Showing headlines posted by Scott_Ruecker

I recognized I was mistaken when I thought my multiple, parallel div columns matched heights. I knew too well it was the background color of my base div hid the failure as the columns changed heights. However, it was more than simple inertia delayed efforts my correcting this too visible flaw in the menu pages. A myriad of other perplexing issues monopolized my attention. Moreover, I thought I had simple solutions stored on my system utilizing seemingly very straight forward javascript code. Furthermore, the problem of matching column heights seemed to be a well understood problem with its solution documented. Or so I thought, until my browser crashed losing all the code samples, irretrievably. I soon learned the solution was not so simple. I ended up developing my own code. Oh yes, welcome to the strange world of Javascript.

Spreadsheets might be called databases for the timid, since they're more user-friendly than databases and do a good job working with limited amounts of data. Some tools for databases can work well with spreadsheets too. Take for instance DataForm, a new OpenOffice.org Calc extension that provides a form-like interface designed to make entering and finding spreadsheet data easier.

Businesses everywhere are looking to cut costs in the grip of reduced consumer spending, decreased advertising and a general slowdown of trade. Linux can aid you in cutting your infrastructure costs - no matter your platform of choice.

What's involved in a switch from Windows to Linux? An editor and a couple of readers posed that question after last week's column. Given the proliferation of cheap Linux-based "netbooks" it is worth a systematic look. For newbies, the more stand-alone, Internet-oriented your computing, the more likely you are to find Linux a good substitute for other operating systems. That's because your interaction with the Net is mediated by a browser and e-mail program, making the operating system less relevant. Conversely, if you're in an institutional Windows-based environment, you may find it difficult to make the transition.

ZDNet Editor in Chief Larry Dignan recently picked up a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Ubuntu Netbook and pinged me for tech support questions regarding his new toy — he couldn’t get it functioning on his home wireless network. We tried a couple of different combinations of things including updating the software (the usual sudo apt-get update / upgrade routine) but to no avail. He had to call up Dell Tech support, which eventually guided him through the wireless setup and helped him debug a few wireless security issues.

Compiz 0.7 was released back in February and since then we've seen a series of minor updates. Now though we may have Compiz 0.8 to look forward to in the near future.

LXer Feature: 23-Nov-2008

Hello everyone, in this week's LXer Weekly Roundup we have the 2008 Linux Graphics Survey, 21 of the Best Free Linux Emulators, Adobe releases their 64-bit driver for Linux, first. Also, a Q-and-A with Richard Stallman, the greatest geek of all time, the Linux tinority and final judgment SCO in Utah.

Microsoft Corp. asked a federal judge yesterday to end the class-action lawsuit that has been the source of a treasure trove of embarrassing insider e-mails that have showed the company bent to pressure from Intel Corp. and infuriated longtime partner Hewlett-Packard Co. In a pair of motions filed with U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman, Microsoft's lawyers asked her to decertify the class and rule on a summary judgment to dismiss the charges.

Can Google conquer television? Yesterday, I talked with Keval Desai, product manager for Google's TV Ads unit, and he did a pretty good job convincing me that it can.

Apple has sold enterprise-class storage hardware and software for years, but the company has yet to embrace systematic email and document retention policies that are common among publicly traded companies. According to a recent legal filing (see page 7) in the Psystar vs Apple antitrust case, Apple employees are responsible for maintaining their own documents such as emails, memos, and voicemails. In other words, there is no company-wide policy for archiving, saving, or deleting these documents.

It was meant to be an escape, a break from the day-to-day routine, a fantasy world where 13-year-old Missouri high-school student Megan Meier could retreat from reality. But when Meier began corresponding with 16-year-old Josh Evans on her MySpace page, it rapidly turned into a nightmare.

The Mozilla add-ons team this past week announced that it had seen its billionth add-on downloaded since it started tracking in 2005. This number only includes downloads from addons.mozilla.org, so the number may in fact be a lot higher as add-ons are also distributed through other channels.

Over the last year or two, the kernel development process has been changed in a deliberate attempt to make the addition of new drivers easier. It has become clear that out-of-tree drivers often do not get any better until they are merged; meanwhile, users want those drivers and distributors are shipping them. So it would seem that everybody's interests are served by getting those drivers into the mainline tree. Experience with drivers merged under this policy has generally been positive; once those drivers head for the mainline, they get more attention and tend to improve quickly.

It's time that Microsoft settled the Windows Vista Capable lawsuit, before the PR—and quite possibly legal—damages escalate. The judge's decision to compel testimony from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer must be the end. No matter the outcome, Microsoft cannot win this lawsuit. The case may be winnable in the court of law, but not in the court of public opinion. More importantly, the company risks exposing its chief executive to unnecessary scrutiny and liability.

A few months back we had looked at the OCZ Alchemy Elixir Keyboard, which was designed for gamers and was built quite nicely, but it had fallen short when it came to the multimedia keys working under Linux. Though if you are looking for an advanced keyboard that works quite well with Linux, you may want to check out the Logitech G15, which works under Linux and even with its small LCD display.

There I was, testifying before a phalanx of lawmakers about infrastructure. But they weren't asking me about bridges and tunnels. They were quizzing me about a different kind of undergirding: the electronic variety. They wanted to know how society can guarantee the compatibility of computers--and the electronic information they contain--across time, continents, companies and countries. For the first time in memory, technology standards have become a discussion topic at legislative hearings, on the U.S. presidential campaign trail and at E.U. regulatory meetings. Why the scrutiny? Shouldn't we trust that computer companies will always have the public interest at heart? Won't we always be able to open and read electronic documents?

Another chapter in the lengthy legal saga between SCO and Novell is closed, with the release of a final judgment by a Utah court on Thursday. The judgment largely reiterates earlier orders dismissing copyright-infringement, slander and breach-of-contract claims brought by SCO, but it also prevents SCO from being able to dismiss certain claims and then revive those same claims in potential future appeals. One onlooker sees the ruling, handed down in the U.S. District Court for the district of Utah, as another loss for SCO, which can still appeal the decision.

Bugsquad will be revisiting PIM bugs next Sunday, concentrating on KMail and KOrganizer. Recently the number of people hanging out and doing bugs in our IRC channel regulary has increased considerably. As there is almost always someone hanging around (and because some people specifically requested it), we decided we could extend our events. So, if you are one of those people who just can not spare time on Sundays, rejoice for Bugweeks.

OpenSSH is still the primo tool for fast, secure remote administration. Carla Schroder shares some tips to make it even faster and more convenient: fast safe key transfers and management, and accessing remote filesystems in a fast, convenient way.

Nowadays, everyone uses Ubuntu, most people have used Fedora, and many folks have tried openSUSE. SimplyMEPIS ... not so many. That's a shame, because this relatively obscure Debian-based desktop distribution from Morgantown, WV, is an outstanding desktop operating system. With SimplyMEPIS 8 at beta 5 and closing in on release, I tested the distribution and found it to be a keeper. I downloaded SimplyMEPIS from one of its mirror sites and burned the ISO file to a CD, then installed it on a Dell Inspiron 530s, powered by a 2.2GHz Intel Pentium E2200 dual-core processor with an 800MHz front side bus, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB SATA drive, and an Integrated Intel 3100 Graphics Media Accelerator.