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Will Ubuntu follow the MS strategy, keeping just ahead of your hardware? And, is that necessarily a bad thing? Sometimes I feel like I'm watching Ubuntu running quickly towards a big cliff. Recently, it was hinted/announced that Gnome would be dropped as Ubuntu's default desktop, and x.org dropped as the x server. The mint Distro has forked itself to produce a pure Debian distro, which was what Ubuntu was supposed to be (sort of) when I signed up for it, which I take to be a reaction by the minters of Mint to Ubuntu's increasing non-Debian-ness.

In an ideal world, free-software developers would happily get along and cooperate towards the same ends. But the world’s far from perfect, as rising tensions between the Ubuntu and Fedora camps have made clear recently in the wake of the founding a new website intended, ironically, to promote “respect” within the open-source ecosystems. Here's the story.

There is a recurring bug in OpenOffice that has been around for several years, and afflicts various distros though it seems most prevalent in Ubuntu. Maybe because more people use Ubuntu, maybe Ubuntu does something to it, I don't know. I do know there many unresolved bug reports and frustrated users.

VLC 1.1.5 is released, this is the fifth bugfix release of the VLC 1.1.x branch. This update comes with Small new features, notably GME and livevlc-logo .webm support and an integrated listing of web-shows directly in the playlist are making this release. Many bugfixes, updated translations and security issue are also part of this release.

Intel's next-generation MID (Mobile Internet Device) platform to succeed Moorestown is codenamed Medfield and is slated to be released next year. However, in usual Intel fashion, open-source patches for supporting this next-generation platform under Linux are beginning to make their way out there months in advance of the hardware's public availability.

In an effort to expand software compatibility for its upcoming Fusion chips, AMD has joined rival Intel's efforts to develop the open-source MeeGo OS. AMD "will provide engineering expertise intended to help establish the technical foundations for next-generation mobile platforms and embedded devices."

Sometimes even experienced developers can be a bit overwhelmed by Linux’s extensive development capabilities. Sit back and soak up these tips to become a smarter and more productive Linux developer overnight…

This guide explains how to set up an NFS server and an NFS client on Fedora 13. NFS stands for Network File System; through NFS, a client can access (read, write) a remote share on an NFS server as if it was on the local hard disk.

Google Refine is an immensely powerful tool for dealing with "messy" data, and it sports a myriad of advanced features for massaging and analyzing complex data sets. However, that doesn't mean Google Refine can't be used to solve more mundane problems.

Linux is always in a state of flux. On any given day, millions of lines of new code are being written, tested, double-checked, merged, packaged and downloaded from software repositories delivering another dose of opensource goodness. Unlike most desktop operating systems, release schedules are based on months rather than years (well, for most flavours of Linux) and so the experience of using Linux is one of trickled iterative change.

Vega Strike is a 3-D space simulation game that lets you trade, fight, and explore in a vast universe. Vega Strike is designed as a non-linear gaming experience, where you choose what action you want to take.

at the FOSS in Academia conference there were discussions about Open Government via FOSS, the bad situation of FOSS desktops in european public administrations and even a proposal for an european anti-software patents law.

TDF developers are working full steam at improving the overall quality of OOo code, which is a good starting point, and making easy testability of the code and quality assurance a priority. This is an area where new developers and code hackers, whose number has grown to over 90 in just a month, are instrumental for the bulk of the activity. In addition, each single module of LibreOffice will be undergoing an extensive rewrite, with Calc being the first one to be redeveloped around a brand new engine - code named Ixion - that will increase performance, allow true versatility and add long awaited database and VBA macro handling features. Writer is going to be improved in the area of layout fidelity and Impress in the area of slideshow fidelity. Most of the new features are either meant to maintain compatibility with the market leading office suite or will introduce radical innovations. They will also improve conversion fidelity between formats, liberate content, and reduce Java dependency.

LXer Feature: 14-Nov-2010

In the LXWR this week we have why Wayland is good for the future, Apache tells Oracle they are leaving the JCP, a music player with an ugly name, does Linux competing with Windows matter anymore? and 24 things we would change about Linux. Enjoy!

Jon von Tetzchner is the founder and former CEO of Opera Software, the web browser maker from Oslo, Norway. During a recent visit to Seattle, he discussed the company’s U.S. expansion, his affinity for the Seattle region, and Opera’s battles with Microsoft in the marketplace and the European Commission. Continue reading for edited excerpts from the interview.

In this article by Reynante Martinez we'll tackle a topic that is commonly misunderstood and often overlooked inside of Blender. But before we begin, I'd like to make a few remarks. First, I do not claim to be a professional color grading artist nor do I imply the following explanations as “rules” to be strictly followed. What I will try to share with you in this article are my thoughts and experiences on Color Grading using Blender.

Mozilla Labs has always been a really interesting place to explore. They created ripples across the web by showcasing brilliant Seabird Mozilla Concept Phone a month ago. Now here is another quite useful Firefox extension to share links fast and neat by Mozilla Labs.

This is a detailed description about how to set up a Fedora 14 server that offers all services needed by ISPs and hosters: Apache web server (SSL-capable) with PHP5/Ruby/Python, Postfix mail server with SMTP-AUTH and TLS, BIND DNS server, Proftpd FTP server, MySQL server, Dovecot POP3/IMAP, Quota, Firewall, etc. This tutorial is written for the 64-bit version of Fedora 14, but should apply to the 32-bit version with very little modifications as well. In the end you should have a system that works reliably, and if you like you can install the free webhosting control panel ISPConfig (i.e., ISPConfig runs on it out of the box).

The Document Foundation has initial plans for the development of office software Libre Office revealed. All components of the application to be rewritten substantially. Among other things, the dependence of Java can be reduced.

Survey reveals a third of people who own Android-based smartphones would rather have an iPhone, while on 7% of iPhone owners would rather swap for an Android handset. Of course, like all such surveys this one is not without fault.