LXer Weekly Roundup for 20-Jun-2010

LXer Feature: 21-June-2010 In this week's Roundup we have a battle between KDE3 and KDE4,Linux versus the world: The unwinnable war?, Dell removes "Ubuntu is safer than Microsoft® Windows® " statement from website and today marks my three year anniversary as E-i-C for LXer. You know, I think my grammar has gotten a little better.

KDE 3 vs. KDE 4: Which Linux Desktop Is Right for You?: Two and a half years after the KDE 4 series of releases began, many users are still using KDE 3. A preference for the familiar seems to motivate some; while others seem influenced by the rumors that began with the botched 4.0 release. Still others want a feature that the KDE 4 series has yet to implement -- or, sometimes, a feature they have been unable to find because of reorganization.

Adobe Drops 64-bit Flash From Linux: "Making significant architectural changes" the official answer. Adobe has discontinued 64-bit Flash 10.1 development for Linux stating that significant architectural changes were being made to the plugin that would add improved security.

Linux versus the world: The unwinnable war?: The first three months of the year were defined, in the technology sector, by some very scary numbers. Just feast your eyes on some of these. Apple, we learned, pulled in profits in just three months of over $3bn. That’s not in a year – that’s just in a quarter…

Firefox Losing Foothold on Linux Distros?: When you install the Ubuntu Netbook Edition in October, don’t look for Firefox on the desktop — it won’t be there. Chromium, Chrome’s open source cousin, is going to be taking its place. After years of desktop dominance on Linux, is Firefox losing its foothold or is this an anomaly?

Linux is as secure as ever: There have been several stories proclaiming that a recent Linux infection proves Windows malware monopoly is over and that Think Linux is free from malware? Think again; it's been hacked. Much as it pains me to disagree with the good people, they're wrong. Here's what really happened. UnrealIRCd, a rather obscure open-source IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server, wasn't so much hacked as the program it was letting people download has been replaced by one with a built-in security hole. Or, as they explained on their site, "This is very embarrassing...

The Start to Finish Guide to Rooting Your Android Phone: Rooting your Android device is much like jailbreaking an iPhone. Once rooted, you can make your phone run faster, tether it to your computer, tweak hidden settings to your liking, and more. Here's how to do it on your Motorola Droid. Rooting essentially means giving yourself root permissions on your phone. It's the equivalent of running programs as administrators in Windows, or running a command with "sudo" in Linux. There are a number of great reasons to root your Android phone, highest among them being speed (through custom ROMs and through overclocking), tethering, and installing apps and widgets from other builds.

Why Ubuntu is harder than Windows: I use Ubuntu on all my personal computers and I even recommend it to friends. I am starting to think maybe I shouldn't though, because it is obvious: Ubuntu is harder to use than Windows.

Dell removes "Ubuntu is safer than Microsoft® Windows® " statement from website: According to Google cache, at 17 June 2010 05:08:28 GMT, Dell's website stated: "Ubuntu is safer than Microsoft® Windows® The vast majority of viruses and spyware written by hackers are not designed to target and attack Linux. However, within 24 hours, it seems Dell changed its mind, and now their website states: "Ubuntu is secure -- According to industry reports, Ubuntu is unaffected by the vast majority of viruses and spyware."

Dell advertizement: Ubuntu keeps getting better!: We’re glad you found Dell’s Ubuntu website. If you’re not familiar with Ubuntu, or would like to learn more you’ve come to the right place. Quote: "Ubuntu is safer than Microsoft® Windows® The vast majority of viruses and spyware written by hackers are not designed to target and attack Linux."

The Unity Panel Won't Allow Any Kind Of Customizations [Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.10]: This was something pretty much obvious, but now Mark Shuttleworth confirmed it: the Unity panel won't allow any kind of customizations. That means not only that you won't be able to add/edit applets like in Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.04 (which could be easily "fixed"), but the user won't even be able to right click the applets to move them or whatever - nothing will happen upon right-clicking.

GnoMenu - An Incredible Menu Application For Ubuntu Gnome: The default menu application in Ubuntu is functional, but it is also down to earth basic. GnoMenu tries to replicate the looks and functionality of KDE's Menu application. And I have to say, it almost does. GnoMenu comes with a number of themes and a easy to use configuration menu.