If you’re using Debian or a derivative, you *really* need to read this summary.
I could make snide remarks about Debian’s penchant for modifying upstream code, but I won’t :-)
If you’re using Debian or a derivative, you *really* need to read this summary.
I could make snide remarks about Debian’s penchant for modifying upstream code, but I won’t :-)
It’s that time again, and the next “best Slackware release ever” is out!
See the Slackware home page and Release Announcement for more information.
Well I run my linux computers like I have my desk. There are things all over the place. But one thing I have noticed is when I have four instances of VLC open anything else that I have that needs to output to the sound card is muted. Meaning there is no sound. Just one of those quirks that I find when comparing Linux to Windows. With the 2k box I have I got many different things using sound open. Never does the sound stop.
Back to dreaming about driving fast. Happy computing
Panzer
by jim vines
Good : Fedora 9 Preview is now out downloads here.
Bad: Fedora 9 is 2 weeks late, The original release date for Fedora 9 was April 29th, the new date is May 13th.
There are about 2 million installations of Fedora 8.
I have come across a trick that works great to help keep older computers running quieter. I often find here in the shop that a computer comes in and has funny noises coming from one or more of the fans. As most of the time a fan is more then the cost of my lunch I often try to keep them going with just little bit of work.
Fan Trick
Get some 3inOne oil or Marvel Air Tool Oil
Unmount the fan from whatever case or heatsink it is mounted to
Turn the fan over to the bottom and one should find a sticker
Peel back the sticker and there most of the time either the bare shaft or a rubber stopper
Put two to four drops of oil on the shaft and let draw into the fan shaft
Clean up any excess oil
Replace the rubber stopper and the sticker (If the sticker will not stick then a piece of tape will do)
Remount fan
Now you should have a much quieter fan.
Well happy computing and keep those old computers running longer.
post by jim vines
Pay-to-play fires up grassroots hoots
Less than two months into Sun Microsystems’ MySQL acquisition, Sun has succeeded in upsetting the grassroots types with plans to close off features to the community.
It’s emerged Sun may release extra data back-up features in the Enterprise Edition of the next version of MySQL, due in Q4, to paying enterprise subscribers only.
The move is seen by some as a betrayal of MySQL’s open source roots and, by others, as part of an evil master plan by Sun to commercialize open source development. Mickos strongly denied both accusations and claimed the decision was made before the Sun takeover.
This points out the difficulty with either making profit with open source or by businessmen or corporate mindset regarding open source. In theory the source is free, but services and add on’s are not.
Some 90 per cent of MySQL customers do not pay for the product.
Links
post by jim vines
Red Hat delivers its state of desktop Linux address: There’s no money in targeting consumers
Red Hat outlined a good chunk of its desktop Linux plans in a blog post, but noted that it has no intention of delivering a traditional consumer product. link
In a blog post, Red Hat delivered what could be called a state of its desktop Linux plans and outlined its goals for 2008 and 2009. It plans to dish out its client technology to the Linux community, generate revenue through its products and use desktop software to compliment its middleware and server lineup.What’s missing? A traditional desktop product for consumers. That’s not too surprising since it’s unclear whether there’s money in it–consumers are unlikely to pay support–and it makes more sense to allow others like Ubuntu (all resources) take the lead on desktop applications for the masses. If Ubuntu got traction, Red Hat could always acquire the company.
In short Red Hat has determined it cannot make a profit at the desktop so it will leave the market. Following is the text of concern:
It’s worth pointing out what’s missing in the list above: we have no plans to create a traditional desktop product for the consumer market in the foreseeable future.
An explanation: as a public, for-profit company, Red Hat must create products and technologies with an eye on the bottom line, and with desktops this is much harder to do than with servers. The desktop market suffers from having one dominant vendor, and some people still perceive that today’s Linux desktops simply don’t provide a practical alternative. Of course, a growing number of technically savvy users and companies have discovered that today’s Linux desktop is indeed a practical alternative. Nevertheless, building a sustainable business around the Linux desktop is tough, and history is littered with example efforts that have either failed outright, are stalled or are run as charities. But there’s good news too. Technical developments that have become available over the past year or two are accelerating the spread of the Linux Desktop.
The implication is that Microsoft has won the desktop wars. Unmentioned is Ubuntu, which is listed at the top Linux distribution link and the top page hits link
Ubuntu is not a profit driven product so it is not driven by the same concerns as Red Hat which targets corporate clients. With the new release out soon, we will see.
post by jim vines
from http://www.linux.com/feature/131753
Dual booting is not a good thing, has virtualization has its on set of problems.
But it looks like ubuntu has rode to the rescue by letting window folks run linux on demand.
Linux does everything that many users want it to, but some people have tasks that require Windows applications. You can dual-boot both operating systems, or run Windows in a virtualized environment on Linux. Alas, virtualization makes the guest OS almost useless for processor- and RAM-intensive tasks like editing videos and playing games. Now, a Ubuntu-based distro called andLinux takes cooperation with Windows to a whole new level.The miracle ingredient in andLinux is its coLinux kernel. The coLinux project takes a stable release of the Linux kernel and ports it to run on Windows. That means that, unlike virtualization software, andLinux installs on Windows like any other application.
In short Linux runs just like another windows app.
But you are not only running a Linux distro in Windows; you’re running one alongside the other. To experience the cooperative nature of andLinux and Windows, you can right-click on a .txt document and open and edit it in Kate, read a .pdf in KPDF, and copy and paste text between a Windows app and a Linux one.
Of course there is no free lunch.
What you won’t be able to do is play 3-D games, such as Alien Arena or Torcs. Nor will you be able to use your TV tuner card to watch videos on Linux with MythTV, or use your Bluetooth devices, even though some TV tuners and many USB bluetooth dongles work on all major natively-installed Linux distros.
On the plus side, you can share your printer between Windows and andLinux, thanks to recently acquired printing support. Printing support is expected to be included in the next release so you’ll be saved the effort of setting it up manually.
Running atop Windows has one final disadvantage. andLinux lacks security support for multi-user environments and can be run by all Windows users that have access to the computer.
I will have to install and play with this and then report back on how it works for me.
For a desktop user, andLinux is a productive method of running Linux and Windows together. It doesn’t focus on segregating Windows and Linux as host and guest OS. Instead of merely coexisting it allows the two OSes to cooperate, resulting in the welcome ability to share files between the two OSes and open files using apps on either OS. It’s still slower than a pure Linux installation, but it runs smoothly as compared to Linux running on an emulated PC, especially on older and slower hardware.
All said and done, andLinux’s limitations aren’t any greater than those of a virtualized environment, and in its current form, neither are its advantages. But I’d still recommend it to desktop users, due to its non-existent learning curve and for taking Linux-Windows interoperability to a whole new level.
With less that 2 weeks until the next release of next LTS OS from Ubuntu I feel it is time to make the decision to upgrade or not. I have been running the Beta version of Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) for about a week now. Aside from some minor bugs, most of which have been addressed and fixed by now, the OS is very smooth, quick, and even more user friendly than before.
The Birmingham Area Linux Users and Ubuntu’s Alabama LoCo team are planning on hosting an install fest to help promote the newest release. Times and locations will be posted when they are set.
The previous LTS release ( Ubuntu 6.10) which was released 18 months ago will no longer be supported as of April 25 2008. At that time, Ubuntu Security Notices will no longer include information or updated packages for Ubuntu 6.10. Some information about upgrading to 7.04 can be found at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FeistyUpgrades. Feel free to contact the Birmingham area Linux Users if you need assistance with upgrading or if you are interested in trying Linux for the first time.