2005 March

It pays to be familiar with your Linux system’s man pages, and an event yesterday was a perfect example of a man page coming to the rescue. My sister-in-law is dating a German national, and he and five friends are in the United States for a few months on business internships. Because they will not [...]

I know you all hate it when I bring up stories like this one. But I want to make sure all sides of the Linux debate are represented here. Unlike Windows, I like to think that even with reports such as the one I am presenting here, Linux and Open Source can stand on its [...]

Knoppix 3.7 is out. For those who have not tried Knoppix, there has never been a better time to take a look. Considered to be king of bootable Linux CDs, Knoppix has been a shining example to millions of people everywhere of just how cool Linux can be. Today, we look at a review of [...]

Are the Windows and other OS’ that keep the source code to themselves in trouble? Could Open Source be the death of the closed OS market? No, but it will force them to continue improving. Linux is powerful, it is customizable too. But it is also very scattered. Until Linux companies come together (much like [...]

As I read this, I had one though that kept creeping into my mind. KDE is KDE. Sure, it can tweaked to a certain extent. But for the most part, it remains KDE. Anyway, take a look at PCLinuxOS Preview 8. After reading this, I might just have to see how good the notebook support [...]

Several weeks ago, I mentioned using the GUI-driven KSlackCheck to keep Slackware packages current. It’s a solid, dependable package, but obviously requires the user to go in and handle the downloads manually. Let’s say you want to script a solution instead. Enter Slackcurrent, a lightweight (only 15K!) Python script that performs the same task. In [...]

OK, Linspire is great. For the most part it can offer a lot to those who want to use an alternative to Windows, but want to remain in a plastic bubble and pretty much learn nothing about the inner workings of Linux. Having said this, I will happily stick with Mepis and Xandros.

I just don’t get it. Why is the latest version of Adobe Reader not on the download page yet? I mean, if it is on the FTP server and not in beta, why not allow people to discover it already? Eh, maybe I am ranting a bit here. Well, at least it is running nice [...]

A brand new kind of Linux company, huh? Apparently that is how some people are seeing Novell these days. With their dedication to the Linux cause being pretty much bullet proof at this point, Novell really seems to be on the fast track with their latest Linux endeavors.

This article will certainly excite those geeks out there wanting to sync their Treo 650 with Bluetooth in Linux. But I would really like to see some GUI options that do the same thing without the CONSTANT need for opening up a config file and doing some minor editing.

“Secunia Advisory: SA13717
Critical: Less critical
Impact: Spoofing
Where: From remote
Solution Status: Unpatched
Software: Konqueror 3.x
Secunia Research has discovered a vulnerability in Konqueror, which can be exploited by malicious people to spoof the source displayed in the Download Dialog box.
The problem is that long sub-domains and paths aren’t displayed correctly, which therefore can be exploited to obfuscate what is [...]

This is the sort of software that will enable Linux to truly become viable in the workplace. SystemImager can really help out with automating Linux installs and software upgrades, things like that. While there will always be other issues that need to be addressed with hardware and definitely with more than one sound card, Linux [...]

You are wanting to setup Jabber server, but would feel better having a guide to walk you through the whole thing. No worries, just use this one here! Since there is a little more to it than working with a client, this written guide ought to take care of any insecurities that you might have.

“Attackers could exploit security holes in the Linux kernel to cause a denial of service, corrupt memory and launch malicious code. But users can update to a newer version in which the flaws are fixed.
Danish security firm Secunia described three “moderately critical” vulnerabilities in an advisory:”
Full article: Security holes in Linux kernel

Most of us have heard of BitTorrent, the highly scalable peer-to-peer file sharing technology designed to reduce the bandwidth strain on content distributors. With BitTorrent, the challenge is not in finding content to download, but in installing BitTorrent on your computer and finding a good, user-friendly client to manage them. We took a look at [...]

People often ask me if I’d ever go back to Windows XP. For example, if I ever purchase a new system or laptop that comes with WinXP pre-loaded, would I just use it or would I blow it off of the machine and install Linux? After a brief ordeal yesterday, I can say no, I’m [...]

Looks like another run of the mill Linux distro to me. But what is with the name of this distribution though? Nature’s Linux? Is this a bathroom cleaner or an OS? Maybe I am being mean, but that name escapes me bigger than life.

As you investigate various Linux Distributions, you will soon notice that some Distributions excel at certain tasks over other Distributions. For example, Novell/Suse provides an excellent authentication/file server with their SLES9 product, Xandros makes for a great desktop for those transitioning from Microsoft Windows, Slackware can’t be beat as a terminal client, Debian excels as [...]

Totem is simple movie player for GNOME desktops based on xine. It features a simple playlist, a full-screen mode, seek and volume controls, as well as a pretty complete keyboard navigation system.

Mandrakesoft on Monday announced it will release a transitional Linux product as it absorbs technology from Conectiva, a Brazilian Linux company it acquired in February.