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A Vista vs. Linux matchup -- Part 1: Leveling the Playing Field —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jan. 24, 2007) —
In this multi-part series, DesktopLinux.com columnist and operating system curmudgeon Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols pits Microsoft's latest wares -- Vista -- against Linux's fair haired boy -- Ubuntu -- to see how the pinnacle of commercial desktop operating systems stacks up against the free, community-developed Linux upstart. ...
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"I tried Linux and was very disappointed" —
a guest column by Andy Stone (Jan. 11, 2006) —
Foreword: Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols received a thoughtful response to his recent column titled "4 Reasons to Dump Linux." Since many of the points expressed by the writer may be typical of issues facing Windows users who try switching to Linux, we obtained the writer's permission to share his comments here. ...
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Baby Linux steps —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Dec. 26, 2006) —
So, you want to give Linux a try, do you? Good for you! You'll find that desktop Linux can work well and doesn't come with a tenth of the security problems that makes using Windows such an adventure....
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The well-tempered Debian desktop —
by Rick Lehrbaum (Updated Dec. 23, 2006) —
I recently reported on my good results with migrating an old server from RH7 to Debian Sarge, beginning with the network-install CD. Responding to my comments that an install of a Sarge desktop on my old Thinkpad left me less than impressed, several readers admonished me for not installing Etch....
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Debian: server yes, desktop no —
by Rick Lehrbaum (Dec. 12, 2006) —
 I recently decided to retire Red Hat 7 after seven years of loyal service as a firewall/router-OS on my home LAN. Like a red-headed stepchild grown old, it had become cranky from extended neglect, and no longer would even shutdown or reboot without issuing nasty messages....
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Putting openSUSE 10.2 through its paces —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Dec. 8, 2006) —
 Sooner than anyone expected it, Novell Inc.'s openSUSE community Linux distribution project has delivered a new version: openSUSE 10.2. As a dyed-in-the-wool SUSE user since S.u.S.E Linux 4.2 first appeared in 1996, I decided to immediately give this version a try. ...
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Firefox 2.0 RC 2: better, not perfect —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Oct. 10, 2006) —
 I've been using Firefox since it split off from Mozilla back in 2002, and it's easily my favorite browser. It's safer than Internet Explorer; it's open-source, unlike Opera; and I vastly prefer its interface to those of Konqueror, Epiphany, and Safari....
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What's the best Linux for beginners? —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Oct. 9, 2006) —
I recently received a letter from a computer pro who's nearing 80. He's disgusted by "how [Microsoft] things have developed, and how most software is put out there full of errors and omissions. Help is virtually none existent. One really has to dig to find answers."...
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Seven Linux distros fight over one old ThinkPad —
by Rick Lehrbaum (Oct. 4, 2006) —
 Like most companies, my employer has a stash of old, "obsolete" PCs and laptops that won't run the latest versions of Windows worth a darn. Naturally, this represents a great source of systems for testing the latest Linux distributions....
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Welcoming MS Windows users to Linux —
a guest column by Claus Futtrup (Sep. 16, 2006) —
This guest column by a relatively new user of Linux takes a look at the typical expectations and challenges of transitioning from Windows to Linux, and makes some sensible recommendations. ...
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The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror —
by Doug Roberts (Sep. 8, 2006) —
Recently, I stumbled upon a "People Behind KDE" interview from September of last year with Derek Kite. The interviewer asked, "What is KDE's killer app? And Why?" Kite's answer completely threw me. His answer was, "Konqueror. Because Linux users are first class citizens for this browser."...
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Results from the 2006 Desktop Linux Survey —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Aug. 29, 2006) —
The results of DesktopLinux.com's 2006 Desktop Linux Market survey are in, and the votes are all tallied. This first article of a series offers a perspective on how the various desktop Linux distributions fared, and why....
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An early look at Freespire —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Aug. 2, 2006) —
In two weeks, Linspire Inc. will release Freespire, its community Linux distribution. This new distribution isn't just another Linux distro. It will represent the first Linux to include most of the legally licensed and available, third-party proprietary codecs, drivers, and software....
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Reincarnating a discarded laptop with Linux —
by Howard Fosdick (Aug. 1, 2006) —
I recently picked up an old discarded laptop... straight out of a corporate garbage bin, as a matter of fact. Could it be useful? What could it do? As an IT professional, I thought I'd find out....
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Hot Topic: The "One Laptop Per Child" project —
(Updated Jul. 13, 2007) —
 The One Laptop Per Child project (OLPC) aims to distribute -- free of charge -- millions of Linux-based laptop computers, complete with their own power sources, to needy children in developing countries around the world....
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Logging your kids off your Linux desktop —
by Steven J. Rosen (Jul. 21. 2006) —
You sit down at your desk for a relaxing session on your Linux computer, only to find that someone is already logged on. Of course, you could start a new session; Linux makes this easy. But you shouldn't have to -- the kids are long gone, to bed or playing, ...
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Ubuntu 6.06 is current desktop Linux champ —
by Jason Brooks (Jul. 18, 2006) —
Canonical's Ubuntu 6.06 LTS is an excellent Linux-based operating system -- so excellent, in fact, that it not only earned an "eWEEK Labs Analyst's Choice" designation but has also become our clear favorite among Linux desktop distributions....
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A first look at SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 —
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jul. 13, 2006) —
The newest SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, version 10, is so close to being done that you can almost taste it. Novell released the gold master last week to its partners, and the server version, SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server), based on the same code, is also almost ready for release....
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A simple Linux backup method —
by Steven J. Rosen (Jul. 11, 2006) —
Introduction
This article describes a simple backup method that I use every day to backup my home Linux systems. It's an easy method that non-technical Linux users can use to backup their important data. We'll discuss the decisions you have to make in order to do a thorough backup....
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Linux desktop distributions headed in the wrong direction —
A guest column by Jem Matzan (Jun. 28, 2006) —
The impending release of Windows Vista with its fancy Aero Glass special effects, along with the hasty addition of the similar XGL and Compiz technologies to the latest SUSE Linux release, makes me think that programmers have a warped idea of what desktop computing is about. ...
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First impressions of Google Earth for Linux —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jun. 15, 2006) —
 Only a few weeks after releasing its first Linux application -- the photo editing program, Picasa -- Google has released its second application for Linux: Google Earth for Linux 4....
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Installing operating systems the safe way —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jun. 13, 2006) —
So, you want to try out a new operating system. Good for you! But, before you pop in that CD or DVD, there are a couple of things you need to know. Some of these may sound like an unnecessary pain. Trust me. ...
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First impressions of Google Browser Sync —
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jun. 9, 2006) —
Not everyone runs as many "personal" computers as I have -- 24, at last count -- but many of us have both a PC and a laptop. One of the big problems, whether you run two dozen or two PCs, is keeping your Web browser bookmarks and other settings straight. ...
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