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NewsVac: News from around the Web
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Mandriva Linux 2008 is out and about
6 hours, 32 minutes ago
Mandriva has released the latest version of its desktop Linux operating system, which can be downloaded free on its website and public mirror servers. -
A tiny platform for custom wireless mobile devices
7 hours, 2 minutes ago
CompuLab has introduced a tiny SBC (single-board computer) aimed at mobile device applications. The EM-X270 is based on a PXA270 processor, and integrates a touchscreen LCD controller, WAN, WLAN, and WPAN wireless, GPS, and an assortment of I/O ports, and is offered with a Linux OS. -
The New NOSI Primer
7 hours, 32 minutes ago
Today, we're releasing the new version of the tried and true NOSI primer. "Choosing and Using Free and Open Source Software: A Primer for Nonprofits" is a no-nonsense, easy to read report that helps nonprofits understand what free and open source software (FOSS) is, what options are available for their organizations, and how they can access support for using FOSS. -
New Linux kernel benchmarked
8 hours, 32 minutes ago
THE LINUX COMMUNITY has been dying to get some real meat on the new Linux kernel, and penguin lovers over at Phoronix came up with a set of benchmarks comparing the new 2.6.23 kernel with the previous release. This is a rather extensive article, so you might want to give it a good look. -
Microsoft Scrambling to Explain Ballmer Comment on Red Hat Linux
9 hours, 2 minutes ago
A team of Microsoft spokespeople have been working throughout the day to devise a plausible explanation for a comment made by CEO Steve Ballmer during a company gathering in the UK, which on its face appears to say it is considering litigation against users of Red Hat Linux for patent infringement. -
Mobile Linux and the art of confusion
9 hours, 32 minutes ago
There is no real surprise to see Linux being adopted like the bargin of the century by the mobile phone industry. -
Get Linux Speed-Booting with an Open Bios
10 hours, 32 minutes ago
On many systems, a large portion of boot time goes into providing legacy support for MS-DOS. Various projects, including LinuxBIOS and Open Firmware, are trying to replace the proprietary BIOS systems with streamlined pieces of code able to do only what is necessary to get a Linux kernel loaded and running. -
Howto install Wine, Torrent, Native Tray Icon in Debian
11 hours, 32 minutes ago
This HOWTO will describe how to install uTorrent on your Debian Linux desktop using wine and how to get a more suitable tray icon using alltray. -
12 Tips for KDE Users
12 hours, 2 minutes ago
Dig beneath the surface of the open source desktop to get the most from it: virtual desktops, customizations, multiple clipboards, and more. -
Nginx HTTP Server + PHP5 (With fast-cgi And xcache) On Ubuntu Feisty Fawn
12 hours, 32 minutes ago
This HowTo describes the implementation of Nginx with php5 support (through FastCGI). The fast-cgi process will be initiated via spawn-fcgi. Nginx is a great replacement of Apache with very low memory footprint and contrary to Lighttpd, does not suffer from memory leak over time. You can then use all the memory left to unleash the power of mysql for instance by increasing the default query cache. -
ReviewLinux.Com is ReadSpeaker Enabled and Ready
13 hours, 2 minutes ago
ReviewLinux.Com is happy to announce the addition of a new feature to our website. We have added ReadSpeaker to our site. ReadSpeaker provide automatic speech enabling of web content which makes ReviewLinux.Com's articles talk, making ReviewLinux.Com more accessible. -
And Ballmer Blathers On
13 hours, 32 minutes ago
After reading an InformationWeek article about Steve Ballmer suggesting, yet again, that GNU/Linux users - or at least the Red Hat users - owe Microsoft money for violating patents he, yet again, refuses to disclose. But Ballmer is missing something - or maybe I am. -
Linus Torvalds Releases 2.6.23 Kernel
14 hours, 2 minutes ago
Linus Torvalds has released a shiny new Linux kernel, numbered 2.6.23. It is the first to include the much talked about Completely Fair Scheduler, which should greatly improve both desktop performance and server performance. Other cool features include two new virtualization solutions, lguest 'Linux-on-Linux' paravirtualization, and XEN guest support. Linux Newbies offers a good technical overview of the many of the other changes that are found in this new kernel release. In his release announcement, Torvalds explained why it was later than expected, 'it got delayed, not because of any huge issues, but because of various bugfixes trickling in and causing me to reset my "release clock" all the time. But it's out there now, and hopefully better for the wait.' -
ReviewLinux.Com: Mandriva Linux 2008 Free First Look
14 hours, 32 minutes ago
We look at the newly released Mandriva Linux 2008 Free i586 from Mandriva! Short image tour plus a video showing the os in action. We loaded the KDE desktop for this quick look at Mandriva 2008 Free! -
Mandriva Linux 2008 now available
20 hours, 32 minutes ago
Mandriva Linux 2008 is now available for download on the official site, and on the network of public mirror servers. - More News
Notes from a FOSS conference in New Delhi (with videos)
Every year, Linux enthusiasts in India's capital, New Delhi, hold a conference to help spread word of free and open source software (FOSS). This year they called their conference Freed.in, and had more talks and attendees than they've had in the past. While the event was a wonderful opportunity for the FOSS community to interact in person, discuss issues, and brainstorm solutions, attendees were overwhelmed by the number of talks jammed into a two-day schedule.
Converting text files into ODF with odtwriter
While you can create and save documents in the OpenDocument format using OpenOffice.org, KWord, or AbiWord, there are other ways to generate ODF files. odtwriter, for example, can help you quickly convert plain text files formatted using reStructured Text markup into ODT (OpenOffice.org Writer-compatible ODF) documents. Using odtwriter, you can generate ODF files on machines that don't have ODF-compatible word processors installed, such as those running lightweight Linux distros, or simply compose documents in a text editor and leave the task of properly formatting them to odtwriter.
Installing Cinelerra on Ubuntu Studio
Cinelerra, one of the only serious video editing and compositing tools available for Linux, can cause frustration for users trying to install it on Ubuntu Studio. Fortunately, after several attempts, I found a way to install it easily.
Brainstorming ideas for the GIMP's next interface
The GIMP image editor is preparing for the start of a new development cycle, and you can have your say in the way the next version looks by submitting a mock-up to the GIMP UI Brainstorm blog. User interface designer Peter Sikking spoke with us about the project and how it fits into the larger work of creating the GIMP's UI.
A label printer for Linux
When Seiko Instruments said it is now offering Linux drivers for its Smart Label Printer 450 and offered to send me one to test, I was happy to hear it, because it seemed like an example of how Linux is being recognized for even non-mass-market hardware devices. While the printer does work as advertised, it is clear that Linux support is a work in progress.
Control multimedia applications with ReMoot
You can manage most of today's multimedia applications easily with ReMoot, a universal remote control program. ReMoot even provides an esoteric way of controlling your PC remotely from your cell phone or PDA, earning it top geek points.
Talking FOSS at the UN
When Nathan Eckenrode goes to the United Nations in New York City next week to help demonstrate the technology behind open source software, he doesn't really expect to discover the answer to world peace. If he gets a little closer, though, he's all right with that.
Skype for Linux 1.4 out of beta
Skype 1.4 for Linux after five months of testing. Now that it's officially out of beta -- along with a slew of bug fixes and new features -- developers are calling it a recommended release.
Novell is not forking OpenOffice
From recent media reports, casual readers could easily believe that OpenOffice.org, the popular free office suite, is fragmenting. Slashdot reported last week that Novell is backing an official fork, while Ars Technica suggested that if what was happening fell short of a fork, then it was still "serious fragmentation" and "not a good thing for the OpenOffice.org community." However, a closer look at the situation shows that what is happening is less of a dramatic split than the airing of long-time grievances and the media's discovery of a long-established institution.
Firefox extensions for tab addicts
For Firefox users who are constantly referring to multiple pages, tabbed browsing is not a feature, but a way of life. There are enough of us that the Firefox addon page lists more than 110 extensions related to tabs. These extensions feature everything from simple add-ons to various means of saving tab addresses and sessions to thumbnails and collections of functions, as well as one or two uncategorizable ideas.
Uruguay poised to make first governmental OLPC purchase
Uruguay's government this week announced the results of a study indicating that XO computers from the One Laptop Per Child project were a better value for the nation's schoolchildren than Intel's similar offering, the Classmate PC. The next step is likely to be a purchase agreement between OLPC and Uruguay for at least 100,000 laptops. Though nothing has been finalized yet, when asked what needs to happen for formal agreement to occur, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte simply says, "business closure."
Linux-based airline seat-back entertainment system is a winner
The Linux-based eX2 in-flight entertainment system (IFE) from Panasonic Avionics was the big winner at this year's Avion Awards, sponsored by an IFE trade group. The Best Overall IFE awards went to Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways, all running variants of eX2.
Symantec asks G4L to stop infringing on Ghost name
Michael D. Setzer II, the leader of the project once known as Ghost for Linux (G4L), recently received a cease and desist email message from a lawyer representing Symantec. The company is demanding that the project change its name because the use of "Ghost" violates a trademark held by Symantec for its Norton Ghost disk imaging software.
Automate FTP with macros
Has it been a while since you used FTP from the command line? While there are decent GUI-based FTP clients (such as gFTP), you can automate operations with the command-line version and handle file transfers with no user interaction at all.
Secure remote access to your desktop
Accessing your home server safely can be problematic, especially if you don't have a fixed IP address, but with Linux, DynDNS, PAM, and NX Free you can create a safe remote access path to your machine.
Digitizing records and tapes with Audacity
You've been ripping CDs for years, but what about those dusty cassette tapes in your attic and all that bargain-basement vinyl at used book sales? With Audacity, you can capture those vintage tunes, clean up their sound, and carry them around on your MP3 player.
Sweet Symphony is out of tune with OOo
Last month, just one week after IBM announced it would help with OpenOffice.org's development, the company released Lotus Symphony, an office suite based on OpenOffice.org code. I found a lot of slick features in Lotus Symphony, but I worry that Symphony could affect the OpenOffice.org community adversely.
Kudos for Kino
Kino is a video editor that allows you to produce your own video masterpieces using only free and open source software. With it, you can capture and edit clips from your video camera, add titles, insert still images, create transitions between scenes, and output the result in a number of formats. Best of all, it's easy to learn to use. But don't rely on the version in your distro -- grab the 1.1.1 release from SourceForge.net and build it yourself.
Workrave fights repetitive strain injuries
Taking frequent computer breaks can save you from a debilitating repetitive strain injury (RSI). However, if you're like most people, you probably get caught up in your work and forget to take breaks as often as you should. The Workrave desktop applet can keep you on track.
Read webmail from any email client with FreePOPs
You can send and receive messages from most Web-based email services with your favourite email client by using FreePOPs, a webmail access daemon.
