Linux News for Jul 28, 2009

• Mutt on the Android G1 (Jul 28, 2009, 23:33)
  Tip of the Trade: "I prefer to access my email via Mutt and SSH (I know, a little old-school ...): I can do this via ConnectBot, but I wanted something a bit more direct. Happily, Lauren Weinstein has written an adapted version of ConnectBot to simplify this."


• 10 of the Best Free Linux Chess Apps (Jul 28, 2009, 23:03)
  LinuxLinks: "For each application we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, screenshots, together with links to relevant resources and reviews. Start playing one of the greatest games ever devised. Have fun, play chess!"


• Buying with the Penguin (Jul 28, 2009, 22:33)
  Cyber Cynic: "I have to confess I like this new affinity Visa Platinum credit card that's being issued by the Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux."


• MySQL Sandbox: Treat MySQL Instances like Virtual Machines (Jul 28, 2009, 22:03)
  Linux Magazine: "Install isolated side-by-side MySQL instances right the first time with this time-saving virtual manager."


• BROWN?! Brown? Really, Ubuntu's Brown? UBUNTU’S ORANGE!! (Jul 28, 2009, 21:33)
  Jacob Lludkrab's Personal Weblog: "I can not believe how many people think Ubuntu’s brown, Ubuntu is not brown! It’s ORANGE!"


• Last Chance to Help a Child Get a Good Linux Computer (Jul 28, 2009, 21:03)
  Linux Today Blog: "Ok so it's not your last chance ever, but it is your last chance to support Linux Against Poverty's Austin install fest. This coming Saturday, August 1 2009, in lovely Austin, Texas, USA"


• System monitoring with Conky (Jul 28, 2009, 20:33)
  Linux and Open Source: "One of the nice advantages to Conky is that it can operate in a window-less mode, so it persistently anchors to the desktop, preventing it from being moved or closed."


• Organize your writing with Writer’s Cafe (Jul 28, 2009, 20:03)
  Ghacks: "This piece of software is a very powerful suite of writer’s tools that is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows and has a HUGE feature set perfect for making your writing task much easier. In this article we will be discussing the Linux version of the software."


• A distro odyssey - looking for the best fit, part 1 (Jul 28, 2009, 19:33)
  Distrowatch: "My trusty desktop, the PC I spent more time with than any other machine in the house, failed. It was time to replace it. My natural impatience and need to be up and running again led me to buy a new box that day, but even before I had it home I was beginning to wonder: what Linux should I use on it?"


• Pro Git book released (Jul 28, 2009, 19:03)
  Linux Weekly News: "I've been working on a book on Git being published by Apress called "Pro Git", which is being licensed under a CC 3.0 license and as I've just finished some of the final reviews, I've put the entire content of the book online..."


• Support the Linux Community Every Time You Shop (Jul 28, 2009, 18:33)
  Linux.com: "All funds raised--down to the last penny--from this program will go directly toward providing community technical events and travel grants for open source community members in order to advance Linux innovation."


• Calibre 0.6 Adds More E-Book Formats (Jul 28, 2009, 18:03)
  Linux Magazine: "Developer Kovid Goyal introduced many new features in version 0.6.0 of his Calibre e-book suite. With the 0.6.1 update, he also fixed numerous bugs."


• Microsoft on the Cusp (Jul 28, 2009, 17:33)
  Open Enterprise: "When Microsoft made its first proposal to the European Commission to settle the latter's investigation of Microsoft for possible anti-competitive behaviour in the browser sector – which was to provide a version of Windows 7 *without* any browser – I noted that this was intentionally useless, and must be the opening gambit in its regulatory chess match."


• Weekly Ten: Bacteria Computers, the MySQL Soap Opera, Machines are Smarter Than People (Jul 28, 2009, 17:03)
  Tech Source From Bohol: "A team of US scientists have engineered bacteria that can solve complex mathematical problems faster than anything made from silicon."


• Last Chance to Help a Child Get a Good Linux Computer (Jul 28, 2009, 16:35)
  Ok so it's not your last chance ever, but it is your last chance to support Linux Against Poverty's Austin install fest. This coming Saturday, August 1 2009, in lovely Austin, Texas, USA.

  Linux Against Poverty is rehabbing PCs for schoolchildren who can't buy their own. LAP has a Donations FAQ and some minimum hardware requirements:

  Specific hardware needs:

  
  LCD Monitors (We already have a surplus of CRTs)

  
  USB Thumbdrives

  
  Computers with the following specs:

  
  Ram: 512 minimum, preferably 1GB

  
  Processor: AMD 2200+ or Intel Pentuim III 900 mghtz or better

  
  Harddrive: 40 gigs

  Video: preferably cards 3D video/GL capabilities -- Both Intel chipsets as well as the Nvidia or ATI cards.

  Visit the site for information on laptops and Mac computers and other ways to support LAP, and how to sponsor or host your own LAP event.



• GNOME, KDE, and Xfce: Which Desktop is Right for You? (Jul 28, 2009, 16:33)
  Datamation: "How do you choose which GNU/Linux desktop to use? No easy answer exists, because the choice is so full of difficulties."


• Run, the Communists are coming! (Jul 28, 2009, 16:03)
  Linux and Free Software: "GNU/Linux gets attacked from so many different angles. It is hilarious to read some of the comments and allegations that are made against it. I find one particular allegation hilarious and it equates GNU/Linux to Communists. So, here we go..."


• Tech Tip: Some Useful Vim Options (Jul 28, 2009, 15:33)
  Linux Journal: "Vim is one the more popular choices of text editors for Linux. For vim, there are a few non-default options that may be useful whether editing config files or writing scripts in your favorite language."


• Say 'Cheese': OpenSolaris' Time Slider (Jul 28, 2009, 15:03)
  Serverwatch: "Whenever an operating system — however obscure — comes up with a killer feature, it's worth sitting up and taking notice. And there's no doubt that OpenSolaris' Time Slider feature is heavily armed and dangerous."


• My Sys-Con Nightmare (Jul 28, 2009, 14:33)
  Aral Balkan: "A tale of intellectual property, identity, libel, and online bullying."


• Palm webOS: The Other Linux Phone Platform (Jul 28, 2009, 14:03)
  Linux Magazine: "From my view in the cheap seats, Palm has come out swinging with its new mobile operating system, webOS."


• Upgrading from Windows XP to a Linux desktop (Jul 28, 2009, 13:33)
  Bob Sutor: "If you are going to wipe your hard drive, but before you pay a dime for Windows 7, try a Linux desktop distribution. If you don't like it, what's the worst that's going to happen?"


• Ubuntu Netbooks: Strong Demand at System76 (Jul 28, 2009, 13:03)
  WorksWithU: "As I scour the market for a potential Ubuntu netbook purchase, I've stumbled onto two interesting tidbits of info: First, Ubuntu netbook demand recently exceeded supply at System76. Second, another niche Ubuntu PC maker will introduce a netbook this August."


• Wiki founder hopes win over Apple bodes well for online freedom and Linux (Jul 28, 2009, 12:33)
  Computerworld: " The founder of a wiki site that attracted the force of Apple's legal team hopes that his stand against Apple will create a precedent that will encourage online freedom in the future."


• Graffiti Tutorial (Gimp Howto) (Jul 28, 2009, 12:03)
  Gimp-Tutorials: "Today we are going to create some realistic graffiti in the Gimp. This tutorial is partially inspired off of Photoshop tutorial by DreamDealer v5.0 at DreamDealer.nl Let's get started!"


• KDE 4.3 Shaping Up Nicely, KWin Needs Work (Jul 28, 2009, 10:33)
  OSNews: "For a very long time now, I've been on the hunt for a distribution that really put a lot of effort into their KDE4 implementation. This has been a frustrating search, full of broken installations, incredibly slow performance, and so many visual artifacts they made my eyes explode."


• Does Linux Have a 'Safe Mode'? (Jul 28, 2009, 09:03)
  Ken Hess's Linux Blog: "Umm, I think I broke it already. I can't get it to come up. It's there at a blue screen."


• Limiting the CPU usage of applications on Linux (ubuntu, debian, fedora etc.) (Jul 28, 2009, 07:33)
  Linux Tips: "Linux can prevent other applications to consume these resources and the applications work properly within a cpu limit."


• Tether an Android Phone Using Proxoid (Jul 28, 2009, 06:03)
  Linux Magazine: "Well, that's how the theory goes, anyway. In practice, however, these applications require root access to your phone's system, so you have to "root" your phone before you can tether it."


• On Pi Approximation Day, Flying Pigs and DRM (Jul 28, 2009, 04:33)
  Linux Blog Safari: "The problem with DRM is that "it inconveniences the people who generally pay for things, while not actually preventing any of the piracy"


• Palm Pre Is the Most Open Mobile Platform on the Market (Jul 28, 2009, 03:03)
  PC World: "You're lucky that you missed the review I had written of Palm's Pre after working with it for six weeks. I couldn't see the attraction."


• 20 “Really Cool” Tux Icons for Sports Enthusiasts (Jul 28, 2009, 01:33)
  Tech Source From Bohol: "Before, we've posted here several cool and funny tux icons and some scary ones too. This time, we will showcase some of the finest tux icons that sports fans/Linux-users may love."


• OSCON interview snippets (Jul 28, 2009, 00:03)
  TuxRadar: "...the TomTom case is the tip of the iceberg, because, as I've talked about earlier, it's rare things make it all the way to litigation. It's the tip of the iceberg: we know they are out there enforcing against other people who settled out of court. So they are going around shaking down people for patent licences on the FAT patents..."