Linux Archive

Review: SuperGamer-1

Submitted by Innova 2006-04-12 Linux 9 Comments

TuxMachines reviews the SuperGamer-1 DVD, a live-DVD based on PCLinuxOS, optimised for gaming (incl. 3D drivers), and concludes: "The Supergamer-1 DVD performed very well. I had no stability issues and lag was very minimal. Only after long periods of inactivity or loading a new gaming level did I experience delays while the DVD was spun and accessed. Hardware detection was spot-on with, just to name a few, the net connection, graphics, and sound automagically enabled. It was a completely enjoyable experience and I can't find anything to complain about."

X Bugs Away from World Domination?

Eugenia Loli 2006-04-10 Linux 88 Comments

An ex-Microsoft employee is arguing that Linux is ready for the primetime and that only thing keeping it away is the number of bugs it has. He claims that if these few high-importance bugs are fixed one way or another, Linux can become a dominant power in the desktop OS world.

Defining Task Structure in the Linux Kernel

Submitted by XxSheena 2006-04-09 Linux 4 Comments

"A computer process is a running instance of a program, including all variables and other states, or simply it’s defined as a program in execution. Now we will see how this task or process is implemented in Linux kernel. The description of the characteristics of a process is given in the structure task_struct."

Submitted by fsmdave 2006-04-08 Linux 16 Comments

"It's the year 2006, and installing applications in GNU/Linux can still be a nightmare (especially if they are not available in your distribution's repository). Simon Peter is the developer of Klik, a piece of software that tries to resolve this problem. Simon kindly accepted to answer a few questions for FSM."

Submitted by moleskine 2006-04-08 Linux 10 Comments

"This article is about the 'Hits Per Day' score on Distrowatch, what it can be used for and how you can read a lot of different information out of it. On Distrowatch you can follow the 'popularity' of almost any distro of your choice. I put quotes around the popularity because you can question what the score actually means."

Linux ‘Needs DRM Support’ for Consumer Success

Thom Holwerda 2006-04-07 Linux 95 Comments

A RealNetworks executive has claimed that Linux risks being excluded from the consumer market if it does not add support for copy-restriction technologies. But the Free Software Foundation Europe countered this claim on Thursday, saying that consumers have made it clear that they do not want DRM restricting their use of digital media.

Preview: Xgl, Linux’s 3D Capabilities

Submitted by Mark 2006-04-06 Linux 52 Comments

"LinuxForums takes a look at Xgl, and concludes: "In conclusion, Xgl is an exciting technology, it still needs some work to be done mainly to do with non nvidia/ati graphics cards and extending support to a wider variety of graphics chipsets. I for one will wait a bit longer (until the holidays) before attempting to install it onto my computer, perhaps by then more animations/plugins will be made available and support for other DE's would be available." Lots of videos inside, boys and girls, so rejoice.

LinuxWorld: Watching Wikis, Communities, GNOME vs. KDE

Submitted by Jane Walker 2006-04-06 Linux 4 Comments

"In seven years of attending LinuxWorld conferences, I've witnessed its transformation from an IT Woodstock to an expo populated by Fortune 500 executives. Although the penguin has definitely changed out of the tie-dyed tee shirt and into a three-piece suit, LinuxWorld still turns heads as the heartbeat of this vibrant community. And, the latest installment has proven to be no different. Despite the presence of men in suits, this IT gathering focused on populist topics, and I'm going to talk about the hottest ones: the $100 laptop for every child; a fight between two free platforms; and wikis."

Motorola Reports on Its Experiences with Linux Phones

Eugenia Loli 2006-04-06 Linux 6 Comments

A cell phone rings in the middle of Mark VandenBrink's presentation. He tells the audience member, "Go ahead and answer it -- I'm a phone guy, so please, leave your phones on! It's better for me." VandenBrink, Motorola's director of mobile devices software, delivered a talk on his company's experiences in the Linux-powered mobile device arena at LinuxWorld Tuesday morning, outlining what the company has learned from its first generation of Linux phones and the changes Motorola plans for the next. Note: Expect tomorrow a review of the A780 Linux phone here at OSNews.

OSDL’s Cherry: Toppling Linux Desktop App Development Barriers

Submitted by Jane Walker 2006-04-05 Linux 25 Comments

"The biggest barrier to Linux business desktop adoption is Linux itself, as too many distributions make it harder for developers to port to or create applications for Linux, according to John Cherry, initiative manager for Desktop Linux at Open Source Development Labs. OSDL is a nonprofit corporation that supports Linux developers and users. There's a good opportunity today for Linux desktops to attract knowledge workers, but more applications are needed, said Cherry."

Understanding File Permissions

Submitted by Mark 2006-04-05 Linux 20 Comments

"In GNU/Linux, file access is restricted. Users don't necessarily have the same rights when it comes to deleting, executing or even reading files. In fact, every file contain data such as its owner, its permissions and other information which defines exactly what can be done with it, and by whom."

Negroponte: Slimmer Linux Needed for USD100 Laptop

Eugenia Loli 2006-04-05 Linux 70 Comments

The One Laptop Per Child organization will use Linux on its inexpensive machines, but the operating system suffers the same code bloat as Windows, the project's leader said Tuesday. My Take: A few months ago I blogged about this as if I knew what was coming. I still believe that the $100-laptop project should be targetted as an embedded application and so Qtopia with ARM is a better/cheaper/faster solution than Fedora/RHEL with x86. If Palm is able to sell the Zire 22 at $99 and still make lots of profit (yes, they do), then it is probably feasible to manufacture and market my suggestion at $100.

Submitted by clintonian 2006-04-04 Linux 11 Comments

A review of RR64 Linux, a distribution based on Gentoo with Xgl included. "While I will probably never move completely away from the Debian system, I think I have found a winner in RR64. I get along quite nicely with the Gentoo portage system, and I have found the Gentoo community extremely helpful and the documentation both on the DVD and online to be extensive and answer all questions I have had very clearly and concisely."

Review: BLAG

Submitted by Mark 2006-04-03 Linux 16 Comments

LinuxForums gives a short review of BLAG Linux and concludes: "BLAG is not just a distribution for the Free Software elitist, it may not include non-free software, but it is a fully functioning operating system. You can surf the web, write your essays, and listen to your music, just as you would do with any other operating system. BLAG is a distribution which will install with ease, and be low on hassle."

Followup: Tuttle Times Covers the Jerry A. Taylor Debacle

Adam Scheinberg 2006-04-03 Linux 76 Comments

Abraham Lincoln once said "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." Apparently, Tuttle, OK city manager Jerry Taylor never got the memo. Barely a week after his humiliating brush with celebrity after the CentOS fiasco, Taylor has definitively proven that arrogance and ignorance make a humorous combo. The Tuttle Times covers the embarassing incident, along with Taylor's gotta-see-it-to-believe-it response.

Enabling, Disabling Services During Startup in GNU/Linux

Submitted by anonymous 2006-04-02 Linux 15 Comments

"In any Linux distribution, some services are enabled to start at boot up by default. For example, on my machine, I have pcmcia, cron daemon, postfix mail transport agent, just to name a few, which start during boot up. Usually, it is prudent to disable all services that are not needed as they are potential security risks and also they unnecessarily waste hardware resources. For example, my machine does not have any pcmcia cards so I can safely disable it. Same is the case with postfix which is also not used. So how do you disable these services so that they are not started at boot time?"

Overview of the Ten Major Linux Distributions

Submitted by Mark 2006-04-01 Linux 15 Comments

LinxForums gives short overviews of the ten major distributions, and concludes: "People often ask 'so which distribution is right for me?' The answer is very simple: 'It depends!' It depends on your needs, it depends on your experience, on your philosophy or your tastes. It depends on a lot of things, and even if you found the one you preferred among these 10 majors distributions, don't forget that there are about 340 other distributions available, which could potentially suit your needs. If you're ready for the adventure, go and explore."

The Corporate Desktop Battle Can Officially Begin

Submitted by Jane Walker 2006-04-01 Linux 36 Comments

As Novell re-introduces its Linux desktop, more open source advocates are beginning to believe that the call for widespread Linux desktop adoption is leaving the realm of zealotry and entering the mainstream. Whether this will be a watershed moment for the Linux desktop remains to be seen but, already, advocates for the open source OS are clamoring to explain why now - not in times past - the moment is right for enterprise-level corporations to begin migrating to Linux.

uCLinux: a Brief Overview

Submitted by Puru Govind 2006-03-30 Linux 1 Comment

"The advantage of embedded Linux is that it's a royalty-free, open source, compact solution that provides a strong foundation for an ever-growing base of applications to run on. Linux is a fully functional operating system, with support for a variety of file-handling protocols, network protocols, devices - a very important requirement in embedded systems because of the need to 'compute anywhere, anytime'. It is modular in nature and is easy to slim down by removing utility programs, tools, and other system services that are not needed in an embedded environment."

Interviews: Mepis, Xandros, Linspire, Micro Center VIP

Submitted by SilentBob4 2006-03-29 Linux 7 Comments

"This is the second in a series of two articles on Tux's move into retail. Last week's article described some of the mechanics of how free open source software is getting into retail. Today, Mad Penguin interviews Linspire CEO Kevin Carmony; Xandros CEO Andreas Typaldos; Mepis Linux founder Warren Woodford; and Kevin Jones, Micro Center Vice President of Merchandising, to get their take Tux's jump into big box retail."