packt: "In this article by Christer Edwards, you'll learn a number of different ways to upgrade an existing Ubuntu installation. Whether it is a Desktop, Laptop or Server, you'll find instructions below. These methods have been tested by volunteers around the world and should prove to be simple and problem free for you as well."
Building A Benchmarking Test Farm With Phoromatic (Nov 5, 2009, 05:04 UTC) (903 reads)
(0 talkbacks)
(feedback) Phoronix: "Today though we are announcing the public beta launch of Phoromatic. Phoromatic is a remote test management system that allows controlling any number of PTS-powered systems through a single web-based interface, which also allows all of the test results to be viewed from a central source."
The Psychology Of A Distrohopper (Nov 4, 2009, 23:33 UTC) (2267 reads)
(3 talkbacks)
(feedback) Jim Lynch: "There’s a unique breed of Linux user out there these days and they’re called “distrohoppers.” What the heck is a distrohopper?"
