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When not threatening to sue Linux makers, Microsoft can't help itself from partnering with them. Redmond today announced a buddy-buddy deal with desktop Linux maker Linspire.

The press release started with the words, "Answering the call for an open source option from Information Technology professionals, Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU) announced today that businesses will soon be able to operate QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions® from Linux servers. It is the first time the company has made one of its products available to users of open source systems." Except QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions itself is not now and may never be open source. And even though a Linux version of the server software is now available for Linux, you will still need Windows on your desktops to use it.

The latest in this vintage clothing named distribution (yes yes, we know the are roots in Red Hat) comes with a new distribution format, the latest X.org release for 3D accelerated goodness, and an extremely polished desktop environment. When we eventually got it installed, that is.

Mandriva announced this week that it has revamped its eTraining website interface for better ease of use. In addition, the free online management modules have been improved, and there are two new free courses: one on urpmi and rpmdrake, and the other on Mandriva Flash.

Chris Mason announced an early alpha release of his new Btrfs filesystem, "after the last FS summit, I started working on a new filesystem that maintains checksums of all file data and metadata." He listed the following features as "mostly implemented": "extent based file storage (2^64 max file size), space efficient packing of small files, space efficient indexed directories, dynamic inode allocation, writable snapshots, subvolumes (separate internal filesystem roots), checksums on data and metadata (multiple algorithms available), very fast offline filesystem check". He listed the following features as yet to be implemented: "object level mirroring and striping, strong integration with device mapper for multiple device support, online filesystem check, efficient incremental backup and FS mirroring".

My friend Og Maciel showed me Openbox 3.4.2’s fresh release the other day and I was impressed with its simplicity and speed. On my work laptop, we recently upgraded to a larger hard drive and I decided this was a prime opportunity to document the installation of Openbox.

Let’s take a look at the process of installing and customizing to see if it will fit your desktop needs.

There are financial programs for Linux, but none of them have achieved the incredible mindshare of Quicken. Now, Intuit has decided to give Linux a try with its release on June 13 of QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions—Intuit's financial and business management software for mid-market companies.

We finally got around to releasing another episode. This time we talk to Bassam Kurdali of the blender project and we have the much anticipated Cinelerra tutorial #3 in which we discuss how to do video effects not to mention some interesting non-sponsors.

The OpenOffice.org community yesterday released a bugfix and security update of the latest OO.org release and dubbed it version 2.2.1. No new features have been added since version 2.2 was released in late March, a team spokesperson said in the release announcement.

I find myself not browsing the Web as much as I used to, thanks to Liferea, a Linux-based aggregator for online news feeds.

Hot on the heels of Apple's announcement of Safari for Windows, Clint Ecker has published a short discussion with Lars Knoll, one of the original coders behind KHTML. The article focuses on the connection between KHTML and Apple's Webkit, and in turn shows how Apple's announcement of Safari for Windows can benefit KDE and Qt. Safari on Windows will help KDE in two additional ways: improved website compatibility as more coders can now check site rendering when on Windows; and mindshare for KDE technologies for cross platform applications.

Microsoft's standards format has been misunderstood and being "pro Open XML" doesn't make one "anti ODF", claims Australian activist Rick Jelliffe.

[Seems to me like arguing for 2 standards leaves us right where we started - having to convert the freaking documents, when we could have one standard that everyone uses!!! That's not anti-Microsoft; it's pro-users - dcparris]

Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP form the basis of the LAMP architecture for Web applications. This third article, the last in a series of three, focuses on tuning the database layer for maximum efficiency. The first article covers the basics of LAMP, while the second article focuses on steps you can take to optimize Apache and PHP.

Novell today introduced a new suite of workgroup applications for small businesses, based on "proven," open standards-based software. The Novell Open Workgroup Suite Small Business Edition includes Linux server and desktop components, and bundles email, collaboration, and other open-source office products.

To quote from the book's back cover: "How does a router switch a packet?" "What is the difference between routing a packet, switching a frame, and packet switching?" Ever wanted to know? Yes, at the CCNA level, we are all taught the differences between these processes but only to a superficial degree. The in-depth explanation lies in understanding Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF) which "is found in almost all Cisco routers and Catalyst switches..." Supposedly, Cisco Express Forwarding "demystifies the internal workings of Cisco routers and switches, making it easier for you (the reader) to optimize performance and troubleshoot issues..." Ok, enough of the back cover hype. Let's see what this book has between the covers.

Internet Traffic and SEO Techniques. Easy to implement it. And best of all, it is free.

Four years ago, I bought a book entitled, "Mac OSX: The Missing Manual" and noticed it had reached the #1 best sellers slot at Amazon. I remember wondering how an operating system with 3% of the PC Desktop market could sell enough books to rank #1. Then, I realized there I was buying one too. I didn't use a Mac, but my wife bought one and needed to learn this new fangled UNIX desktop. The point? The Missing Manual served a big need - big enough to warrant a #1 best seller.

SMPlayer - Nice Frontend for MPlayer

Today Microsoft Corp. and Linux desktop provider Linspire Inc. announced a broad interoperability, technical collaboration that also includes intellectual property assurances. The agreement promotes customer choice and strengthens the bridge between the Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems.

[One more down.. - Scott]

Linux Holdings have launched the country's first full time Linux training academy. Mixing theory with practical, students will begin with a four month curriculum, training them up to write the Linux Professional Institute level one exam. After that they will work for an open source company for six months