LinuxInsider: Linux News & Information from Around the World

LINUX PICKS AND PANS
Debian 7: A So-So Distro Not Worth Switching For

Wednesday - June 19, 2013

After a hiatus of more than two years, the developers of Debian last month released a major upgrade. That surely came as good news to fans of this granddaddy Linux OS, but the new Debian 7 "Wheezy" may not be worth the wait if you are happily using more popular Linux options. I feel somewhat like a turncoat for saying that about Debian Linux -- I should be revering its 20-year-long lineage. I do respect what Debian Linux represents. Debian is the foundation for many other more modern Linux distros, including Ubuntu, Linux Mint and so many more. [More...]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Zenoss' Alan Conley: Doing the Dynamic Infrastructure Dance

Tuesday - June 18, 2013

A thin line between traditional IT monitoring and management services and monitoring real-time operations divides what Zenoss offers its customers and what other vendors provide. The IT monitoring space is becoming more crowded with proprietary and open source software solutions. Zenoss, according to Chief Technology Officer Alan Conley, offers a uniform platform that extends its reach. [More...]

The Ghost of SCO Dogs IBM Again

Monday - June 17, 2013

Like Carrie, whose hand emerged from the grave to grab Sue by the ankle in Sue's nightmare, SCO has reemerged from its grave to revive its lawsuit against IBM, 10 years after the case was first filed. A court has granted SCO's motion for reconsideration and reopening the case. SCO originally had sought $1 billion in damages from IBM, but it was soundly defeated in court. [More...]

LINUX BLOG SAFARI
Pondering Life in a PRISM World

Monday - June 17, 2013

Not a single week goes by here in the Linux blogosphere without some assortment of news and events to keep life interesting. It's not often, however, that something comes along with the magnitude of PRISM. Linux Girl was comfortably ensconced on her favorite barstool when the news broke down at the Punchy Penguin Saloon, and it's been chaos ever since. [More...]

ANDROID APP REVIEW
WhatsApp Is Killing the SMS Messenger

Friday - June 14, 2013

What happens when an industry gouges its customers for years, and then technology comes along that allows consumers to circumvent the gouger? Customers leave in droves is what happens, and it's WhatsApp and its ilk that are enabling the exodus. If you're unfamiliar with WhatsApp Messenger and its brethren, they're text message alternatives that don't rely on mobile-to-mobile SMS technology. [More...]

PRODUCT REVIEW
Acer's Android Smart Display Pushes Desktop Boundaries

Thursday - June 13, 2013

Acer's Smart Display DA220HQL is a 21.5-inch all-in-one touchscreen released earlier this year that runs the Android operating system with a wireless keyboard and mouse and has the potential to change your desktop computing habits. The more I use it, the more adept I get at working in a touch and swipe computing environment that I am not holding in my hands. [More...]

2 Years Later, HP's Botched Palm Acquisition Still Stings

Thursday - June 13, 2013

Former Palm CEO and webOS creator Jon Rubinstein is apparently still brooding over Palm's acquisition by HP. Two years later, he looks back at what HP did with webOS -- or rather what it didn't do -- and he is very disappointed, he said in a recent interview. When HP acquired Palm for $1.2 billion in 2010, it did indeed look as though webOS was destined for great things. [More...]

LINUX PICKS AND PANS
Great Little Radio Player Tunes In Simplicity

Wednesday - June 12, 2013

The Great Little Radio Player is a perfect example of how great things can come in small packages. This robust Internet radio station streamer does not burden system resources and packs a powerhouse of listening pleasure immediately after installing it. It's so fine-tuned that it needs no configuring to use it, but you can still tweak a few pleasantries to make it feel more at home on your PC. [More...]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Gentoo Creator Daniel Robbins: Making Linux Free and Flexible

Tuesday - June 11, 2013

Open source software is a passion for some and a business for others. Daniel Robbins was driven by a need to make Linux better than he found it. Robbins created two Linux distros: Gentoo and Funtoo. He created Gentoo Linux during his time as a systems administrator. Funtoo, meanwhile, is a project that Robbins created to extend the technologies for Gentoo. [More...]

LINUX BLOG SAFARI
Testing the Faith of the Linux Masses

Monday - June 10, 2013

It doesn't seem too big a stretch to say that fidelity is an increasingly rare virtue in the population at large. Can the same be said of the Linux masses? That's just what TuxRadar apparently set out to learn recently via a thought-provoking Open Ballot. "Do you ever see yourself switching back to Windows or Mac OS X -- or BSD, Solaris, or any other OS -- and leaving Linux behind?" its query read. [More...]

Browse Earlier Stories