Dell Sells Ubuntu Boxes That Cannot Run Ubuntu bitsenbloc: "However, when opening the box I found something suspicious, the DVD provided by Dell was not a standard Ubuntu, but a version that contains a + after the number of the version. This Ubuntu is not free because it is written "Do not distribute" on the DVD." (Dec 31, 2008)
Linux Today Features
Microsoft Sends Its "Partners" to Prison Boycott Novell: ""It's easier for our software to compete with Linux when there's piracy than when there's not." -Bill Gates (2007) " (Jan 3, 2009)
Small Features
MD5 Considered Harmful (and what that means to you) emmajane's blog: "You know the lock icon in your browser that tells you your banking Web site is safe and you are secure? As of yesterday we've learned this icon may be meaningless." Jan 2, 2009
(Jan 8, 2009, 22:04 UTC) (2 reads)
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(feedback) LinuxEdit: "
So everything is going according to plan, you have successfully got the parts, built it, set up the BIOS and installed the OS. Now we are on to our last Building A Linux Computer article.
Now that you have Ubuntu up and running, I am going to outline a few basic ideas and tips to get your system up to speed."
Open Source, Less Labor, More Love (Jan 8, 2009, 21:34 UTC) (68 reads)
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(feedback) OStatic: "Open source software is inextricably tied to the idea of "giving it away." Projects open their code for a number of reasons -- to better the codebase, or to allow others to bend an application to their own needs. Maybe the reasons are entirely altruistic, or maybe the altruism is the happy side effect of more project-centric decisions."
5 GIMP Tricks Everyone Should Know! (Jan 8, 2009, 21:04 UTC) (385 reads)
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(feedback) Help For Linux: "Having used both GIMP and Adobe Photoshop I must say I personally believe GIMP is much better for common folks like you and me who need a relatively simpler set of tools to make quick edits to our Vacation pictures."
CLI for fun: du (Jan 8, 2009, 20:34 UTC) (284 reads)
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(feedback) Okii Living: "A good example of a CLI command that is very useful is the du command. I am always interested in how much disk space a particular file or folder is taking on my hard drive. This is especially important to know when writing data to removable media that is limited in size such as a CD or DVD."
Boxee now open to all Ubuntu users (Jan 8, 2009, 19:34 UTC) (703 reads)
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(feedback) DeviceGuru: "Boxee has just opened up its free A/V media center platform to all Ubuntu, Mac, and AppleTV users. Additionally, Boxee for Windows has entered “private-alpha” phase, during which prospective users apply for the software online and wait for a download link."
A New, Easy To Use Disk Formatter For GNOME (Jan 8, 2009, 19:04 UTC) (500 reads)
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(feedback) Phoronix: "However, GParted is not exactly the ideal program for new Linux users to familiarize themselves with if all they want to do is format a USB drive or external storage device. Fortunately, a new GNOME utility has come about that supersedes GFloppy and is designed to be a simple yet powerful disk formatting utility. In this article we are taking an introductory look at GNOME Format."
Help On The Way: Five Great Linux Support Sites (Jan 8, 2009, 18:34 UTC) (622 reads)
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(feedback) bmighty: "Linux support and documentation sites are a dime a dozen -- and some aren't worth much more than that. Here are a few sites that really give you your money's worth . . . or at least they would, if most of the content wasn't already free."
Artwork for Ubuntu Jaunty Already Impressive (Jan 8, 2009, 18:04 UTC) (1547 reads)
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(feedback) Linux Loop: "It seems we are barely even started into the new release cycle, yet I can already say there are some very promising choices. Below are a selection of my favorites: (A number are proposed specifically for the betas, but that doesn’t mean they couldn't be used.)"
Memo to Dell: Pump Ubuntu Into Your Global Partner Network (Jan 8, 2009, 17:34 UTC) (519 reads)
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(feedback) WorksWithU: "Pssst: Hey Greg Davis (pictured). You've just been named Dell's global channel chief -- in charge of the PC giant's worldwide partner strategy. What are you going to do next? Here’s one suggestion: Offer some Ubuntu PCs to solutions providers. Here's why."
Vietnam to widely use open source software (Jan 8, 2009, 17:04 UTC) (405 reads)
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(feedback) VietNamNet: "The Ministry of Information and Communications has issued an instruction on using open source software products at state agencies."
Commercial open source business strategies in 2009 and beyond (Jan 8, 2009, 16:34 UTC) (311 reads)
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(feedback) 451 CAOS Theory: "The future of commercial open source software lies in commercial licensing strategies, but which are the strategies that are more likely to deliver the results vendors are looking for?"
ReactOS - Open Source Windows
(Jan 8, 2009, 16:04 UTC) (1971 reads)
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(feedback) XenStreet: "Now here is a wacky idea! Would that not make Bill Gates have sleepless nights, even though he no longer runs Microsoft. One such company and a set of brilliant entrepreneurs are doing just that at ReactOS."
New Freescale processors target Linux netbooks (Jan 8, 2009, 15:34 UTC) (863 reads)
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(feedback) ars Technica: "Whether it's the small form factor or the significantly lower price tag, these computers are appearing on shelves from almost every major manufacturer. To keep prices low and save precious system resources, many manufacturers are preinstalling Linux on these machines."
AbiWord project gets funding for ODF improvements (Jan 8, 2009, 15:04 UTC) (544 reads)
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(feedback) ars Technica: "The AbiWord project has announced that NLnet is providing funding to facilitate the development of improved OpenDocument (ODF) filters in AbiWord. This will increase the program's compatibility with the format and boost its interoperability with OpenOffice.org"
Tweet from the Command Line with Twidge (Jan 8, 2009, 14:34 UTC) (374 reads)
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(feedback) Linutop: "On machines like Linutop or netbooks, running a graphical Twitter client is a waste of precious resources, so a command-line tool like Twidge can come in rather handy. Using it, you can quickly post tweets and view the latest posts from people you follow without leaving the convenience of the terminal."
Fedora 11 Needs A Name: The Polls Are Now Open (Jan 8, 2009, 14:04 UTC) (743 reads)
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(feedback) LinuxPlanet: "Red Hat's Fedora Linux is currently in the process of developing Fedora Linux 11, but first the new distro will need a name. So in the spirit of openness Fedora has opened up the naming of Fedora 11 to a vote."
The Linux Deployment Iceberg (Jan 8, 2009, 13:34 UTC) (1064 reads)
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(feedback) Ken Hess's Linux Blog: "There are over 1 million Linux system deployments worldwide. No, make that 2 million. Wait, it's really closer to 3 million. Ok, I really have it this time--there are over 3.5 million Linux deployments worldwide as of January 7, 2009. But according to the Linux Counter, there's fewer than 150,000."
Google Chrome Tab overflow problem (Jan 8, 2009, 13:04 UTC) (760 reads)
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(feedback) InternetNews: "While Mozilla introduced Tab overflow in 2006, here we are in 2009 and Google Chrome doesn't have that feature. For someone like me that often keeps 10+ tabs open at any one time this is a (minor) problem."
Linux buffer overflow issues on Power-based systems (Jan 8, 2009, 10:30 UTC) (687 reads)
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(feedback) IBM Developerworks: "In this article, all examples of buffer overflow vulnerabilities in Linux running on Power/Cell Broadband Engine Architecture processor-based servers were developed and executed on an IBM BladeCenter JS22 Express server, an IBM BladeCenter QS21 server, and a Sony Playstation 3 running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 7."
Breaking News: OLPC Just Got Gutted, 50% Staff Gone! (Jan 8, 2009, 09:03 UTC) (1180 reads)
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(feedback) One Laptop Per Child News: "The official OLPC blog so innocently says that One Laptop Per Child is "Refocusing our mission" with an email from Nicholas Negroponte that clearly shows that the OLPC organization is really being gutted."
Refocusing on our mission (Jan 8, 2009, 07:33 UTC) (566 reads)
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(feedback) One Laptop per Child: "We are streamlining our operations this month, cutting staff by roughly 50% and laying out broad targets for the coming year. Here is Nicholas's announcement on the upcoming changes:"
gOS 3.1 Introduces Cloud Computing (Jan 8, 2009, 06:03 UTC) (1407 reads)
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(feedback) DeviceGuru: "The gOS ("good OS") project has issued an SP1 release of gOS 3.1 Gadgets. This latest gOS release implements numerous package updates, bug fixes, and configuration enhancements, and continues gOS's strong dependence on Google's web-based applications."
Understanding Perl Variable References On Linux And Unix (Jan 8, 2009, 04:33 UTC) (720 reads)
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(feedback) The Linux and Unix Menagerie: "Today we're going to take a look at a part of Perl that a lot of folks shy away from; mostly because (from my experience) they feel it's too abstract a notion or too complicated to understand. For today, I'm referring to Perl references ;) And here's the thing; nothing could be farther from the truth. It's just about as simple as the sentence preceding the last."
What Is SMB? (Jan 8, 2009, 01:33 UTC) (1524 reads)
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(feedback) Computing Tech: "Years ago, Microsoft and IBM came up with the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol to compete with Novell's IPX-based file and print sharing. Though it's hard to believe now, there was a time when pretty much all corporate networks were running IPX and Novell Netware servers."
Integrating legacy Windows applications on a Linux Desktop environment (Jan 8, 2009, 00:03 UTC) (1338 reads)
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(feedback) blog.angulosolido.pt: "In the real world there's people developing fat clients, where a web interface would be the best way. There's people programming in .NET, delivering solutions to the customers that limit their OS choices to Windows. And there are public and private institutions buying without knowing how this may affect them in the future."
Puppy Linux On Windows Desktop (Jan 7, 2009, 23:32 UTC) (1330 reads)
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(feedback) DownloadTube: "Puppy Linux is an interesting Linux distribution which offers multiple features, despite of its low file size (around 99 MB). An average computer user will find enough flexibility and an increased speed during the execution of common tasks like web browsing, text processing, image editing and more."
How to Run Linux From a USB Drive (Jan 7, 2009, 23:02 UTC) (1932 reads)
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(feedback) Tech Radar: "Because no one likes being parted from their data for too long, we present a smarter option: store it all on a USB flash drive."
OpenOffice.org vs. Go-OO: Cutting through the Gordian Knot (Jan 7, 2009, 22:32 UTC) (2124 reads)
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(feedback) Datamation: "Is OpenOffice.org (OOo), the popular free office application, "a profoundly sick project," as developer Michael Meeks alleges? Or are his comments a poorly concealed effort to promote Go-OO, Novell's version of OOo, as the anti-Novell lobby suggests?"
How Does Ubuntu Linux Differ From Debian? (Jan 7, 2009, 21:32 UTC) (2147 reads)
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(feedback) The Linux Distillery: "Bring up the topic of Ubuntu and you'll receive a mixed response from unexpected corners. No, it's not the Windows brigade, but the Debian crowd. So just how does Ubuntu differ from Debian to inflame such passion?"
Turn Your Linux Desktop into an Alarm Clock (Jan 7, 2009, 21:02 UTC) (1230 reads)
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(feedback) Tech Source From Bohol: "This time, I'll keep it simple by showing to you some free and open-source programs that you can easily install and use to make your Linux desktop as an alternative or shall I say an improvised alarm clock."
SECURITY: Wireshark (Jan 7, 2009, 20:32 UTC) (1217 reads)
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(feedback) ISP Planet: "Gerald Combs first started developing the open source packet sniffer Wireshark (initially called Ethereal) back in 1997, and released it in the summer of 1998. "I was working at a small ISP in the Midwest, and we were very limited on the tools that they would buy us for troubleshooting--so I decided to write a network protocol analyzer," he recalls."
How To: Become a Linux Netbook Power User (Jan 7, 2009, 20:02 UTC) (1430 reads)
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(feedback) Maximum PC: "However, there are things you can do to get the most out of your little machine. For instance, you can swap out the limited OS that comes packaged with most Linux-based netbooks for a much more versatile distro like Ubuntu, which can be customized specifically for netbooks."
No-Nonsense Guide to Configuring Conky (Jan 7, 2009, 19:32 UTC) (1017 reads)
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(feedback) No Thick Manuals: "This lightweight system monitoring utility can help you to keep an eye on virtually any aspect of your system, and it offers a huge list of options to choose from. But this flexibility comes at a price: all Conky’s settings are stored in the .conkyrc file, which you have to create and tweak manually. The good news is that once you've understood the inner workings of the .conkyrc file, you can easily create rather powerful Conky configuration profiles."
Hacker's Google - Linux and Unix Humor (Jan 7, 2009, 19:02 UTC) (1398 reads)
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(feedback) The Linux and Unix Menagerie: "any company that goes out of its way to let you know that they have game rooms, provide 24 hour meal service, have sleeping quarters available on location and then follows that up with a slogan like "Google...a great place to work!" instantly scores low on my optimism scale. If I see that, I'm thinking "Google...you're never ever going to see your family again""
Microsoft's Windows 7 Vista Replacement Plan (Jan 7, 2009, 18:32 UTC) (2566 reads)
(7 talkbacks)
(feedback) Cyber Cynic: "How badly does Microsoft want you to forget about Vista? Badly enough that they're already offering people who buy PCs with Vista after July 1st a free upgrade to Windows 7."
Preservation (Jan 7, 2009, 18:02 UTC) (953 reads)
(9 talkbacks)
(feedback) Groklaw: "Groklaw has achieved everything it set out to do, and since there can normally be no new materials introduced in an appeal, might this be a good time to take a breath and work on perfecting the work we've done? This could drag on literally for years, but it won't be events happening daily as it used to be, and so I had some suggestions on how I thought we could use the lull."
