Jack Carlson

It used to be said that Linux was an operating system for geeks only. I enjoy refuting that by loading a bootable, Live Linux distribution like Knoppix, PCLos or Mepis into a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive and letting a die-hard Windows user give it a test drive. Generally within minutes they’ve figured out how to [...]

Usually I prefer to review books one at a time. Since I like to not only read the book I’m reviewing but apply some of the suggestions, it makes to evaluate it from an average user’s point of view as well, trying to cover more than one book per review is difficult.
In the case of [...]

Most Linux distributions are built to meet a specific purpose; address a specific audience. There are USB-bootable versions, live disks, and versions geared toward scientific research or desktop publishing. Ubuntu Linux is one of the few distributions designed around a philosophy.
You may have heard about Ubuntu’s founder and first developer, Mark Shuttleworth.
Shuttleworth gained worldwide fame [...]

This isn’t a reference to open source cutlery.
Linux forks, a term often applied to the varieties of Linux distributions, are poorly understood even in the Linux community. Are all the various distributions available on the internet true forks of the kernal? Kevin Morgan argues that they are not. Is his Enterprise OpenSource [...]

One of the greatest strengths of the Linux operating system is the power of the command line. One of the greatest weaknesses of the Linux operating system is that it’s not easy to remember all the commands that can harness that power. Many reference books include a smattering of commands that will accomplish [...]

Awesome multimedia technology heads for KDE
Multimedia seems to be the new driving force behind the computer hardware market. And it’s not just for Windows anymore.
Phonon, an advanced multimedia architecture due in KDE 4.0, will be demonstrated at LinuxTag, May 3-6, in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Phonon architecture supports NMM (network-integrated multimedia middleware), enabling such capabilities [...]

Just Say No to Microsoft
©Tony Bove 2005
NoStarchPress, Inc.
ISBN 1-59327-064-X
243 pgs. Paperback
“I just want something that works.” How many times have those of us who suggest alternatives to Microsoft heard that phrase? Another statement we often encounter is, “Most of the good applications are written for Windows. Why not use the most popular [...]

Would you recommend some resources for those of us new to Linux?

In this era of rising costs and security concerns, many people are beginning to consider a move to a Linux operating system. What holds them back are the stories they’ve heard about how difficult it can be to learn Linux and the fear that their favorite applications will no longer be available to them.
Three [...]

Linksys courts Linux hackers with WRT54G”L”
Just by using Linux, you show you aren’t afraid to tinker. You’ll hack your operating system, why not your Xbox, your TiVo, your router?
Yup, thanks to Linksys, you can now hack your Linux router.

ZDNetUK re3ports that the popular Google and Yahoo toolbars are both now availble as extensions in Firefox, and both are available to Linux and Mac Firefox users as well.

Sick of rebooting Windows and fighting bugs and viruses? Interested in trying Linux, but too intimidated to go it
alone? For Linux newbies, “Linux Made Easy: The Official Guide to Xandros 3 for Everyday Users” (No Starch Press) takes the uncertainty out of switching operating systems.

Sick of rebooting Windows and fighting bugs and viruses? Interested in trying Linux, but too intimidated to go it
alone? For Linux newbies, “Linux Made Easy: The Official Guide to Xandros 3 for Everyday Users” (No Starch Press) takes the uncertainty out of switching operating systems.

European Software Patent law REJECTED! :: Linux Format :: The website of the UK’s best-selling Linux magazine
LinuxFormat magazine is reporting great news for the Open Source movement and Linux users everywhere.
“In a 648-14 vote (with 18 abstentions), the European Parliament has voted against the controversial ‘Computer-implemented Inventions Directive’ on its second reading.
EU lawmakers stated that [...]

The Linux Cookbook 2nd Edition
Michael Stutz
No Starch Press 2004 788 pgs.
For several years now, the best, and often the only, documentation available to the average Linux desktop user has been for the Red Hat Linux operating system. If you wanted to install Debian, if you had problems compiling applications in BSD, if [...]

Sun cools down Linux desktop plan | CNET News.com
After three years of efforts to bring Linux to the desktop, Sun says it’s moving away from that direction.
“Sun Microsystems is stepping away from an effort to sell the Linux operating system for desktop computers, the server and software company’s top software executive said Tuesday.
‘You’re going [...]

Linux Geek: Book review: Beginning SUSE Linux
Just this week I installed SUSE 9.3 Pro on both my desktop and laptop. I was particularly pleased with the way SUSE recognized my Orinoco-based wireless PCMCIA card without requiring tedious and often disasterous configuration. As soon as the installation was complete, I was on-line with my [...]

NewsForge | The facts behind the “Get the Facts” ad campaign
Joe Barr sounds off in NewsForge about the Get the Facts campaign run by Microsoft to replace their Linux Facts ads that ran earlier.
“Like many readers, I find Microsoft’s Get the Facts (GtF) ads repugnant, especially when they appear on sites dedicated to Linux and [...]

We often brag about all the advantages of using Linux over other operating systems. One of those advantages is the cost. Most Linux distributions that offer support only cost $100 or less, while the vast majority of those without official support are free, as in freedom.
That factor allowed a geek like Lockergnome Forums’ [...]

We often brag about all the advantages of using Linux over other operating systems. One of those advantages is the cost. Most Linux distributions that offer support only cost $100 or less, while the vast majority of those without official support are free, as in freedom.
That factor allowed a geek like Lockergnome Forums’ [...]