LXer Weekly Roundup for 22-Jul-2007

LXer Feature: 22-Jul-2007 This week we have the launching of a new Linux Hardware site, cool videos of PhotoSynth and SeaDragon and MPX or Multi-Pointer X being demonstrated and a Firefox user bangs his head against a wall. All these and more plus I have to create a FUD article section just to contain them all.

This week we have the launching of a new Linux Hardware site, cool videos of PhotoSynth and SeaDragon and MPX or Multi-Pointer X being demonstrated and a Firefox user bangs his head against a wall. All these and more plus I have to create a FUD article section just to contain them all.

A Patent Is Worth Having, Right? Well, Maybe Not: Patents are supposed to give inventors an incentive to create things that spur economic growth. For some companies, especially in the pharmaceutical business, patents do just that by allowing them to pull in billions in profits from brand-name, blockbuster drugs. But for most public companies, patents don’t pay off, say a couple of researchers who have crunched the numbers.

Windows Guy Tries Ubuntu 7.04: Tom Baker writes, "Every attempt I have ever made at using Linux has left me disappointed. I am a geek, but I do not relish spending 3 days to get a wireless card working when I can do it in 5 minutes in Windows."

PhotoSynth and SeaDragon: LXer reader TracyAnne brought this cool piece of technology to our attention. Photosyth takes a large collection of photos of a place or an object, analyzes them for similarities, and then displays the photos in a reconstructed three-dimensional space, showing you how each one relates to the next. Microsoft purchased the technology but it's impressive never the less.

Hardware4Linux Launches: hardware4linux.info is a new web site about hardware for Linux. The site allows to browse systems and components to find the ones that work or don't work with Linux. The initial list is good but I hope that it grows for the site to be useful.

Linux's answer to Microsoft's Surface: Although still in the early days of development, MPX or Multi-Pointer X, is a modification of the X Windows Server that allows multiple input devices to be used at the same time. I'm still swaying to the great techno music in the video.

Are there inconvenient truths about Linux?: Michael J. Jordan writes, "A recent blog post entitled “Confessions of a Linux Fan” has provoked some discussion in the Linux community. In it, the author lists 10 things (10 seems to be the preferred number of these kinds of posts) that new Linux users should be aware of. Though the author claims to be a Linux enthusiast, the 10 observations are actually just re-wordings of many of the classic arguments against using Linux. What I find most damaging about this blog post is, however, that his underlying premise seems to be that we're not being honest with potential Linux users."

One openSource interviews Linus Torvalds: Orazio Tassone from One Open Source—an italian open source hub— interviews Linus Torvalds, grandfather of the Linux kernel. Orazio asks Linus about the GPLv3, Microsoft and it's patent deals with Novell, the Dell and Ubuntu cooperation, Google and much more.

Menhir, the distribution of four free operating systems, is started: Gueven Bay announces the availability of Menhir. "Menhir was started to grow the publicity of FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenSolaris side by side with Slackware. And to widen the skills of the users to all four operating systems."

Newbie flunks firefox update: Murry Shohat asks, "OK, Desktop Linux heads, I'm a confessed newbie trying to switch to Linux from XP. My simplyMEPIS install from an ISO went well, but now, on day two, my attempts to install the just-released Firefox update have failed." Its gotta hurt when you keep beating your head on the wall like that.

Living with a Computer--in 1982: James Fallows takes us on a trip down memory lane, to the year 1982.

The future of Windows should be open source: All I can say to the author Don Reisinger is, your heart is in the right place but its never going to happen.

Confessions of a distro hopper: Steven Rosenberg states, "After years of sticking with Windows, once I discovered that you could download an ISO file, burn it to a bootable CD and run a whole new operating system, easy as that, I've been distro hopping. It all began with Knoppix, went from Puppy and Damn Small Linux, through Ubuntu to Debian, with many a stop in between."

100 Open Source Downloads: Cynthia Harvey puts together a list of 100 "downloads to consider". The problem with these kinds of lists is that even with a hundred, you still can't make everyone happy.

The Linus Files, Part Two: Torvalds Says GPLv3 Backers Full Of "Hot Air": Paul McDougall responds to criticism, or should we say, tries to save face from the attempt to put words in Linus Torvalds mouth.

I never thought that I would need a FUD Section for the Weekly Roundup but this week saw the high water mark for FUD articles on the newswire. It seems to me that Open Source and Linux has gotten someones attention with the ramping up of FUD articles recently. So be it, I will always answer the call, "Once More unto the Breach.."

Why Open Source and Linux Are Losing Momentum: Rob Enderle decides that Linux and open Source are not as popular as they really are and that the demand for them is lessening as well. Now if only he could only convince someone besides himself of all this..

The pen is mightier than the FUD: I put this article here because you needed to read the previous article first. Contributing Editor Sander Marechal felt compelled to post this rebuttal to the Rob Enderle article previously mentioned. Sander cuts through the chaff and makes several astute observations about Rob and why he writes what he does.

Too Many Linux Distros Make For Open Source Mess: Here is another "Too many distros, Too many choices" article. The author thinks that if Linux was as good as Windows, there would be only one distro, not many. A Forking mess? No, compare this and this and tell me which one is a mess.

5 Things Windows Does Better Than Linux (Or Apple!): I had to save this one for last. This is one of those quintessential Windows fanboy articles. A blog created days ago and this article is the very first post? Hmm..I smell FUD.