LXer Features

Encryption, Trust, and the Hidden Dangers of Vendor-Controlled Data
By penguinist - Aug 27, 2024

When the keys are controlled by vendors like Google or Apple, what does that mean for user privacy? This article explores the hidden dangers of vendor-controlled encryption and the trust gap it creates, particularly for open-source users and developers.
My Linux Mint Tribute
By Scott Ruecker (San Diego, CA) - Aug 23, 2024
LXer Feature: 23-Aug-2024

Hi there it’s me Scott, in my previous article I wrote about How I Turned My Chromebook Into A Mintbook and all the fun entailed in doing it. Well, its been two months and a few friends and others have asked me, “So how’s it going with your Mintbook”? Or “My Mintbox” as my friend Donny kids me.
How I Turned My Chromebook Into A "Mintbook"
By Scott Ruecker (San Diego, U.S.) - Jul 08, 2024
LXer Feature: 08-Jul-2024

How I turned a brand new Chromebook that kinda worked into a Linux Laptop that totally rocks!
Adventures With My New Chromebook
By Scott Ruecker (San Diego, U.S.) - Jun 10, 2024
LXer Feature: 10-Jun-2024

A friend of mine helped me buy a new Chromebook a few weeks back. These are my adventures in getting to know what it is like to use and see if I could get it to do some extra stuff too.
My Linux Laptop
By Scott Ruecker - May 08, 2022


LXer Feature: 08-May-2022

After all my adventures I ended up with a really cool Linux laptop, wait..that's what I wanted in the first place!
Laptop Dual Boot Project: Part 2
By Scott Ruecker - Nov 30, 2021


LXer Feature: 30-Nov-2021

Here continues my journey to boot different versions of Linux onto my laptop and see how things go.
Laptop Dual Boot Project
By Scott Ruecker - Nov 30, 2020


LXer Feature: 30-Nov-2020

I got a new laptop and I want to use a jump-drive to run different versions of Linux on it. These are my adventures..
Lenovo Laptop Love..Not!
By Scott Ruecker - Nov 01, 2019


LXer Feature: 1-Nov-2019

I was recently given a laptop that came with Windows 10 on it and wanted to install Linux over it because well. Windows sucks.
Attempting to install Linux on a new laptop, a follow-up
By James Dixon - Sep 21, 2019
LXer Feature: 21-Sept-2019

A successful conclusion..

I recently detailed my attempts to install Linux as an alternative boot an SD card in a new Dell laptop. Those attempts failed. See Attempting to install Linux on a new laptop for the details. Microsoft has continued in their usual way and notified me last week that the current feature update of Windows on that laptop would soon be unsupported and urged me to update to the latest version.
Attempting to install Linux on a new laptop
By James Dixon - Jun 07, 2019
How I failed at installing Linux on a new laptop
Updating from Ubuntu LTS 16.04 to 18.04
By Hans Kwint - May 03, 2018


LXer Feature: 03-May-2018

Maybe you run old and trusted Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, and wonder if it's easy to release a Bionic Beaver (18.04) in your PC. So did I! I could wait for the early spring-bugs to be squashed (do beavers eat bugs?), so wait for the point release 18.04.1. But I decided to act like a daring drake, and give the process a try anyway. Now, this could either go horribly wrong, like some Linux-updates I had in the past, it could be a breeze (badger?), or anything in between: Time to share my experience!
A KMail Breakthrough.
By Dr Tony Young - May 01, 2016


LXer Feature Update: 27-Apr-2016

This tells the story of how I finally managed a successful transfer of email data from KMail version 1.13.6 to version 4.11.5. It is a non-technical essay exploring the obstacles I encountered, my options, and the methods I used to achieve my aim. It was written partly to give the information, but also with the hope that readers will both enjoy and be amused by the story of the "battle of KMail" that was ultimately won against "incredible odds". Links to the earlier articles discussing problems with KMail 4x are given at the end.
Installing jstock with Slackware 14.1
By James Dixon - Jan 19, 2016
Two methods to get Jstock working on your Slackware 14.1 machine.
Installing sbopkg with Slackware 14.1
By James Dixon - Jan 16, 2016
How to install the sbopkg Slackbuids.org package manager with Slackware 14.1.
Open Source Wealth Management
By James Dixon - Jan 15, 2016
So you want to manage your money with open source?
GNUifying Windows: Make the best of imposed Windows-use at work
By Hans Kwint - Oct 23, 2015
Chances are, if you work at a big company, you have to work with the beloved Windows and - unlike home - you don't have sudo - er, I mean admin-permissions. If you are a vivid Linux-user at home, it may feel like you're lost without your favourite Linux tools.

However, there's a lot of Free Software / Open Source software for Windows to make you feel more at home. Below I will present a list of the tools I use from time to time. Remember, it's just a list of software I use which I hope you say "Nah, I never heard of that!", that's the goal of this article. It's not meant as a recommendation of any kind, or saying that it's better, or to start a discussion about an utopic world in which you are free to use any OS you like at work.
Update to "How long is a piece of string?"
By Dr. Tony Young - Oct 20, 2015


LXer Feature Update: 20-Oct-2015

The original article was dedicated, with thanks, to Gus3. Without his suggestion it never would have been written. Like the original article, I stress the following update text involves Linux only obliquely......but I hope all my friends here on LXer will find it interesting, and perhaps, useful.
Chromebooks, Linux, and Lenovo
By Russell Hollander - Sep 23, 2015
One Linux enthusiast's experience trying to install Linux on a Lenovo Thinkpad 11e Chromebook
Interview With Richard Kenner of AdaCore
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Aug 29, 2014


LXer Feature: 28-Aug-2014

When the Heartbleed bug made it out into the world a few months ago I had a chance to talk to Richard Kenner of AdaCore about it. I learned a few things too, here is our interview.
Better Than a Quad-Head Display: My Adventures with "4K" 2160p and Linux
By penguinist - Mar 31, 2014


LXer Feature: 2014-Mar-31

Imagine having the equivalent of four 1920x1080 monitors in a 2x2 grid, on your desk, with absolutely no seam between them. This article describes my journey towards that goal...
Replacing KDE4 with Xfce
By Dr Tony Young - Mar 07, 2014


A brief outline on some of the things you can expect when KDE4 is replaced with the much faster and slimmer desktop manager of Xfce .
Removing/Disabling The Semantic Deskop in KDE4 Running on openSUSE 13.1 Part 2
By Dr Tony Young - Feb 18, 2014


In this article, the author brings together the information so far known on the KDE4 "semantic desktop" and indicates that from his perspective, the principal problem is the removal of "choice". Since disabling of the "semantic desktop" automatically leads to disabling of the KDE email client KMail, the article explains how Thunderbird can be installed to replace the KDE email client. The startling news that Nepomuk is to be discarded is also briefly discussed.
Removing/Disabling The Semantic Deskop in KDE4 (and firing up Thunderbird) Part 1
By Dr Tony Young - Feb 08, 2014


As a result of the first article on KMail, three things emerged. First, while some users may like the semantic desktop, there is serious dislike for the semantic desktop (as has been implemented in KDE4) amongst a considerable number of other users, and these people set about disabling the software in various ways. Second, why does the implementation of the semantic desktop produce such apparent deterioration in the performance of the KDE4 desktop and what happens if you try to remove it altogether ? Third, what are some possible solutions ? This second article tries to explore those three items.
KMail Complexity - and a little Patience
By Dr Tony Young - Jan 26, 2014
LXer Feature: 26-Jan-2014

This article considers some problems I had when I tried to set up and use the latest version of what I still consider is a superb email client: KMail. I believe that this package is no longer intended for the "stand-alone" user, but is firmly aimed at multi-user networks. Attention is also drawn to another far less important but still extensively used KDE4 package, the patience card-game software which I believe has been degraded due to over-development.
Linux Nerd New Year's Resolutions
By Carla Schroder - Dec 29, 2013
LXer Feature: 29-Dec-2013

Forget those boring New Year's resolutions to lose weight, get fit, and be a better person. Let's talk proper Linux nerd resolutions. I'm going to tame mod_rewrite if it's the last thing I do. Which it may well be. What are you going to do in this glorious year 2014 of the new millennium?
Fedora 20 Released With New, Newer, and Newest
By Carla Schroder - Dec 17, 2013
LXer Feature: 17-Dec-2013

Fedora 20 is officially released today with a lot of signficant additions, improvements, and bleeding-edge things to get cut on.
Trouble-shooting a VoIP Modem
By Dr Tony Young - Nov 07, 2013
LXer Feature: 7-Nov-2013

This is a description of a long and involved process which shows how difficult and frustrating it can be to have a VoIP modem running, free of problems. Originally appearing in LXer forums, it has now been updated and expanded.
Linux Malware: Should we be afraid?
By Hans Kwint - The Netherlands - Aug 13, 2013
LXer Feature: 13-August-2013

Given the recent Hand of Thief-news, in which RSA's Limor Kessem explains how a Linux malware-kit is sold on Russian websites, I have been contemplating about Linux security again.

Not only that, after I switched to Ubuntu, I also noticed how easy it is to add new repositories for some cool new programs not in the official repository yet. Sure, while doing so you think "Hmm, there could always be a virus in it, but I think those people are trustworthy. If there's malware in it, other people might already have noticed it in the source code". At least, that's what I usually hope.

Besides, the OS is becoming more and more "unimportant" for crackers; nowadays the browser is taking over lots of roles from the OS. These days, it's all about Javascript, Adobe's Flash and - to a lesser degree - Java, all of them full of potential security shoot-through holes. Linux users are quite lucky Adobe's PDF reader is no common tool on Linux, besides Flash and Java waning in importance. It saves minor headaches, but the main ones remaining.

Throw into the mix some easily exploitable Linux routers, and Googles lax behaviour with Android security to make me reach for the paracetamol again.


Gems from Southeast LinuxFest
By Penguinist - Jun 10, 2013
Three golden nuggets from the Southeast LinuxFest: "RPi+", video editing, and spam tips.
Smartcars: Dangerous if software companies would make them
By Hans Kwint - The Netherlands - May 27, 2013
LXer Feature: 27-May-2013

In his article "Smartcars – dangerous or simply can’t make money out of the apps?" Ray Shaw wrote:
Quoting:“The motor industry is slow to adopt because it fears it would lose its control over the process and its profit. "No it is too dangerous to have smartphone/tablet control” say the motorcar companies “What if it failed and crashed?”. More FUD


In his article, he proves to be totally clueless about the automotive industry: All software companies would be bankrupt if they made cars. Besides, fear, uncertainty and doubt about customer safety in the car industry is less acceptable than in software companies who have been selling bug ridden defective products for years without problems. Please let me explain you the difference.
High-res batch convert EMZ / WMZ grahpics to PNG a.k.a. "liberating your graphics"
By Hans Kwint - The Netherlands - May 24, 2013
LXer Feature: 24-May-2013

Recently I've been trying to 'minimize' some big 'legacy' MS Word files. When using MS Office to export to HTML (unfiltered), I've found out they're so big because they have EMZ (gzipped EMF) and WMZ (gzipped WMF) files in them, accompanied by large "msoledata-thingies". These WMZ's / EMZ's are (zipped) "container" formats, and some of them contain vector graphics, a bit like SVG - but sadly Microsoft doesn't seem to support SVG in MS Office. These EMF / WMG-graphics may contain vector images: That's text, fonts and lines - which has to remain readable of course. I found out replacing this EMZ / WMZ files by PNG files in the Word-documents dramatically reduces size.
The good and bad of Ubuntu 13.04 beta 2
By ubuuser - Apr 15, 2013
LXer Feature: 15-Apr-2013

Keeping my tradition of reviewing Ubuntu beta (http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/164695/index.html) and its final release (http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/166851/index.html) I want to revisit those topics for Ubuntu 13.04.
LXer Weekly Roundup for 10-Mar-2013
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Mar 11, 2013


LXer Feature: 10-Mar-2013

The big news this week was Mark Shuttleworth and his feelings on the Ubuntu community and reaction to it. Miguel de Icaza decides to use a Mac full time instead of Linux at home. The Chrome OS resists being cracked into and more. Enjoy!
LXer Weekly Roundup for 03-Mar-2013
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Mar 03, 2013


LXer Feature: 03-Mar-2013

It was quite the eventful week in Linux news. Linus goes off on (UEFI) Secure Boot option in the kernel, LG acquires webOS from HP, how the “Six Strikes” Anti-Piracy program works and SCALE 11x kicks "trades" and takes "shows", Enjoy!
Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview released
By - Feb 21, 2013
The Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview was released today along with loadable images for Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.
LXer Weekly Roundup for 17-Feb-2013
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Feb 18, 2013


LXer Feature: 17-Feb-2013

The latest installment of the LXer Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!


LXer Weekly Roundup for 03-Feb-2013
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Feb 04, 2013


LXer Feature: 04-Feb-2013

The latest installment of the LXer Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!
SprezzOS emerges, promising new-school tech with old-school gumption
By Nick Black, SprezzOS Project Hacker-in-Charge - Feb 02, 2013


LXer Feature: 01-Feb-2013

SprezzOS 1 has emerged for general use. I'll explain here the motivations of the SprezzOS Project, how we're unlike other new distros of note, and why you ought watch us for Linux's most exciting developments.
LXer Weekly Roundup for 27-Jan-2013
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Jan 28, 2013


LXer Feature: 27-Jan-2013

The latest installment of the LXer Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!
LXer Weekly Roundup for 20-Jan-2013
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Jan 21, 2013


LXer Feature: 20-Jan-2013

I need to apologize to all our readers. I have not been keeping up on the LXWR as of late and I am sorry. I could give many excuses but they would be just that, excuses. The roundup is going to get a lot better in the weeks ahead. It has yet to reach it's full potential and I know it.
Ubuntu releasing smartphone OS has better chance than other platforms
By ubuuser - Jan 09, 2013
LXer Feature: 09-Jan-2013

I am not talking about ubuntu winning against android, IOS or even windows, but ubuntu as an OS has more chance of winning than projects like tizen, bada, megoo, sailfish etc.
LXer Weekly Roundup for 16-Dec-2012
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Dec 17, 2012


LXer Feature: 17-Dec-2012

The latest installment of the Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!
LXer Weekly Roundup for 09-Dec-2012
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Dec 10, 2012


LXer Feature: 09-Dec-2012

The latest installment of the Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!
Correction on Secure Boot Article
By Carla Schroder - Dec 05, 2012
LXer Feature: 05-Dec-2012

This is an important correction to "Linux Has Not Won, Microsoft is as Dangerous as Ever, Fie on Secure Boot" that explains correctly how the Platform Key works.
Linux Has Not Won, Microsoft is as Dangerous as Ever, Fie on Secure Boot
By Carla Schroder - Dec 04, 2012
LXer Feature: 04-Dec-2012

I think UEFI Secure Boot is a shuck and a bald-faced Microsoft anti-competitive tool. I'll get to my reasons in a moment, because my most important point comes first:

Every purchase of a Windows license is an attack on Linux. Linux has not won, and Microsoft is as dangerous as ever.
LXer Weekly Roundup for 04-Nov-2012
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Nov 05, 2012


LXer Feature: 04-Nov-2012

The latest installment of the Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!
LXer Weekly Roundup for 28-Oct-2012
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Oct 29, 2012


LXer Feature: 28-Oct-2012

The latest installment of the Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!
KDE4 Plasma Active
By tracyanne - Oct 11, 2012


LXer Feature: 11-Oct-2012

I've recently replaced Unity, on the little MSI Netbook, that I wrote about recently after installing Ubuntu/Unity on it.
LXer Weekly Roundup for 07-Oct-2012
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Oct 08, 2012


LXer Feature: 07-Oct-2012

The latest installment of the Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!
LXer Weekly Roundup for 23-Sept-2012
By Scott Ruecker (Phoenix, U.S.) - Sep 24, 2012


LXer Feature: 24-Sept-2012

The latest installment of the Weekly Roundup. Enjoy!

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