Showing headlines posted by DeviceGuru

With the Debian Linux project officially designating "Lenny" as its new "stable" distribution, I decided to install it on an old Thinkpad to see how well it performs on a low-end machine. Without doubt, the results surpassed my wildest expectations!

Inspired by Roku's awesome Netflix video download box and impressed with Boxee's free A/V media center platform, it was merely a matter of time before I'd create the BoxeeBox, an Ubuntu-powered HTPC that I call my "one box to rule them all." Here's how it's done.

Myka, which recently began shipping an IPTV set-top box (STB), is offering a $100 discount to entice developers to roll up their sleeves and contribute to its device’s open-source, Linux-based software stack.

Embedded Linux has now been around for a decade and consistently ranks as one of the top OS choices for device development. But, does it still have its mojo?

OpenSource World -- the successor to LinuxWorld -- is soliciting presentations for its Mobile Open Source sub-conference. The conference will take place Aug. 10-13, 2009 in San Francisco. The Mobile Open Source segment of OpenSource World will be organized as two tracks: Mobile Platforms, and Mobile Applications.

After recently reviewing the gOS Gadgets Ubuntu-remix, I decided to try adding Mozilla Prism, Google Gadgets, and a Wbar animated application-launch icon dock to standard Ubuntu. Here's how to do that.

Boxee has just opened up its free A/V media center platform to all Ubuntu, Mac, and AppleTV users. Additionally, Boxee for Windows has entered 'private-alpha' phase, during which prospective users apply for the software online and wait for a download link.

At its core, gOS 3.1 Gadgets is built from Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron). Modifications include a bright green theme, several changes to the distribution’s default applications, and an increased emphasis on web-based applications -- especially Google’s.

I realize it's a touchy subject, but some of us prefer unmodified Firefox -- including the standard Firefox icon -- to Debian's Iceweasel alternative. Here's a 3-step way to substitute Firefox for Iceweasel on a fresh Lenny install.

Boxee announced today that it has added Netflix video downloads -- including the ability to browse Netflix’s media library from within Boxee -- to its A/V media center platform for Linux, Mac, and (soon) Windows PCs. This Boxee enhancement also marks the first time Netflix instant downloads will be available to users of desktop PCs running Linux.

In a better-late-than-never move, Blockbuster has introduced a video-on-demand (VOD) service accompanied by a “free” set-top box (STB). Like TiVo, Roku’s Netflix box, and many other modern Internet-enabled A/V gadgets, Blockbuster’s new VOD STB runs Linux.

The Linux Foundation has published a series of video interviews from the annual Linux Kernel Summit held Sept. 15-16 in Portland, Oregon. In the videos, 16 developers -- including Linux creator Linus Torvalds (shown at left) -- discuss their development activities.

Canonical Ltd., commercial sponsor of Ubuntu Linux, says it’s porting Ubuntu to the ARM RISC processor architecture. Ubuntu on ARM will target netbooks and other emerging device categories requiring a “rich, always-connected, mobile computing experience, without compromising battery life.”

Digi International has introduced a Linux-based server packaged within a somewhat elongated RJ-45 connector. The ME 9210 comes with an embedded OS based on a Linux 2.6.26 kernel.

It finally happened: Ubuntu 8.10 (aka Intrepid Ibex) has uprooted Kubuntu 8.04 from the Black Tower. Although I've been a staunch KDE advocate for many years, this exceptional new distribution has unexpectedly converted me into a GNOME user.

The Ubuntu Linux project has just released a major update to its highly popular Linux OS. Ubuntu Version 8.10 boasts a 2.6.27 Linux kernel, GNOME 2.24 desktop environment, and X.Org 7.4. Although I've been a staunch KDE advocate over the years, this slick new release is strongly tempting me to convert to Ubuntu!

Zilog, creator of the Z80 microprocessors that powered numerous circa-1980 microcomputers including the Osborne and Kaypro, has just introduced its first general purpose 32-bit microcontroller family. The Encore! 32 microcontrollers integrate ARM9 processor cores, are offered with Linux support, and target embedded devices.

A new version of MEPIS Linux, one of my favorite KDE-based distributions, is nearing final release. Roughly a year after the arrival of version 7.0, distribution founder and maintainer Warren Woodford has released MEPIS 8.0 beta 2, based on a Debian Lenny core.

Get ready for Rovio, a small three-wheeled mobile robot that offers audio/visual telepresence via its built-in wireless web-cam. An onboard webserver enables access from anywhere in the world.

CodeWeavers, a company whose mission is to enable selected Windows programs to run seamlessly on Linux via WINE technology, has released a preliminary version of Google Chrome for Linux. It works!