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Rave: Two months with Ubuntu Linux and loving it by RickGeek posted on August 22, 2007 2:45 pm In late June of this year, I made a type of executive decision. I have been a software developer by trade throughout my entire professional career. I began programming commercially in 1987 and have followed the progression from MS-DOS 3.31 through 6.22, then Windows 3.x, 95 and up. I’ve moved from the library of custom-developed tools in C and assembly during my MS-DOS days to the GUI + libraries present in Windows OSes. Still, even today, I continue to code for Windows...

Aug. 22, 2007 [Updated Aug. 23] -- Analysis -- According to DesktopLinux.com's just completed survey, the number of Desktop Linux users has more than doubled in the past year, and Ubuntu remains their Linux distribution of choice. Spread the word:digg this story Since DesktopLinux.com's recently completed survey is a self-selected group, we can't claim scientific proof that the number of desktop Linux users has more than doubled in the past year. Still, this year's survey produced 38,500 votes versus 14,535 votes over the same number of days in a similar survey one year ago. Part of the increase undoubtedly was...

The father of Linux has replied to the questions you always wanted to ask. Swapnil Bhartiya, EFY News Network  (15 Votes) Monday, August 20, 2007:  Did Microsoft’s Men In Black ever met Linus Torvalds? But why is he so critical of GPLv3? Did he ever slam Subversion? What would happen to the kernel development if he chooses to do something else more important? These are some of the questions Linux/open source community from around the globe wanted to ask Linus. And, here is Linus candid and blunt, and at times diplomatic, answering your questions. Check if the question you wanted...

I was looking for the latest releases for Ubuntu, and I found they have re-done their website, forums, and available software pages, too. As well, the available software page now boasts no less than 13 application software providers...from Alacos and IBM, to ruffdogs and Real...all guaranteed to "just work". BTW, Opera for Linux is now part of the standard Ubuntu distro package, and available for download.

MacNN caught this incredible defection and loss of faith by a former Vista booster, PC Magazine editor-in-chief Jim Louderback, as he steps down from his position. "I've been a big proponent of the new OS over the past few months, even going so far as loading it onto most of my computers and spending hours tweaking and optimizing it. So why, nine months after launch, am I so frustrated? The litany of what doesn't work and what still frustrates me stretches on endlessly. The upshot is that even after nine months, Vista just ain't cutting it. I definitely gave Microsoft...

The company has no interest in becoming the next SCO Group, according to a spokesman. "We're not interested in suing people over Unix," Novell spokesman Bruce Lowry said. "We're not even in the Unix business any more." A US judge on Friday upheld Novell's claims to Unix copyrights that SCO has claimed to own. Those copyrights were the basis for SCO's highly controversial and ongoing Linux lawsuit against IBM. Lowry said the ruling means "the cloud has lifted over Linux." Users and distributors of the open-source OS finally can breathe a sigh of relief that they are not in violation...

Dell is developing consumer PCs that can run multiple versions of Microsoft's Windows and Linux software at the same time.Users of the new Dell PCs would be able to simultaneously run multiple, software-generated computers on one machine, using an increasingly popular technology known as 'virtualisation' that allows greater flexibility and computing security.One virtual machine might run Windows Vista and handle every day computing tasks, while another could be used only to browse the internet, limiting any security threats to the parameters of the virtual machine - which could be deleted.A third virtual machine might run a version of Linux that...

Ready to try Linux but want some hand-holding when you do? Here are three videos that walk you through the process of installing Kubuntu, the KDE-based version of Ubuntu. The first video shows how Kubuntu looks running directly from live CD, and gives you a brief look at the software included on the CD. Video number two steps you through the process of installing Kubuntu to your hard drive, and video number shows you how to install and remove software in Kubuntu. This Kubuntu video tour is the first of a series. In coming weeks and months we'll do similar...

Microsoft is spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt among open source users, Linus Torvalds said in an interview published last week. The software giant is falling short with its technology and, because it cannot win against open source on price, it is trying to encourage inertia in the IT industry, the creator of the Linux operating system said. Microsoft has been at the centre of considerable controversy over the last 12 months, mainly ;arising from its statements on open source and its technology partnerships with a range of Linux distributors.Microsoft has claimed that open source software violates 235 of its patents,...

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A federal judge's ruling Friday may help proponents of Linux open-source software sidestep a significant legal threat. SCO Group Inc. does not own the copyright to Unix operating-system software, as it had claimed, and Novell Inc. is the proper owner, U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball said in a filing in federal court in Utah. SCO Group had sued Novell in 2004 for falsely claiming ownership of Unix. In 2003, SCO Group filed a high-profile lawsuit against International Business Machines Corp. for contributing code to Linux open-source software that it said included some of SCO's Unix-related intellectual...

A US federal court judge has ruled that Novell, and not the SCO Group, is the rightful owner of copyrights covering the Unix operating system (OS), a ruling that should have a major effect on a number of lawsuits, including SCO's actions again Novell, IBM and Red Hat. The 102-page ruling by Judge Dale Kimball refuted many of SCO's claims against Novell, and seemed to remove the basis for its lawsuit against IBM. SCO had previously charged that the Linux operating system was an unauthorised derivative of Unix, which it claimed to have purchased from Novell in 1995. "The court's...

Linux for Consumers in the U.K. France, and Germany; Dell/Red Hat Solutions & More I hinted at this before, but today, it's official: Dell announced that consumers in the United Kingdom, France and Germany can order an Inspiron E1505N 6400 notebook or an Inspiron 530N desktop with Ubuntu 7.04 pre-installed. Since we began offering Ubuntu in the United States back in May, it's no secret that we've received many requests from customers all over the world to offer Linux there. This represents another step in broadening that offering. Before Ubuntu, we've offered Red Hat Linux as an option for Dell...

Kevin Rose founded Digg in late 2004. It was the beginning of something phenomenal... to be precise, the Digg phenomenon. Digg was all about the tight-knit community of techies who wanted to get in there, share relevant tech news, vote for it, and talk about it. And what a fabulous idea it was. So fabulous, in fact, that according to an article about Digg, Kevin and co literally had potential investors beating down the doors, offering fantastic quantities of money to them because of their potential. They accepted a couple of million in late 2005 and the rest, as they...

August 2, 2007 (The INTERNET). The KDE Community is happy to announce the immediate availability of the first Beta release for KDE 4.0. This release marks the beginning of the integration process which will bring the powerful new technologies included in the now frozen KDE 4 libraries to the applications.

Who remembers Red Flag Linux? Born during the dot-com boom and officially financed and adopted by the Chinese government, Red Flag Linux was supposed to be China’s answer for avoiding the double-team of Windows and Microsoft Office that dominates the rest of the world’s PCs. In some circles, the potential spread of Red Flag Linux in the world’s most populated nation was even hailed as a critical sign that Microsoft was not going to be able to spread its domination of the software market to the rest of the world. However, Red Flag Linux has turned out to be little...

Microsoft wants more open source software to run on Windows. Microsoft also wants its own Open Source Initiative (OSI) approved license. Perhaps they really can get along. On the software side, Microsoft today announced a partnership with open source solution vendor SpikeSource to eventually certify all of SpikeSource's SpikeIgnited solutions on the Microsoft Windows platform. The move could make dozens of popular open source solutions available to Windows users in a fully supported manner. SpikeSource solutions include the gambit of content management, CRM and collaboration solutions. The first SpikeIgnited solution being made Windows-certified is the Drupal content management solution. Throughout...

Companies like his privately held Canonical Inc, Red Hat Inc (RHT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Novell Inc (NOVL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) make money by selling standardized versions of Linux programs and support contracts to service them.

Dell knows it won't happen overnight, but along side wanting to ship audio/video codecs, Intel Wireless 80.211N support for Linux, Broadcom Wireless for Linux, and being able to ship notebooks and desktops with Compiz Fusion enabled, Dell would like to see improved ATI Linux drivers. At Ubuntu Live 2007, Amit Bhutani had a session on Ubuntu Linux for Dell Consumer Systems, where he had shared a slide with Dell's "area of investigation", which Amit had said is essentially their Linux road-map. Amit had also stated that the NVIDIA 2D and 3D video drivers were "challenges in platform enablement". Dell wants...

People used to think the very idea that a major PC vendor would offer desktop Linux was beyond a joke. HP will soon be joining Dell in offering at least one Linux desktop line in its SKU sales listing. Here's why I believe this. First, Dell successfully broke the Windows-only wall when it added Ubuntu Linux 7.04 to three systems in its consumer line in May. While Dell hasn't released any sales numbers, its Linux sales must be doing well. You don't start offering Ubuntu on another brand-new laptop line and announce that you'll soon be selling Ubuntu to SMBs...

The BBC Trust met with the Open Source Consortium (OSC) yesterday to discuss the controversy raised by the BBC's iPlayer, which will only work on Windows XP. The Trust expressed surprise at the strength of feeling raised by the issue and promised to take it up with senior BBC management. The BBC Trust oversees the BBC and: "ensures the BBC provides high quality output and good value for all UK citizens ". Officials reiterated that the BBC Trust is fully committed to users of both the Linux and Mac operating systems having full use of the BBC iPlayer. However, the...