LXer Features

A Challenge To Canonical, Red Hat, Novell, Linspire, and All Linux Distributors: Put Up or Shut Up
By Carla Schroder - Nov 28, 2006

Linux isn't going anywhere as long as hardware and multimedia remain out of reach...What are the big Linux distributors like Canonical, Linspire, and Novell doing about this? Packaging closed binary code, and passively waiting for that magical day when hardware vendors bound out of bed with happy cries of "Today is the day we support Linux and open our drivers and codecs! Hurrah!"

[Well, Carla beat me to it. I support her contention 100%, and encourage users to encourage their favorite distro developers to support a combined, coordinated effort to push for Free/Open Source drivers and codecs. - dcparris]


Ask the Pros...Ahem, that would be you.
By helios - Nov 24, 2006
LXer Feature: 24-Nov-2006 No one knows better than this community what Linux Distro is best. The problem is, there may be as many different answers as there are different distros. As a means to assemble a database, we've come to the Linux Community to pose this simple question.
Open Letter: Questions about Microsoft Corp. Intellectual Property
By H. Kwint - Nov 17, 2006
In a question-and-answer session after his keynote speech at the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) conference in Seattle last Thursday, [Steve] Ballmer said "Linux[™]"uses our [Microsoft Corp.] intellectual property" and "Microsoft Corp. wanted to "get the appropriate economic return for our shareholders from our innovation."
Now, as a Linux user and editor of a Linux users site, I have some questions about this remarks.

[ I sent the thing to WagEdds Rapid Response Team, look forward to hearing from them - hkwint ]


Give the Gift of Pre-Installed Linux This Year
By D.C. Parris - Nov 13, 2006
LXer Feature: 13-Nov-2006

With Christmas around the corner, you'll be glad to know that you can check out over 100 vendors around the globe who offer desktop and notebook computers with GNU/Linux pre-installed. Put another way, LXer's Pre-Installed Linux Vendor database is now available!


'Business responsible for security of digital products and services'
By Consumentenbond - Nov 04, 2006
LXer Feature: 04-Nov-2006

Old news, but still very interesting for our readers: 'De Consumentenbond' (The Dutch Consumer Union) recently said digital security issues (virusses, spam etc.) are too complex for consumers to handle. Therefore, these issues should be handled by professional business, not by consumers. Also, business should be responsible for damage caused by insecure products it sold.

Note: Click on "Read more" for my English summary, click on "Full Story" to go to the story at the Dutch-only site of 'De Consumentenbond'. Parts of it are subscription-only.

The GPLv3 Debate: Focusing On the Issues
By D.C. Parris - Nov 02, 2006
LXer Feature: 02-Nov-2006

Yesterday we sought to "separate the wheat from the chaff", so to speak. Today, we'll take a look at the heart of the issue - the technical question that has been raised around the GPL's anti-DRM clause. I'm all for fighting DRM. I want the digital content I pay for to be available on my terms, seeing how I already paid for it. The question, though, is whether the GPLv3 will be the most effective tool for combating Big Media's attempt to take away our fair use rights.


The GPLv3 Debate: Viewing The Landscape
By D.C. Parris (Charlotte, USA) - Nov 01, 2006
LXer Feature: 1-Nov-2006

There has been much debate about the GNU General Public License v3. Unfortunately, much of it has centered more on Stallman's personality and less on the technical issues. Furthermore, many seem to be ignoring history, especially the fact that Xerox' malfunctioning proprietary printer is what led to the explosion of Free Software as a movement. In order to understand the anti-DRM clause, you have to understand the Xerox incident. In this, the first of two articles examining the GPLv3 debate, we will briefly revisit history to see how the GPL came about, and how the debate about the the GPL is turning into a personality conflict, with even journalists making unwarranted attacks on Stallman's character.


FeriCyde Analysis: Linux Attacks Rare But May Rise
By Paul (FeriCyde) Ferris - Oct 24, 2006
Paul Ferris discusses the inherent problems of news sources with large stock interests at stake.
Invitation to "Perspektive Open Source" during SYSTEMS
By wjl - Oct 20, 2006
LXer Feature: 21-Oct-2006

Here is an invitation, in German, to a two-day 'Perspektive Open Source' during the SYSTEMS in Munich. This is the first post in German, so please comment in German, should you choose to discuss it.


LXer To Add Articles In German
By D.C. Parris (Charlotte, USA) - Oct 20, 2006
LXer Feature: 21-Oct-2006

LXer will begin posting German-language articles to the newswire.


Rant Mode Equals One: Let's Re-License Redmond
By Paul (FeriCyde) Ferris - Oct 16, 2006
LXer Feature: 16-Oct-2006

There's yet another "feature" missing in Linux -- it doesn't look for hardware changes and shut itself off, only to be reactivated once the owner has phoned someone to beg to use the software they already have the rights to use. Paul Ferris discusses yet another benefit of using Free Software; You don't have to worry about the product getting crippled or removed just because you simply added new hardware or switched to a new PC.

Oracle vs PHP - FUD and Ignorance in Journalism
By D.C. Parris - Oct 10, 2006
LXer Feature: 10-Oct-2006

An article showed up in LXer's news queue that described how a business chose an Oracle solution over - get this - a PHP solution. Never mind that the article compares a database to a scripting language, but one can use Open Source PHP in conjunction with Oracle's non-free database system to write web applications. It just goes to show that we all need to know the difference between crap and shinola.


User Group Administration - Lessons From the Ohio LinuxFest
By D.C. Parris - Oct 09, 2006
LXer Feature: 08-Oct-2006

In Charlotte, our Linux User Group is struggling, as others do, with getting our act together. While at the Ohio LinuxFest last weekend, I picked up a few interesting notes from the panel discussion about user group administration. I thought I would share what I learned, in the hopes that it might help your LUG, too.


KDE 3.5.5 will be released next week
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, USA) - Oct 08, 2006

KDE will ship the 5th maintenance update to KDE 3.5 next week. This release includes a bunch of bug fixes, improved language support, a new version of kopete and tons more.

OpenOffice.org 2.0.4 - Don't Blink
By D.C. Parris - Oct 06, 2006
LXer Feature: 06-Oct-2006

On the word of an LXer reader, I downloaded OpenOffice.org 2.0.4 Release Candidate 3 to test it's load speed. I also tested copying data from Calc to Base, something that had caused repeated crashing under 2.0.3. Here's what happened.


Getting Cheeky At the Ohio LinuxFest
By D.C. Parris - Oct 05, 2006
LXer Feature: 5-Oct-2006

We finally got around to getting a few photos from the 2006 Ohio LinuxFest on-line. Enjoy!


Book Review: IPv6 Essentials, 2nd Edition, by Silvia Hagen
By Carla Schroder - Oct 02, 2006
IPv6 Essentials, 2nd edition is a well-written, clear, up-to-date guide to understanding IPv6 in-depth. The book explains how it all works to a very practical depth, so that the reader will be well-prepared to begin implementation.
ToorCon ("Firefox security is a mess") sponsored by Microsoft
By H.Kwint - Oct 02, 2006
Lately, I read the headline: "Open Source browser Firefox is so critically flawed that it is impossible to fix, according to two hackers." Further on, in the ZDNet article I read: "The hackers claim they know of about 30 unpatched Firefox flaws. They don't plan to disclose them, instead holding onto the bugs."
Since that sounds suspicious, I decided to start searching for connections with MS. Easy enough, here it is:

  • 21:30-03:00 ToorCon Saturday Night Party - Sponsored by Microsoft (Link)

Hackers drinking MS-beer for more than five consecutive hours! Judge for yourself...

Ohio LinuxFest - Live Penguins and Lively Penguinistas
By D.C. Parris - Oct 02, 2006
LXer Feature: 2-Oct-2006

Lxer's Bob Whitinger and Don Parris flew to Columbus for the Ohio LinuxFest Saturday. Don shares his experience barrel rolling in a '62 Mooney, meeting popular and lively penguinistas and even a pair of live penguins.


Notes from aKadamy 2006
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, USA) - Sep 26, 2006

Notes from the aKadamy 2006 Conference.

Novell's Linux Road Show Makes A Good Impression
By DC Parris - Sep 26, 2006
LXer Feature: 15-Jul-2006

Novell Linux Road Show attendees seemed pretty impressed by the introductions to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and Desktop.


LXer To Launch New Look Sunday Night
By DC Parris - Sep 22, 2006
LXer Announcement: 22-Sep-2006

For the past couple of months, LXer has been beta testing a new look aimed at improving the site's appearance and usability. The time has come to launch.


Software Freedom Day - Charlotte Pics
By DC Parris - Sep 17, 2006
LXer Feature: 17-Sep-2006

Here are the pics for Software Freedom Day - Charlotte. We held our event yesterday afternoon at the Cone Center at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. Enjoy!


FOSS Community, Microsoft And Reconciliation
By DC Parris - Sep 11, 2006
LXer Feature: 11-Sep-2006

Neil McAllister calls on the FOSS community to drop the fortress mentality and work to build bridges with Microsoft. That's kind of like saying an abused wife should hug her husband just because he brings her flowers. Maybe Microsoft really is changing, but LXer's Don Parris suggests watching to see what they are holding in the other hand.


Software Freedom Day Is Fast Approaching
By DC Parris - Sep 11, 2006
LXer Feature: 11-Sep-2006

Software Freedom Day is fast approaching. What are you doing in your area?


grep Neoscopio FOSSBiz
By DC Parris - Aug 28, 2006
LXer Feature: 28-Aug-2006

Neoscopio adheres closely to the principles of Free/Open Source Software by providing customized solutions and services based on available software projects. LXer's Don Parris interviews the Neoscopio team.


GNU/Linux for Christians: Kubuntu-based Ichthux Beta5 is out
By DC Parris - Aug 27, 2006
LXer Feature: 27-Aug-2006

The beta ISOs should be available Sunday evening or Monday, with the first major release, Ichthux 6.09, due out in early September.


Solved! Converting an OpenOffice.org Calc Sheet to OOBase
By DC Parris - Aug 27, 2006
LXer Feature: 27-Aug-2006

I had developed a fairly hefty OpenOffice.org Calc sheet, which was great for quickly entering data I've been working with lately. However, it soon became clear that a switch to ooBase would be necessary. I'm not a big user of ooBase, so wasn't sure how best to go about converting my data. Fortunately, a tutorial someone else had written showed me just how simple it is.


grep 'Open Sense Solutions' FOSSBiz
By DC Parris - Aug 23, 2006
LXer Feature: 23-Aug-2006

Grepping for businesses that focus solely, or even mostly, on FOSS is prooving to be quite a challenge. Open Sense Solutions is a Greenbay, Wisconsin-based provider of GNU/Linux desktop solutions. Their Groovix public access system is not only popular, but libre too. Michael Pardee was kind enough to answer the questions Don Parris threw at him.


Interview With The Open Graphics Project's Timothy Miller
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, USA) - Aug 18, 2006
LXer Feature: 17-Aug-2006

An interview with the Project Lead and Creator of the Open Graphics Project, Timothy Miller.

grep 'Reboot The User' FOSSBiz
By DC Parris - Aug 17, 2006
LXer Feature: 18-Aug-2006

Reboot The User is a small shop located in Omaha, Nebraska. Jay Swackhamer, the man behind the company, was willing to take time out of his hectic schedule to answer our questions. Despite the numerous fluctuations he sees in his business, Jay says he sees interest in GNU/Linux picking up, generally.


grep Reddog FOSSBiz
By DC Parris - Aug 15, 2006
LXer Feature: 15-Aug-2006

Don Parris talks with Nathan Aherne of Reddog Technology about selling computers with Ubuntu's GNU/Linux system pre-installed in Australia. Anyone interested in selling computers with GNU/Linux pre-installed should pay attention here, as Nathan makes at least one or two important points.


Is GNU/Linux Really Replacing Windows?
By DC Parris - Aug 11, 2006
LXer Feature: 11-Aug-2006

Don Parris' straw poll about replacing Windows with GNU/Linux on a couple of distribution listservs has taken on a whole life of its own in the Ubuntu Users forum. Are people really replacing Windows with GNU/Linux systems? What hardware and software issues prevent people from ditching Windows altogether? Should Microsoft be worried?


Grep Farstone FOSSBiz
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, USA) - Aug 08, 2006
LXer Feature: 8-Aug-2006

I am sure that like me, you have all had your, “My system went down and took everything with it” event, or events. Now if I had just had a back-up program that had all of my files in it already..Hmmm.


GNU/Linux -- Like No Other Hotrod, Ever
By Terry Vessels - Aug 04, 2006
Tux with cboy's rat-on-a-shoestring LXer Feature: 04-Aug-2006

GNU/Linux -- Like No Other Hotrod, Ever

While others appear to be going backwards, Linux just keeps racing ahead.

'Linux supports more devices, "out of the box", than any other operating system ever has.'

"Yes, that's right, we support more things than anyone else. And more than anyone else ever has in the past. Linux has a very long list of things that we have supported before anyone else ever did."
-- Greg Kroah-Hartman, OLS 2006 Keynote


How To Find A Computer With GNU/Linux Pre-Installed
By DC Parris - Aug 03, 2006
LXer Feature: 3-Aug-2006

One LXer reader's quest to find and list vendors selling computers with GNU/Linux pre-installed leads to the development of a GNU/Linux vendor database.


New community project targets the Debian user
By wjl - Aug 02, 2006
The new domain thedebianuser.org is still in its infancy, but at least its focus is pretty clear: it targets Debian users, which includes pretty much everyone from new converts to Ubuntu users to Debian Developers. After all, we are all users.
Welcoming Newcomers to Linux and FOSS, or, the Least You Can Do is Not Chase Noobs Away
By Carla Schroder - Aug 01, 2006
LXer Feature: 1 Aug 2006

What is the future of Linux and Free Software? A rigid little cult that accept only the Right People? Or a community that truly practices "Free as in Freedom"?


LXers Hog The Barbecue
By DC Parris - Jul 30, 2006
LXer Feature: 30-Jul-2006

LXers attempted to eat high on the hog Saturday while being mobbed by gorgeous women...


Re-thinking the Windows Refund
By DC Parris - Jul 25, 2006
LXer Feature: 25-Jul-2006

LXer's Don Parris challenges the Windows Refund movement to rethink its platform.


Lobby4Linux Founder Battles Illness
By DC Parris - Jul 21, 2006
LXer Feature: 22-Jul-2006

Lobby4Linux founder, Ken Starks (a.k.a., Helios) recently went to Washington to take the fight for freedom - whether it's software or media - to the hallowed halls of Congress. Now he faces an even greater battle - a battle for his very life.


Grep FOSSBiz Versora
By DC Parris - Jul 21, 2006
LXer Feature: 21-Jul-2006

LXer's Don Parris got together with Versora, Inc.'s CEO, Mike Sheffey, Chief Software Architect, Nick Lassonde, and Vice-President of Marketing, Ray George to discuss Versora's role in helping businesses migrate from Windows to GNU/Linux.


Grep FOSSBiz
By DC Parris - Jul 20, 2006
LXer Feature: 20-Jul-2006

LXer goes on the search for businesses that provide migration and support services, software development, and products related to Free and Open Source Software. Do you know of a business focused on Free and Open Source Software?


A Gentoo diary part 1
By H. Kwint - Jul 20, 2006
A Gentoo Diary part 1 LXer Feature: 19-July-06

It's been a while since I promised to write about my Gentoo desktops. In the intro, I gave some general information about Gentoo, and explained my setup.
The reason I didn't write a bit earlier is, amongst others, not that much interesting happened the last few weeks. Anyway, let's talk about what did happen: I set up an old 300 mHz server with Gentoo, tried to make distributed compiling work, learned a bit more about Windowmaker, tried to get a Broadcom Wireless card working on a laptop, switched to Grub, and finally got rid of Xmms. Uhhm, the latter kind of unnoticeable.
Who reads LXer? Why do I care?
By Terry Vessels, aka grouch - Jul 14, 2006
grouch A recent discussion on LXer asked the question, " Where are the readers?" It spawned an informative discussion about analysis of web site statistics. Those statistics are fairly obviously of financial concern to the publisher, since it costs money to keep LXer online, but are they important, otherwise? Do they serve the community of GNU/Linux and FOSS?
Word 2007 and Open Office
By Sal Paradise - Jul 13, 2006
LXer Feature: 13-Jul-2006

Microsoft appear to be up their old tricks again. This time it's the "let's work with odt to show how much we care" farce. If you work in an office you probably need to pay attention to this.


The Value of Free Software
By DC Parris - Jul 12, 2006
  LXer Feature: 12-Jul-2006

Evolution's usefulness has long been hampered by the lack of a single feature. Because it is free software, one organization knew the feature could be added, either by themselves, or by paying someone to do it for them. Find out what they did, why and how they did it, and how you can get the patch for yourself.

[Updated at 12:05 US Eastern Time - dcparris]
'GNU/Linux', 'Linux' -- What's the diff?
By Terry Vessels - Jun 29, 2006
  LXer Feature: 29-Jun-06

Why do Linux advocates argue over whether to call their operating system 'Linux' or 'GNU/Linux'? It's all open source, right? At this point there are blood pressures rising among free software advocates, while any casual software user reading this is simply thinking, "Yeah, so?"
Lyricue Gets Lifted to Higher Ground
By DC Parris - Jun 28, 2006
  LXer Feature: 28-Jun-06

With Lyricue, you can display song lyrics on the wall screens during worship. With Lyricue 1.9.3, you can easily add Bible verses, and manage the display across the network from the comfort of your pew, using a server and a tablet PC running GNU/Linux. Support for two more languages makes Lyricue usable by more people as well.
Week in review: 2006-06-18 through 2006-06-24
By Terry Vessels - Jun 25, 2006
Back by popular demand (6 people said they liked it), here is the list of links to all stories posted on LXer from Sunday, June 18, through Saturday, June 24, 2006. There were 251 stories posted to LXer during this past week. Wednesday and Saturday each had 43 stories, with Sunday being the slow day at 23.

(By the way, creating this list involved only free software and I am once again grateful to Ben Okopnik for his tutorial, The Deep, Dark Secrets of Bash.)

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