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By default, amaroK stores information about your [music] collection including listening habits and rankings into a SQLite database file on your filesystem. If you only use amaroK on a single computer, this works fine, but if you run it on multiple computers you might want your information to be persistent across machines. amaroK supports the use of a MySQL database for this type of storage, but it does require a bit of a setup beforehand to use. This hack will describe the steps necessary to migrate to a MySQL collection database.

Cryptmount is a friendly front-end to a batch of Linux utilities used to create encrypted volumes, such as device mapper, dm-crypt, and the kernel's loopback device. It requires root privileges to create encrypted files or partitions, and then once it's set up users can mount and unmount their own encrypted volumes on demand.

An increase in the interest and use of open source in clinical research has led to rapid growth of the community surrounding the OpenClinica open source clinical trial software from Akaza Research. In April 2007 this community comprised approximately 1,300 registered members. One year later, this figure has increased by 155 percent to over 3,500.

Microsoft CEO defends Vista's critics - Now why would he defend Vista's critics? I asked myself. It's interesting how ill at ease he seems while defending Vista against those critics.

The newest Ubuntu Linux long term support (LTS) release, code named 'Hardy Heron' (officially called Ubuntu 8.04) is set to be available today, including both desktop and server editions with a long list of new features. Among them is an innovative new way to install and uninstall Linux with a Microsoft Windows desktop.

Are you in the mood for some '90s-style Web browsing with no graphic elements? Or, more realistically, do you work with a Linux console and often need to check something on the Web? If so, get acquainted with text-based Web browsers such as w3m, Lynx, and the similarly named Links. While browsing the Web without a mouse, graphics, fancy fonts, JavaScript, and Java can be sorely restrictive, it can also be quite speedy. If you're a fan of function keys and special commands, you'll be pleased to learn that these browsers provide plenty of shortcuts for every taste. After you gain experience, you'll be able to navigate around with just a few key taps.

Nicholas Negroponte, the head of the One Laptop per Child project, is in the news again, this time trying to rationalise the appearance of Windows XP on the laptop manufactured by the project.

Free Geek is a not-for-profit community organization that recycles used technology to provide computers, education, Internet access and job skills training to those in need in exchange for community service. Linux Journal reader Kevin, from Portland, Oregon, tells us, "I've donated equipment and money to them (Free Geek). I love giving working computer gear to them knowing that someone will learn computer skills by refurbishing it, loading Linux on it, and passing it on to someone truly in need of a computer. After 24 hours of donated time the volunteer gets to take home a computer for their own."

In an iHealthBeat Special Report, experts on open-source software discussed the next steps for Open Health Tools, an initiative designed to encourage the use of the software and promote interoperability in health care.

Ubuntu, Linspire, and Freespire users can now install "Google Earth" with a single click, says Linspire. The desktop Linux distributor has added support for the free mapping application to its CNR ("click-n-run") installer, a user-friendly tool currently beta-testing for a wide variety of desktop Linux distributions. Linspire said the version of Google Earth that CNR supports will work with Ubuntu 7.04 and 7.10 (32-bit), Linspire 6.0, and Freespire 2.0. Presumably, it will also support Ubuntu's Hardy Heron release scheduled for tomorrow, as Linspire has promised CNR support for that release.

The ability to import and export data is crucial to any database management system, and OpenOffice.org Base is no exception. While you may be surprised to discover that OpenOffice.org lacks a dedicated import/export feature, it does allow you to get data into and out of a database in a variety of ways.

Andrew Min, the distro fashion correspondent for Freesoftware Magazine, gives us the lowdown on what's great and new in these major Linux distributions.

While all of the Solaris excitement at Phoronix as of late has been around Solaris Express Developer 1/08 and the forthcoming release of OpenSolaris 2008.05, today Sun Microsystems has announced the immediate release of Solaris 10 5/08. This update to their Solaris OS includes major enhancements for those running Intel hardware, a number of new features, updated applications, the introduction of Solaris OnDemand, and updated drivers.

A step-by-step tutorial on setting up Mandriva One 2008 Spring (Mandriva 2008.1) desktop (GNOME) has been published on HowtoForge.com. Written by Oliver Meyer, the six-page tutorial, called "The Perfect Desktop," covers basic configuration, and then steps through installations for over a dozen Linux applications. Mandriva has been around for awhile, but the distro was substantially updated for the 2.6.22.9 Linux kernel in a Mandriva 2008 release in October.

Stripped-down operating systems made specifically for virtual machine appliances have tickled the fancy of the Linux collective, and these types of systems are keeping commercial distributors busy pushing out their versions of the concept. Last September at VMworld, Canonical unveiled Ubuntu JeOS — pronounced juice and short for "just enough operating system." The idea was to rip out general purpose software from the OS, leaving only a lightweight container that ISVs can customize for their particular application. This in theory makes an appliance smaller and more efficient in a virtual environment.

Using toast takes the burden out of building, installing, and keeping track of software built from source. You can use toast to build and maintain software installed in your /home directory as a regular user, or to set up software for all users in /usr/local. toast can obtain packages over HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and via SSH and CVS. It can handle most archive formats, as well as .rpm and .deb packages.

Who said Google doesn't contribute to Open Source? This summer they're pumping more money than ever, taking more students than ever and supporting more project then ever before.

Last week, I wrote about the `GLIBC_2.4′ not found errors your game might get when an application built on a new distribution is run on an older distribution, such as Debian Stable and Slackware 11. Judging from my search logs, this problem seems to be common enough to warrant a follow-up post. I have since solved the problem and have not added new dependencies, and it does not involve using strange, mysterious scripts or older compilers.

Thanks to a wonderful new open source tool called Wubi, downloading and installing the latest version of Ubuntu Linux is now a snap for Windows users. It’s a pity the Ubuntu development team still hasn’t taken the hint with its latest release, Hardy Heron.

All your phones, are belong to Google — a brief overview of Android, the new software stack created by Google for the Open Handset Alliance. The Open Handset Alliance (OHA) is an industry trade group comprising more than 30 technology and mobile companies. The focus of the OHA is to accelerate innovation in the mobile application and hardware space and to provide consumers with a more comprehensive and inexpensive mobile device experience. Android is a new, mobile application development framework developed by Google for the OHA that represents part of a greater promise from OHA members to make the open platform an industry success.