Linux News

2003

Aug. 7: Noted at News.com: This week, KooBox.com started selling what it calls the first complete Linux computer. US$449 gets you a 1.2 GHz Duron-based computer, 256MB of RAM, a 14" flat-panel LCD monitor, cables, keyboard, mouse, speakers and operating system software, plus "instant access" to over 1,500 programs. See News.com for further details, or the Koobox site for a comparison against low-cost offerings from eMachines and Dell.

July 31: Noted at Linux Compatible:  Lycoris' LX Update 3 Release Candidate 0 is now available. Get it here.

July 20: Red Hat says it has decided to abandon the shrinkwrap box retail channel. The company also plans to change the way its distributions are developed. Currently, packages are "handed over" to Red Hat developers, who tune them for inclusion in a particular version. Under the new system, developers will maintain control of the packages. Details at Linux & Main....

July 15: Looking for a decent desktop publishing program for Linux (etc.)? Check out Scribus 1.0 (homepage, mirror), released July 14. A few of its key features include:

A modern user friendly interface developed with Qt. Scribus can run on Linux, HP-UX, Solaris, BSD and soon Mac OSX. An experimental version running on KDE-Cygwin and Windows 2000 is in testing.

• Unicode support including support for right to left scripts.
• Can export CMYK separations and "press-ready" PDF including PDF 1.4 features such as transparency.
• The only DTP application to create fully ISO compliant PDF/X-3 files.
• A powerful PDF export engine capable of creating fully interactive PDF forms, presentation effects and encrypted PDF.
• ICC color management via the littlecms color management engine.
• Extended Matrix e-business infomediaries capability
• Exports high-quality PDF, SVG and EPS.
• Powerful cross-platform Python Scripting language extending Scribus functions and automating tasks, as well as calling external applications within Scribus.
• Maximize enterprise functionalities for web-serviced publishing
• Uses XML as a native file format. The Scribus XML format has been fully documented.

Read more about Scribus at Slashdot....

May 19: In the wake of the SCO vs. Linux brouhaha noted here on May 14, comes the far more shocking news that Microsoft is acquiring the rights to Unix technology from SCO Group, a move that could impact the battle between Windows and Linux in the market for computer operating systems.

According to a statement from Microsoft, the company will license SCO's Unix patents and the source code. HmmmMMmmmm. C|Net News has details.

May 14: SCO Suspends Sales of Linux, Alerts Customers That Linux Is an Unauthorized Derivative of UNIX and That Legal Liability May Extend to Commercial Users. The SCO Group, the owner of the UNIX operating system, today warned that Linux is an unauthorized derivative of UNIX and that legal liability for the use of Linux may extend to commercial users. As one Slashdot poster put it: this may be the first case of corporate suicide bombing. Read more....

May 14: Noted at Slashdot: The license agreement for LindowsOS explicitly prohibits users from modifying it (section 1.1.a.iv for individuals and 1.1.b.iv for businesses). As for voiding the warranty, well, according to section 4 there wasn’t one there in the first place. The EULA also claims that you may not allow a visiting friend to use your LindowsOS computer, nor may you use it to conduct business (both in section 1.1.a.iii).

May 11: The Debian-based Libranet Linux distro is one of the topics du jour at Slashdot. It is targeted at the desktop user and comes from Vancouver, BC-based Libra Computer Systems Ltd. MadPenguin.org has a full review with screenshots.

Elsewhere, icewalkers.com has a list of Live CD Linux distros that don't require you to install anything on your hard drive. (Knoppix is our favorite in this category.)

Mar. 31: LinuxHardware.org has published the first review of the Lindows Media Computer from iDOTpc.com. In short, it's not going to pose much of a threat -- even at US$329 -- to machines running Windows XP Media Center Edition anytime soon. Read more at  Slashdot....

Mar. 30: Noted at Slashdot: Linux Running on Xbox Without Modchip! It looks like people on xbox-scene.com and xboxhacker.net managed to run Xbox-Linux on a non-modded Xbox console. It requires no soldering at all - you don’t even have to open up the Xbox. They are using an exploit in the saved game handling of the EA Xbox game ‘007 Agent Under Fire.’ It requires the original version of the 007 game and a memory card you can connect to PC like the mega-X-key or Datel’s action replay. Apparently you can even build this memory card yourself using a standard USB memstick. Read more....

Mar. 25: We've posted our review of Knoppix 3.2.

Also noted on our Hi-tech Calendar: Mandrake 9.1 has been released. “Mandrake Linux 9.1 (Bamboo)," notes Slashdot, "is now officially available at a number of FTP mirrors. This version appears to be a key release for MandrakeSoft and includes many new features such as a new simplified installation procedure, ZeroConf network support, Wi-Fi support, NTFS partition resizing and a brand-new… MandrakeGalaxy theme. It’s very beautiful and the whole thing has apparently very few bugs, which is a good news. A full presentation is available at Mandrake’s website, download is available from their FTP page as usual. As I see it, it’s certainly the most important Mandrake release since version 7.0…”

And if you like the distro, you can do both yourself and Mandrake a favor by ordering box sets straight from them, or joining Mandrake’s Club.

Mar. 22: Linux Compatible has news of one of our favorite Linux distros, Knoppix. It's now at 3.2. Also noted on our Hi-tech Calendar: SlackWare 9 has been released.

Mar. 17: His statistics seem pretty suspect (like: only 50% of developers use Windows?), but Nicholas Petreley has an interesting article over at LinuxWorld explaining why it seems that Windows has such a high market share when 40% of developers are focusing on Linux.

Mar. 12: eWeek Labs has a review of GNOME 2.2. Here's a snip:

"In eWeek Labs' tests of GNOME 2.2, we found that with the addition of details such as application launch notification and improved font handling, GNOME has grown thicker with features and more polished while maintaining the simplicity for which many value it."

Jan. 29: Challenging Microsoft's efforts with its own media player platform at dramatically lower prices, Lindows CEO Michael Robertson says the first Lindows Media Computers are now shipping. According to the press release: "This unique device combines a DVD player, CD player and personal computer into one compact affordable package. The Lindows Media Computer starts up in about 10 seconds and displays an intuitive on-screen selector to play DVDs, music CDs, MP3 CDs or even the increasingly popular VCD format. Once the media format is selected, the viewer can use the on-screen controls with a mouse or the included multimedia keyboard to navigate and control the playback."

In addition to operating as an "instant on" DVD, CD, MP3 and VCD player, Robertson claims the Lindows Media Computer has all the functionality of a desktop PC. After a single-click of a mouse button, the machine becomes a full-fledged LindowsOS computer ready for Internet duties, productivity tasks or games. The Lindows Media Computer sells for US$329. (Monitor not included.) For details, visit info.lindows.com/lmc/.

Jan. 28: The KDE Project has released KDE 3.1. Visit www.kde.org for details and download links.

Jan. 16: It's official: struggling MandrakeSoft has filed for bankruptcy protection.

Jan. 13: We've updated our Knoppix review with new information on cheat codes and recent additions.

Jan. 2: Lindows CEO Michael Robertson has been revealed as the source behind the $100,000 cash prize awarded this month to the hackers who managed to get Linux running on a 'modded' Microsoft Xbox. Robertson says he has decided to extend part 2 of his challenge -- to get Linux running on an Xbox with unaltered hardware -- for another year. Winbeta has details.

2002
Dec. 19: Lindows Makes Offline Retail Debut, notes NewsFactor.

Nov. 18: There's something ironic about the PC World tagline "Technology Advice You Can Trust," when the headline of its Lindows review claims that "Lindows 3.0 aims to offer an affordable alternative to Windows, plus full compatibility with Microsoft apps."

There's a big difference between claiming compatibility with common Microsoft Windows file formats and "full compatibility with Microsoft apps." Simply put, it does not provide (or claim) anything of the sort. "Find a large grain of salt, then read the review at pcworld.com.

Nov. 9: ExtremeTech reviews Xandros Linux, calling it "another winning Debian distro."

Nov. 2: Noted at Slashdot.org: David McNab has posted a HOWTO article detailing the simple steps necessary to install Knoppix Linix onto your hard disk. As noted in our review (see the sidebar), Knoppix is a remarkable distro in that it can run entirely from CD, without touching your hard drive. Thus, you can download Knoppix and test it without disturbing your existing operating system(s). If you like it, just follow these steps and, in about 20 minutes, you'll have a full Debian installation, with most of the best GNU/Linux applications installed and auto-configured!

Oct. 22: Xandros 1.0 has been released. This US$99 distro is Debian-based, and comes with CrossOver Office and CrossOver plug-ins, allowing it to run Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office 2000, QuickTime and other Windows programs. Slashdot has details; Newsforge provides a review.

Oct. 18: OSNews has a revew of Mandrake 9.0. It seems they think it has been surpassed by the latest SuSE release.

Oct. 6:  Techseekers offers a six-page review of Redhat 8 Professional.

Oct. 4: Extremetech takes an in-depth look at Lindows and, despite a few nitpicks, gives it the thumbs up as "an easy to use, easy to install, slick little operating system." Slashdot readers provide additional commentary.

Aug. 4: Knoppix 3.1 is a freely downloadable Linux distribution with a twist: its file system runs live, directly from its bootable CD -- it doesn't need to install anything on your hard drive. It includes KDE 3.0, OpenOffice, GIMP, and, perhaps most importantly, utilities for data recovery and system repairs, even for other operating systems. Slashdot readers provide a commentary and a list of other live-from-CD.distributions. Read our review for a closer look.

July 23: eWeek has a review of the beta release of RedHat 8.0. Code-named "Limbo," it includes gcc 3.1,the latest versions of GNOME, Mozilla and OpenOffice, and Apache 2.0.

July 23: Slashdot notes the release of Mandrake Linux 9.0 Beta 1. It features XFree86 4.2, KDE 3.0, GNOME 2.0, and is compiled with gcc-3.1, which, notes the poster, makes it incompatible with a fair amount of commercial software.

July 23: The Debian Project released Debian GNU/Linux version 3.0, which now supports eleven processor architectures, including the PowerPC. The new version features a more streamlined installation, comes with KDE 2.2 as well as GNOME, and now includes cryptographic software integrated into the main distribution. [Attribution: MacInTouch]

July 23: MacInTouch notes the release of Mozilla 1.1 Beta.

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