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Previously in this space, I have covered software packages like Maxima that can be used to solve symbolic mathematics problems. Several packages are available that can do those types of calculations. In this article, I discuss Xcas/Giac. Xcas is the GUI interface to the system.

In the world of Linux distributions, there are many that are based on Debian and Ubuntu, but those are the only two distro that have fueled a following of derivative distros, Fedora and CentOS have too.

I have enjoyed reading the stories others have shared about how they got started with open source software, so I thought I'd add mine. It is different in that I came to open source purely for business reasons. While I later embraced the open source way for reasons such as personal freedom and community, my initial exposure to it came from trying to find the best solution to a business problem. read more

Aaeon’s GENE-BT04 spins Intel’s Bay Trail Celeron SoCs into a 3.5-inch SBC aimed at networking and signage, with four GbE ports and dual HDMI ports. Despite its similar name, 3.5-inch form factor, and Intel Bay Trail foundation, Aaeon’s new GENE-BT04 is significantly different than the GENE-BT06 single board computer announced in September. Whereas the GENE-BT06 […]

A few years ago there was a project designed to boot generic laptops so they functioned as Chromebooks. It was a cool project, but unfortunately, the compatibility wasn't great, and it wasn't reliable to use on a daily basis. Although Chromebooks are old news these days, it still would be quite useful to transform aging laptop computers into Chromebooks.

LetsEncrypt recently entered into a public beta. Thanks to the work of the LetsEncrypt team and Fedora packagers, the official LetsEncrypt client is now available in both Fedora 23 and Rawhide. To learn how LetsEncrypt works or what it is, you can read... Continue Reading →

In a world where PC sales continue to slump quarter after quarter, Chromebooks are one of the few bright spots

Linux audio control is as messed up as the Linux audio system structure. The default and only option of setting the volume level may be enough for the majority of users out there, but it certainly isn't the best when you want to set specific audio levels, or define individual settings for different audio sources, etc. Here is a post on a selection of utilities that could help you get the sound you want on your Linux system.

Linus Torvalds says almost no-one 'actually ever hit the problem', or will code at Xmas Linux Lord Linus Torvalds says the fourth release candidate of Linux 4.4 contained “a fairly bad core bug” that's since been squashed, but may not have rung many alarm bells anyway.…

Sys admins, no matter what platforms they work on, are awash in great open source software tools. In this article, we highlight well-known—and not-so-well-known—tools that have released new versions in 2015. read more

A 16-year-old boy recently asked the r/Linux community for advice. When his parents discovered that he'd reloaded his laptop with Linux, they were horrified—after all, this "free" software must certainly be riddled with viruses and/or hackers. It didn't help matters any that he'd "ruined" an expensive gift, and was no longer using some of the expensive software that had been purchased with it. He tried to talk to them about it, but it was tough—he was the teenager; they were the adults. read more

An autonomous, Linux powered, indoor-friendly “Fleye” drone is available on Kickstarter for $742, featuring a protective hull, an HD camera, and 15km/h speed. Belgian startup Fleye, newborn from The Faktory tech incubator, is close to its $185,837 Kickstarter goal for the programmable, autonomous Fleye, billed as the world’s safest drone. Videos show people gently shoving […]

Sorry for shipping products we knew were rubbish, but you're just going to have to keep waiting for the problems to be fixed.

Here's some cash. Please come and use our beta Google has unveiled the next gen of its Cloud SQL service, a hosted version of the MySQL database.…

In this week's edition of our open source news roundup, Mozilla announces new content blocker and ends Firefox OS, the Edge browser's JavaScript engine source released, and more. Open source news for your reading pleasure. December 6 - 11, 2015 read more

Hello, open gaming fans! In this week's edition, we take a look at the new release of Unity 5.3, high performance gaming mahcine PINE64, new games for Linux, and more. Open gaming roundup for December 5 - 11, 2015 read more

Learn how to customize your Linux shell environment and write simple bash functions. You can use the material in this tutorial to study for the LPI 102 exam for Linux system administrator certification, or to learn for fun.

In this week's Top 5 articles of the week, we highlight open source tools for music makers, GPLv3 in court in Germany, Raspberry Pi projects for students, a review of PC-BSD, and a visually impaired man's story as a Linux user.

Echobox has launched a high-end, portable “Explorer X1” Android music player, with a 3.5-inch screen, quad-core RK3188, TI DAC and amp, and earphones.

Janam’s Android-based “XM70” rugged mobile handheld has a 3.5-inch screen, 1GHz Cortex-A8 SoC, WiFi, BT, and a Zebra SE4500 1D and 2D barcode scanner. Last year, Woodbury, NY based Janam Technologies LLC added Yocto Project-based Linux support to its Windows Mobile-ready XG Series barcode scanners. Now, it’s expanding beyond Windows Mobile to Android with its […]