There’s no doubt that Linux—particularly Ubuntu—is a killer operating system full of excellent apps, but for about a million reasons, you’re stuck running Windows as your main operating system. We understand, these things happen. But what about all those killer Linux apps you’ve left behind when you decided to live the Windows life? Sure you could dual-boot or run Linux in the confines of a virtual machine window, but wouldn’t it be great if you could run those apps side-by-side with your Windows apps—like Linux users can do with WINE or OS X can do with Parallels or VMWare? You can…

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October 2, 2001

Microsoft doesn’t like open source and is ranting against it. “Microsoft is trying to shore up its defenses as the tide is coming in,” said Adam Jollans, marketing manager for IBM Software for Linux in the European region, according to a CNET News.com report. “They’re trying to stop the tide, but the tide comes in whether you want it to or not.” (Continued)

One of the best things about KDE 4, the newest release of the mainstream Linux desktop manager, is something it doesn’t do—force you to adapt to its way of running a computer desktop. Sure, the desktop environment boasts new 3-D effects, a polished theme, and improved functionality. But what KDE 4 does best is give users the ability to almost completely re-design their desktops, putting their programs, icons, and useful widgets wherever they see fit, on as many desktops as they want, to create their ideal workspace.

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If you have a dusty old iPod hanging around and like to play around here’s something to consider: install linux on it and open it up to all kinds of new adventures with linux programs.

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Can you run KDE on a Mac? Well, yes, you can and it will be easier still when the new KDE 4 comes out. The common Unix ancestry of Linux and Mac is key here. I’m just not sure why you would want to do that, especially since Leopard came out. Never the less here’s a link if you are interested in more information.

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I remember when getting a decent PC would set you back at least a grand. Then it was $500. Now, it’s $150!? That’s the story that small vendor LinFX wants you to buy along with its PC with pre-installed Linux.

How does LinFX manage to sell a fully operational computer with a 15-inch display for $150? Well, while the Linux distribution, PCLinuxOS 2007, is a state-of-the-art 21st century desktop Linux, the hardware, an IBM NetVista desktop with a 900MHz Intel Pentium III and 256MB of RAM, is right out of the year 2000.

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KDE is one of the major desktop user interfaces for Linux, though it works on some other operating systems as well. Like its top rival, GNOME, its software components range from low-level, such as buttons and a drop-down menu, to higher-level software such as file browsers, games, and a console for those who want a command-line interface. KDE handles many basic user interface tasks such as managing windows on the screen and letting users launch programs and switch between them.

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Taiwanese computer parts maker Asus obviously didn’t get the memo.

Didn’t Asus know notebook computers need hard drives? Or that they’re supposed to run Windows — and the pre-loaded software must bloat the boot-up process to the length of a long weekend? Don’t they know you don’t just go selling laptops for less than $750 — let alone $400 — unless the hardware has been aged like whisky?

Asustek Computers Inc. went ahead and broke the rules with the Eee PC. And we should all be thankful.

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Until recently,Linux PCs were about as easy to find in stores as a vinyl record. Now, personal computers with the Linux operating system pre-installed are becoming more readily available, thanks to new models from upstarts and established PC makers — and disappointment with Microsoft’s new Windows Vista OS.In just the past several weeks, a handful of new, low-cost systems have hit the market that are powered by Linux — open source software first developed by Linus Torvalds and enhanced by enthusiast programmers around the world.

Newcomer Everex, for instance, this month plans to introduce a robust Linux laptop.

Everex’s Cloudbook runs a Linux distribution from gOS and includes a host of open source and free software tools, such as OpenOffice.org’s desktop productivity suite, the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and links toGoogle’s gMail service.

The Cloudbook, which uses a 1.2-GHz Via C7 processor, is priced at $399 and is scheduled to hit shelves at Wal-Mart on Jan. 25.

Not to be outdone, Shuttle Computers last week at the Consumer Electronics Show unveiled its KPC Linux PC — a $199 offering that runs Ubuntu Linux on anIntel Celeron chip and 512 Mbytes of included memory. Also at CES, MP3 player maker iRiver showed off Wing — a handheld, touch-screen PC that uses embedded Linux.

Last month, Dell shipped a pair of systems loaded with the latest version of Linux available from Ubuntu. The Inspiron 530 N desktop and the 1420 N notebook feature Ubuntu 7.10 and a built-in software DVD player.

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From the release announcement:

Ken Dotson (Gnome Edition Release Manager) has announced the release of PCLOS Gnome Edition 2.21.2. Featuring kernel 2.6.22.15, Gnome 2.21.2, Gnome office apps, Firefox 2.0.0.11, Frostwire, Azureus, Xmms, Flash, JRE, a ton of multimedia apps, and much more. Complete package list here. Almost 2 gigs of software compressed on a single self bootable livecd that can be installed to your hard drive provided it is compatible with your system and you like the distribution. Over 7000 additional packages available after hard drive install through our Synaptic Software Manager.

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I briefly installed this on one of my test machines and it is as advertised. Smooth install and everything worked. This on a 7 or 8 year old Compaq Presario 5000. Unfortunately it is still a Gnome desktop distribution and for some reason I find Gnome completely non-intuitive and arcane, even this latest version. You can get a copy here if you would like to give it a try.

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