Linux.com :: Features

Linux Foundation to host End User Collaboration Summit

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

The Linux Foundation plans to hold an End User Collaboration Summit in New York City in October. The press release we received introducing the event said, "It's by invitation, but registration is free, in keeping with the idea of opening it to 'real' end users."

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Selling GNU/Linux in a box

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Eight years ago, computer stores stocked a choice of GNU/Linux distributions -- established ones like Caldera, Red Hat, and SUSE, and newcomers like Corel, Progeny, and Stormix. Now, only Ubuntu and openSUSE offer box sets, and both face challenges that other distributions found unsolvable, ranging from reasonable prices and features sets through to getting into distribution channels and finding the right marketing approach -- all for an effort that may be only moderately profitable at best, and perhaps best undertaken for non-financial reasons.

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Habari builds blogging software to cover basics and complexities

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:00:00 GMT

In response to the growing blogging ecosystem and Web phenomena like the Slashdot effect, the developers of the Habari blogging platform have built features into their core software to tackle the increased attention blogs receive, both from innocent viewers and exploitative attackers, while making it easier for users to manage and administer their blogs.

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Controlling Internet access with SafeSquid

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Content-filtering proxies restrict Internet access privileges for users or groups across an entire network. They must be able to block unwanted content through keyword, URL, DNS, MIME, and image filtering. They need to authenticate and log a user's Internet activity by monitoring and generating detailed reports of URLs accessed, and they must integrate antivirus or malware protection by accessing a reliable antivirus server. Fulfilling all these functions may be a lot to ask, but SafeSquid delivers on all counts.

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Use LatencyTOP to find out where process latency is coming from

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The latency of the execution of a particular task can be affected by what tasks a system is running, the condition of the network the machine is connected to, and how well the various server machines on the network are performing. LatencyTOP is a command-line tool and kernel patch that lets you see what is causing latency in the applications on your system.

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KDE Community Working Group takes care of the community

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

If the rocky reception of KDE 4 has done anything, it has forced the KDE project to realize it needs to listen to users more closely. One of the first results of this realization is the new Community Working Group (CWG). Announced at Akademy, the recently concluded annual KDE conference, the CWG was described as designed "to act as a central point of contact by being available to communicate user needs and concerns to developers, and developer intentions and plans to users." The CWG is still being organized; to find out more about its plans, we contacted Anne Wilson and Juan Carlos Torres, two of the group's five initial members.

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Power monitoring and logging with Apcupsd and Cacti

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:00:00 GMT

For some time I have been using the American Power Conversion (APC) uninterruptible power supply (UPS) daemon Apcupsd to interface my desktop computer with my APC Back-UPS ES 550. Available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and Solaris 10, Apcupsd reliably warns me when the power goes out and gives me time to get my box properly shut down before data is lost, or does so automatically if I am not there to supervise.

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Document management with Epiware

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Out of the many available open source document management packages, Epiware GPL is noteworthy because it includes project management features: if your work has to do with producing written matter, you can not only manage the documents themselves, but the development project as well. Epiware is a Web-based application, so clients need just a Web browser to use it; check out the online demo if you want to get a taste of it.

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Display your geolocation data with Viking

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Viking is an open source application that allows you to import and edit your Global Positioning System (GPS) points of interest and tracks. It can overlay the points and tracks on your choice of Google Maps, Terraserver, OpenStreetMap, or NASA's BlueMarble map tiles so you can see what you are doing.

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Evergreen takes root at Kent County Public Library

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Adopting an open source library automation system allowed a small group of libraries on Maryland's eastern shore to save money and create a more intuitive, user-friendly catalog system for both librarians and patrons.

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GNOME Debian Package Finder: Rough and ready package search for the desktop

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:00:00 GMT

If you do your Debian package management from the command line, you are probably aware of utilities that search the cache of available programs, such as apt-cache, apt-file, and dpkg. Possibly, too, you have cursed the limited search information available in graphical interfaces like Synaptic, which does not extend much beyond searching for the description, name, versions, and dependencies. Now, the GNOME Debian Package Finder (gpfind) is in the process of bring much of the command-line search capacity to the desktop -- although, at version 0.1.6, it is still too rough to replace its command-line equivalents for most users.

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Sharing files with wdfs and FUSE

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:00:00 GMT

I move from computer to computer constantly -- desktops, laptops, testing machines -- and rather than worry about synchronizing the assorted hard disks content, I prefer to keep one central copy of my documents that I can access anywhere. I do that using wdfs, the WebDAV file system for FUSE.

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Keep an eye on your system logs with phpLogCon

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

phpLogCon provides a user-friendly Web interface to your system logs. It can handle logs from both Linux and Windows systems, so an administrator can log in to a single phpLogCon site to see what is happening on all the machines on a network.

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Book review: Ubuntu for Non-Geeks

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Ubuntu has experienced its share of success, but it's still relatively unknown amongst non-technical people. Many aren't aware that an open source operating system actually exists, and those who are lack the education required to move comfortably from Microsoft Windows to a Linux-based desktop. Ubuntu for Non-Geeks: A Pain-Free, Project-Based, Get-Things-Done Guidebook, by Rickford Grant, introduces non-Linux users to the world of Linux and shows them how to be productive in a complete Linux environment.

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Finnix: Compact Linux distribution for system administrators

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Finnix is a live CD distribution designed to assist system administrators in such tasks as system recovery and network monitoring. Based on Debian testing and Linux kernel 2.6, Finnix helps with filesystem and partition manipulation as well as with data recovery, installation of other operating systems, and boot record repair.

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Actor/author Stephen Fry endorses free software

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has kicked off a month-long celebration of the GNU Project's 25th anniversary with a video in which British actor and comedian Stephen Fry expresses his support for free software.

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Taming your daemons with PSMon

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The PSMon utility lets you specify which processes should be running, how much of resources such as CPU or RAM each is allowed to use when it runs, and how many instances are able to be run. PSMon will then ensure that these processes are running and kill off a process if it starts to use too many resources, and possibly restart a process if it has crashed.

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Happy Labor Day

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Today is Labor Day, a legal holiday in the US that also serves as our unofficial "last gasp of summer" three-day weekend. We'll be back on a regular posting schedule tomorrow.

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Ask Linux.com: Lost passwords, lost files, and terminal tricks redux

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

This week in the neverending drama in the Linux.com forums: resetting lost passwords, making your own SSL certificate, and the return of an old favorite for those of you who want more excitement at the command line. Plus, a heaping bowlful of nutritious unanswered questions.

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Wish list: 10 improvements for KDE 4.2

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

KDE 4.1, released last month, brought a great number of improvements to the popular desktop environment. It's the best desktop I've ever used -- but that doesn't mean it couldn't be better. 2009 will see the release of KDE 4.2. Here are 10 features that would be great additions to a future KDE release that I hope the developers will consider.

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