Posts by khess

Someone left a comment on one of my posts similar to, "Linux won't be popular on the Desktop until it runs Windows applications." To which I silently responded, "Huh? and, "You've got to be kidding me." We have WINE for running Windows applications and it works reasonably well for those who care to spend the time to work through any problems with it. I don't think the Linux Community needs to spend time on such an undertaking. Is anyone asking Apple to run Windows applications so that it will gain popularity? No? Then, why should Linux? If you want to run Windows applications, run them on Windows.

Linux is Linux. Mac OS is Mac OS. And, Windows is Windows.

Why does anyone want or need any crossover?

If application vendors want to create applications that run on Linux, that's great. I'm behind that 100 percent. If Intuit, for example, wants to create QuickBooks that runs on Linux, I'd buy it. If Adobe created Photoshop for Linux, they'd have an audience. And, if Microsoft created Microsoft Office for Linux, it would sell too. After all, the first operating system that MS Office ran on was the Mac OS.

And, why would you want to run Windows applications when we have OpenOffice.org, KOffice, GIMP and many others that are actually better than their Windows counterparts? They're so good that all three of …

I read a story this morning over at Infoworld.com that shocked me a bit. Neil McAllister discusses how proprietary software companies, like Microsoft, criticize open source projects by saying that, "They don't innovate, they copy." Is that really the consensus for an entire software realm that brought us the world wide web, TCP/IP, sendmail, DNS, DHCP, Perl, PHP, Apache, HTML and basically everything else that we use on the Internet today? Is that really the stance they want to take?

Neil also gives us seven major open source projects that are not knockoffs of Microsoft's knockoffs.

But, instead of focusing entirely on his article, I'd like to focus on the "missed it by a mile" target of companies, like Microsoft, that spout such nonsense.

As for knockoffs, who better than Microsoft to point that fickle finger?

I'm still shocked that IBM and Apple haven't sued the pants off of Microsoft for their obvious plagiarism of those companies' products and innovations.
From DOS to Windows to their GUI designs, icons, menus, .NET and program names, they (Microsoft) are the ones who play the knockoff card. And, they play it in spades.

Here is a list of Microsoft products and the originals:

• Windows (The Name) - X Window
• Windows - OS2 and Mac
• Explorer Interface - Mac
• MS Office - Lotus and Framework
• SQL Server …

I saw a report that read, "Video game sales plunge in April." Software sales dropped by 22 percent and hardware sales dropped by 37 percent. What's the story, folks? Do you have all the gaming miscellanea that you can afford? Are you satisfied with your current array of video games? Are you using free games like the ones found in Linux? Wait, I know what it is, you're playing games off of MAME to regain your misspent youth and to try and regain the thrills you used to get when putting all those quarters into a console for three minutes of play.

It was the fourth largest decline in sales since September 2000.

So, what's up with that?

Is there an additional story here? If there is, tip me on it.

My guess is that, at some point, even avid gamer's deep pockets come up empty. After you have the 512MB video card, Quad-Core, 16GB RAM and 4TB of disk; what else do you need?

Do you need Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction?

OK, so you aren't using MAME and you don't have a PC with enough horsepower to enjoy Conviction. You're opting for Zynga's Treasure Isle, Mafia Wars, Farmville or some of the other freebies on Facebook aren't you?

In case you're wondering, I don't play those games so don't ask me to be part of your Mafia team or Farmville whatever because I …

Earlier this evening, I had a conversation with a friend and colleague in the IT business. He runs his own independent computer consulting firm and we were trading war stories about customers, hardware vendors and work sharing. Work sharing, also known as "farming out" work that you can't do yourself due to your schedule, volume or lack of expertise. He shocked me when he made the statement that, "Not that many companies use Unix anymore." Huh? I must have looked as if someone wanted to purchase my firstborn when he said that because he emphatically repeated the statement.

I took a large gulp of my iced tea and choked out the words, "Are you kidding me, what about bigger companies?"

"Nope," he replied, "even hospitals use all Windows on Dell systems."

My mouth was still agape at this and I had an odd clanging sound going off in my head.

I cleared my throat and said, "Oh sure, the workstations but they use Unix for their servers, right?"

Again, the reply was, "Nope, they use Windows on those too."

And then he named two local hospitals as examples.

OK. I like this guy. I think that he's probably a very good computer tech and I know that he treats people fairly but I'm afraid that he's terribly misinformed.

One of the hospitals that he mentioned, I know for sure uses Unix to do some of their dirty work …

Last night while watching my usual list of recorded television programs, I saw a commercial for KGB, the company that begs you to text them with your questions. For a mere 99 cents, they'll answer any question that you ask of them. I'm sure that they have their share of tricksters with questions such as, "What is life" and "What is the air speed of an unladen swallow." But my mind dances to a different beat. And, with my wife's permission, I posed the following question using her cell phone: "Which Linux distribution is the best for new users?"

As a safeguard against theft or silliness, they have an automated response to any query that reads something similar to, "Thank you for texting KGB, our answers are only 0.99 each, please reply and text YES to confirm."

After a few minutes, you'll receive another text from KGB that reads, "We are researching your question and will have an answer for you soon."

It only took another five minutes or so to receive my much awaited answer.

Here is the answer I received, word for word:

"The best one is the one that works best for you. Try something easy like Ubuntu or Fedora. Try different Distros. After all, Linux is free."

OK, the first sentence is a bit silly and not worth the 99 cents. The third and fourth sentences are equally worthless but the second sentence is pure …

Albert Einstein once said of himself, "If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants." Ed Roberts was one of those giants to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude for our computing technology. You probably have never heard of this great man or his work but I'm about to change all that. Ed Roberts is someone you want to know. He is the "Father of the Personal Computer."

He created the Altair computer, which was a kit-ified computer project. Before I was old enough to afford the $400 for one of his kits, Ed Roberts was making history.

It didn't take long for word to reach from Albuquerque to a couple of young college dropouts in Seattle, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who had created some software that they wanted to try out on this computer. After a couple of tries, it worked and the first personal computer software product, Altair BASIC, was born. The rest is history. Ed Roberts faded into oblivion for most of us.

He left Albuquerque and went back to his native Georgia and became a medical doctor, his lifelong dream. He lived in Georgia until his death on April 1, 2010.

Many who knew Roberts, including Bill Gates, flew to Georgia to pay their final respects to him. They, and we, owe him everything.

I'm sure at the time, he didn't realize the full significance of what …

Sony has just put its Linux user base in the dust bin with its newest update that doesn't allow installing another operating system to its popular game console. Thanks, Sony. I'm now making believe that you're going to lose market share because of this. I'm also making believe that this move is another attempt to remove Linux' competitive edge from the marketplace. Your excuse that you, "don't want people tinkering with the system" is bogus. I think I smell a rat. I rat that smells of rainy days, seawater and space needles.

Users are already upset about Sony removing this feature that's marked clearly and distinctly on the box. Some want the option of having some of their money returned because of this feature downgrade.

When large companies, like Sony, make changes that don't make sense, you can almost bet with certainty that there's something else brewing in the background. It's possibly related to my "Another Linux Lawsuit Storm Brewing?" from a few days ago. Sony could be scared off of Linux because they don't want to pay Microsoft to use it.

I think that we'll find out when Sony comes forward with their reasoning on it but until then, opinions mount.

Why do you think Sony made this radical change? Did you know that if you don't accept the update that disables the use of Linux that you can't use the PlayStation Network, play newer games and Blu-ray movies, view copyright-protected videos or …

From its Debian roots to its commercially available support to its overwhelming popularity, Ubuntu is the ultimate Linux distribution. For me, Ubuntu became a significant force within the Linux community with its 2006 releases: 6.04 and 6.10. From April 2006, I've installed and used every new version and anticipate each new one the way a child anticipates toys on Christmas morning. But, have you ever wondered why is Ubuntu the ultimate Linux distribution? Why is it so popular? Why did Canonical choose Debian as its distribution template? And, why did Mark Shuttleworth believe in Linux so much that he chose to create Canonical to support it?

Let's take a look at Ubuntu Linux and see if we can figure out why it is, in fact, the ultimate Linux distribution.

Debian GNU/Linux is Ubuntu's parent distribution which firmly places it at the top of any list of excellent distributions. Debian's apt-get (Advanced Packaging Tool) package maintenance system is absolutely the best available process for keeping your systems updated and secure.
Debian also uses the GPL for its licensing and only uses free software in its main distribution. The GPL and the use of free software is a major selling point for many would-be adopters because of the freedoms it bestows on the user. Free software is less restrictive than software licensed in other ways. The basic premises of free software are given below:

* You can install the software on as many machines …

It's true. Oracle is now, with its acquisition of Sun Microsystems, the world's largest purveyor of open source software. Does that surprise you? It did me too, until I started digging and realized that Oracle has a history of supporting free and open source software. Their support didn't start with their purchase of InnoDB, MySQL or Sun. It goes back into ancient times--Internetly speaking, of course.

And, yes, I know that I've taken my share of shots at Oracle and the wonderful Larry Ellison but I also have to own up to the fact that they are good open source stewards and citizens (netizens?). It almost pains me to admit it but I do. Oracle has done much for the FOSS community and it appears that their commitment to it rivals that of IBM.

Here are 20 of Oracle's open source initiatives that prove their dedication to the concept, the goal and the future of open source software. These are in no particular order.

1. MySQL - OK, this one might take the first spot because it's my personal favorite open source project. MySQL is the world's most popular open source database. It powers hundreds of thousands of websites, web applications and data engines for the world's largest companies.

2. OpenOffice.org - Microsoft Office's closest competitor also enjoys the grand Oracle umbrella of protection now. This is the project that made us all believe that Microsoft's …

No, this one is cool. I'm a big Ubuntu fan but I call them on it when they don't do a good job. 9.04 was a bummer but 9.10 rocks! And 10.04, at least on the server end, is awesome.

It isn't too soon to anticipate the next major release of Ubuntu is it? I hope not. Ubuntu 10.04 has a few surprises up its virtual sleeve in store for you. I can't tell you everything that's in store but you'll certainly have fun discovering some of them through this blog and my other writing venues as I obtain permission to print them. I did have the pleasure of speaking directly to one of the Ubuntu developers on Friday and will tell you a bit of what he told me about this exciting new release.

Ubuntu 10.04, aka Lucid Lynx, is an LTS (Long Term Support) release. This means that this version of Ubuntu will be supported for five years after its release. The last LTS was Ubuntu 8.04.

Ubuntu produces a new LTS release every two years.

For those of you who don't know, Ubuntu Linux was the brainchild and is the financial support burden for billionaire, Mark Shuttleworth. Canonical is the official commercial support company for the Ubuntu Linux distribution.

In this new release, Ubuntu will be even more enterprise focused with a continuation and enhancement of some new features that first appeared in earlier releases. Some of the new key features involve power management and virtualization in the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud version of Ubuntu Server. Some Ubuntu developers refer to Lucid Lynx as a "green" release due to these power management enhancements.

The developer promised me that careful …

OK osgui, you're apparently the winner and only entrant. Congrats. If you're interested, send me a PM with your address and I'll have the prizes sent to you. Thanks for participating.

I just read an article called: Life after Windows: What happens to tech if Microsoft dies?" The article made me think of what it really would be like without Microsoft. I didn't like it. We need Microsoft over there competing with us. No matter what happens to the economy, to the PC hardware format or to the demographic of the common computer user; Microsoft and Linux will never be "best buddies." And I know that "Linux" includes the major commercial Linux players: Novell, Red Hat and Canonical. I know that Novell and Red Hat have both crossed enemy lines with agreements but to think that the two camps will ever kiss, makeup and live happily ever after is pure fantasy. Frankly, I like it that way.

Competition creates a good business atmosphere for the consumer and for the competitors. Though Microsoft has been blessed with the "monopoly" label, it really is not a monopoly. As long as Apple and the Linux commercial companies exist, it is not a monopoly. To go further, as long as any alternative to Windows and its products exist, it is not a monopoly.
We feel like it's a monopoly because Microsoft does dominate the desktop and office suite software markets. Their products, ads and faces seem to be everywhere but a ubiquitous presence doesn't make it a monopoly. It makes it a tough competitor.

I want Microsoft to remain on …

I just read a post on another site from someone who calls himself (herself?), linux guru, and it made me ponder the following question: What is a Linux Guru? I've known many knowledgeable people over the years but never have I met an actual guru. I wonder if people like linux guru think that he can call himself "linux guru" because he believes that everyone else is a Linux Newbie? Or, perhaps linux guru is the world's only true Linux Guru and he wants his due fame. To help answer the question, I've compiled a list of ten characteristics that I think define what a Linux Guru is.

I've worked with Linux since 1995 and still wouldn't call myself a guru. It seems that there's always someone out there who's found some obscure thingy to tell me about--making me feel as if I don't scour the Internet's neutral zone enough for these things.

What are the ten characteristics of a Linux Guru?

1. Knowledgeable in all major Linux distributions.
2. Configures Samba, DNS, Sendmail and Apache with no Googling.
3. Helps others solve their problems with Linux.
4. Blogs or writes about personal experiences with Linux.
5. Donates time and resources to at least one Linux project.
6. Uses Linux on a variety of computing hardware.
7. Hacks Linux-based devices for fun and/or profit.
8. Finds innovative ways to use Linux at work.
9. Is a Linux Evangelist.
…

Everyone has posted their predictions for 2010 but here's the real scoop on what's going to happen in 2010 with Linux and Linux-oriented hardware and software products. Get ready to see the biggest increase in Linux adoption in history. You can say you saw it here first. These are in no particular ranking or order.

1. Cloud Computing - You're going to hear a lot about cloud computing in 2010. You'll hear a lot more about it beyond 2010 too. In fact, I've likened the term cloud computing to the term "trans fat" as the next most overused term that has no meaning for the people using it. Almost no one knows what's really meant by trans fat and, likewise, cloud computing has a good sound to it but media dorks won't know what it is.
Linux-based cloud computing is going to soar in the next couple of years, starting in 2010. Watch for it. Invest in it. It's here to stay.

Watch: IBM, HP, RackSpace, Amazon.

2. Virtualization - Linux-based hypervisors and non-hypervisor Linux-based virtualization will take the day. Virtualization on a large scale is cloud computing but on a more 'local' scale it is a money-saving technology that has much to offer those who adopt it. Hardware is more fully utilized by requiring fewer physical machines on which to run workloads. Utilization increases for the few pieces of hardware that take up valuable rack space.
…

The Obama Administration vows to cut costs in part by using open source software (Software whose source code is made available to the user), cloud computing, virtualization, Linux and other low cost technologies. But, does the use of open source software put the government, its records and our national security at risk? The argument goes like this: "If the government uses open source software, then the government is at risk because the security flaws are exposed publicly." The argument continues with, "The use of proprietary software protects the government from security attacks because its code is hidden and not released to the public." There is, however, a significant flaw in the argument against open source software's use in government.

The assumption is that by allowing everyone access to the source code, you also open yourself up to more security risk. This is not the case. Open source software guarantees that by exposing its code that any security flaws will be fixed long before its proprietary counterpart's.

How can I make such a bold statement that would seem to defy logic and common sense?

By allowing everyone access to the source code for a program, you have a worldwide community available to fix any flaws in that code and return those fixes to the project. And, that's exactly what happens. With proprietary software, the code is hidden and not released to the public thereby limiting fixes and patches to the original programmers. Sometimes you need a fresh set …

Amazon Web Services (AWS) uses it. Elastichosts uses it. Google uses it. Yahoo uses it. Engine Yard uses it. Facebook uses it. "It" is Linux, of course. But what else do all these companies have in common? If you said "cloud technology," you're correct.

Perhaps the best known of all cloud vendors, AWS, makes the most of its resources through the use of Xen's Linux-based virtualization. AWS is the gold standard in the cloud-computing business. Although not the cheapest cloud solution, it's reliability, ease of use, stability and superb technology make it a wise choice for companies who need 100% uptime.

Elastichosts, a UK-based cloud computing company uses KVM on CentOS Linux for their cloud-computing delivery. KVM provides a fully virtualized server for more control and the feel of a physical server. Elastichosts offers competitive pricing and fast EU connect speeds.

Google has invested a huge amount of money in its Linux-based infrastructure to provide the world with personal and business applications such as Gmail, GoogleDocs, GTalk, Google Sites and Google Calendar and its vast internet search engine. They use Linux, MySQL and other so-called open source technologies to bring the best service, highest speed and most innovative web-based applications available.

One of the best kept secrets in cloud-based businesses is Engine Yard. If …

It's hard for me to admit it but there are things, ten things to be exact, that I really hate about Linux. Sometimes I think it's just me but I do see other people stating a few of these in the forums so I'm at least not alone with some of these issues. These are in no particular order and they aren't just rants; they're legitimate problems and issues that I find annoying, destroying or cloying. Feel free to add your own to the list in the Comments section.

1. Too Many Good Distros - I hate the fact that it's so hard to choose among all the distributions (distros) to use. It's almost impossible to settle on just one for daily use. If you've seen my "10 Best Linux Distributions of 2009," you'll know why--they're all good. When I looked for a distribution to use for myself--other than virtualized ones, it was next to impossible. I finally decided on CentOS because of its basis in Red Hat Linux. It was a matter of familiarity. For most other server-oriented things and appliances, I use Debian--the King of Distributions.

2. Lacking Popular Application Support - No, Linux doesn't need to run Microsoft Office and I know about OpenOffice.org but still there's a barrier to application support for Linux. Now, a lot of the lack of application support isn't because of Linux necessarily but if you're a software …

I've done a bit of research on Windows 7 Enterprise to discover some of its new features and to uncover its secrets. From what I've seen so far, Microsoft has provided some interesting Linux-esque features that might accidentally boost Linux adoption as a side effect. The two primary features to which I refer are 7's ability to natively use virtual hard disks (VHDs) and the easy to add on UNIX-compatibility services and applications.

Once Windows 7 users get a whiff of those UNIX utilities and their power, the Linux sell is easy. To enable these utilities, one only has to go as far as the Control Panel and install new Windows features. Included in the mix are a native NFS client, Telnet client, Telnet server and Subsystem for UNIX Applications (SUA). SUA is a rather large download (~500MB) that includes a few hundred UNIX utilities and support programs.

After the customary reboot, you have what is in essence a hybrid system. It falls short of a Cygwin installation by a country mile but it's a step in the right direction. Speaking of Cygwin, I'm not exactly sure why Microsoft just didn't enable installation of Cygwin instead of a small subset of similar utilities. Cygwin's license is unrestrictive enough to allow it but that's the topic of another post, I suppose. A Cygwin installation perhaps makes their operating system too much of a hybrid and it might work a little too well. They …

At my last, best count, there were over 550 individual Linux distributions. From the most generic, flat installs of the most common distros to ultra-specialized, multimedia-oriented to the eye-popping, fancy ones--they're all there for the taking. I found ten distributions from among the 500 or so that I know about to spotlight these for some special feature or set of features that will dazzle you or entice you to try them for yourself. Read on and get ready to download.
One word of caution: Some of these distributions are so clever and cool that, once you begin working with them, you just might lose track of time and forget what you're supposed to be doing.

In alphabetical order, my favorite ten special Linux distributions are:

1. 64 Studio - Ah, 64 Studio, based on Debian/Ubuntu, is one fine piece of work. This is one distro that you could lose a lot of sleep to--especially if you're the creative type. I'm so much of a multimedia wannabe that I burned almost ten straight hours just checking out everything and making a total multimedia fool of myself--I'll spare you the disgusting details of my romp. I discovered one thing very quickly: I'm not smart enough to be productive with 64 Studio. If you're a multimedia mogul, proceed happily with this one. It comes with 2D/3D graphics programs, animation software, publishing, web design, audio production, video editing and some stuff that I know so …

Have you searched for Linux distributions that are 100% free? Did you find more than one that suited your needs? Well, here's a list of nine from which you can choose your favorite. Free means freedom to alter, redistribute, sell or release as a different product with no restrictions on you or your new distribution.

1. BLAG - Blag is an operating system. Blag has a suite of graphics, internet, audio, video, office, and peer to peer file sharing applications. Based on Fedora, Blag has just about everything you'd ever need for productivity and fun.

2. Dragora - Dragora is an independent distribution of GNU/linux based on the concept of the simplicity. It aims to be a multipurpose, stable and powerful operating system while maintaining the simplicity of Unix. The initial release of Dragora was June 13, 2008. Dragora GNU/Linux 1.1 was released October 8, 2009.

3. Dynebolic - A GNU/Linux distro that focuses on audio/video production with a host of applications such as Jack, SuperCollider, Csound, Fluxus and of course Pure Data with a great collection of externals (PDP, PiDiP, Gem, GridFlow, RRadical, PixelTango).

4. gNewSense - a GNU/Linux distribution based on Debian and Ubuntu, with sponsorship from the FSF. This is the distribution that Richard Stallman himself uses--so you know it's good because he could use any of them.

5. Kongoni - Kongoni is the Shona word for a Gnu (also known as …

It was exactly one year ago today that I published my original "The 10 Best Linux Distributions" and it's time to put forth a new list for this year's best. Without looking at the old list, I've decided to compile this one from scratch. This 2009 list takes several factors into account for placement in the list: Community support, commercial support, software variety, update engine and distribution frequency. Even for old Linux salts, there are a few surprises on this list. For starters, Ubuntu is not number one.

The problem with this list is that I don't hate any of the distros that I've entered here. Even number ten is one of my all time favorites but something has to be on top and something has to be on bottom. Check out the list and see what you think.

1. gNewSense - Ever since my conversation with Richard Stallman, I've decided that gNewSense is the distro that claims the top spot for this year. Based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian, gNewSense contains only free software. It's also the distro that Stallman himself uses--how can you beat that?

2. Debian - Debian is a GNU/Linux distribution that has it all: Great support, unsurpassed stability, awesome developers, a huge community, dozens of offspring including Ubuntu and gNewSense, regular updates, apt-get, thousands of ready-to-install programs and it makes a great user computer or server …

I had the honor and pleasure of speaking to Richard Stallman a few days ago while he was in New Zealand on a speaking tour. I had been in an email conversation with him over several days asking about which software programs he uses and I finally connected with him for some clarification and more details. So, if you've ever wanted to get the scoop straight from the man himself, you'll want to listen to the podcast.

The conversation begins abruptly because the phone conversation is a continuation of that email dialog. We also got cut off at one point during the interview and I had to call back.
I found him to be very personable, articulate and a pleasure to speak with. He was very patient with my nervous fumbling and was quite happy to discuss free software, his software choices and even his choice of computer.

To begin, I wanted to know not just about free software and the movement but his personal choices and I got quite a surprise. He is definitely no hypocrite. He is so much of a free software advocate that he even chose his personal computer because of the type of BIOS it uses.

I personally feel that using only free software is very limiting and would be very difficult to successfully accomplish. Richard Stallman doesn't find it difficult at all.

After speaking with him, I wrote "What Free Software …

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating IBM's computer market conduct and, depending on the outcome, it might just affect your beloved Apple computers. As everyone knows, IBM is the major player in the mainframe computer market but now their business practice of not licensing other hardware makers to run their software is causing issue.

The following excerpt is from an article by Associated Press writer, Jordan Robertson:

The accusations stem from claims by IBM rivals that they've been illegally frozen out of the mainframe market because of IBM's refusal to allow its mainframe operating software to run on non-IBM computers. IBM doesn't have many rivals anymore that make mainframe computers, but some smaller companies are trying to develop technologies that would allow the software to run on cheaper hardware.

They allege that IBM, which used to license its mainframe software to competitors and for the back half of the last century operated under an antitrust agreement with the government, stopped doing so in recent years to choke off competition.

It's possible that you don't realize the implications of these two paragraphs. Let me attempt to clarify them for you.

IBM created the mainframe software. It runs on IBM mainframes. IBM used to license it to other companies to run on their hardware. They stopped doing it. Now their competitors are upset by this practice.

Implication #1: If the DOJ finds against IBM, it essentially takes away IBM's right to …

No, I'm not talking about a Linux vs. Microsoft or Apple vs Microsoft but rather a prediction by UN Telecommunications Agency Chief Hamadoun Toure'. Apparently, the U.S. Homeland Security and other U.S.-based paranoia groups agree since US Secretary for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said that she received the green light to hire up to 1,000 cybersecurity experts to ramp up the United States' defenses against cyber threats. Need a job?

To launch such an attack successfully would take thousands of experienced hackers in different locations simultaneously attacking a site or sites with malicious intent. Depending on the type of attack, it would easily be thwarted with IP bans, router bandwidth restrictions or reverse denials of service. And, not just from the U.S. Any country with ISPs worth their salt would catch these attacks and deny access to the users initiating them. An attack like this would also require a lot of bandwidth and would easily show up in bandwidth reports.

If it is a foreign government sanctioned attack, once the culprit is identified, it's bombs away on them. I don't see that a full-scale cyber war is possible. The renegades would be cut off, identified and dealt with in non-cyberspace ways.

Is such an attack possible? Yes. But it would have to be well-coordinated and extremely covert. So, is an attack like this likely? No. I don't see WWIII being waged in cyberspace--a cute thought but it wouldn't work. But, hey, if it means hiring 1,000 cyber …

Ubuntu has redeemed itself with its latest version 9.10 (Karmic Koala). I took a look at Ubuntu 9.10 on October 1st and have been playing around with it for a few days. My first impression is that it is good stuff--seriously good stuff. From the new, updated installer to the faster boot times, I'm impressed. Way to go Ubuntu developers, you deserve applause for this one.

I didn't think that Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) was all that great. There weren't enough improvements over 8.10 to justify a whole new distribution or wasting a cute name on it.

Karmic Koala's installer is the best I've ever seen on any Linux distribution. It's fast, nice to look at and, most important of all, it's easy for people who might be new to Linux. Click through a few screens; enter your name, login name, password and computer name--and away you go toward having a new Ubuntu system. The more difficult part for most users will be the download, burning of the ISO image to a CD and changing their BIOS to boot from the CD/DVD drive.

Boot times are also much improved. This isn't necessarily limited to just Ubuntu as several Linux distribution developers have been working toward shortening your wait time in the boot department.

Once inside GNOME, you recognize all the familiar desktop items. Nothing new going on here although you might notice a few cosmetic changes with your startup screen and desktop …

This is a plea to all hardware manufacturers: Please create Linux drivers for your hardware. OK, so Linux isn't the Stormin' Norman of the Desktop arena but that doesn't mean its users don't want or need drivers for hardware. I don't blame the kind volunteers that donate their time to program bits and pieces of the Linux kernel and associated programs but I do blame the hardware manufacturers for not supporting a huge user base of Linux users. I'm tired of it and it's time for action.

Here's what we can do:

1. Any time you find a piece of hardware that doesn't have a Linux driver, write to the manufacturer and request that a Linux version become available for it.

2. Boycott any hardware that doesn't explicitly work with Linux.

3. Check hardware compatibility lists and only purchase hardware that does work with Linux.

4. Document your experiences with hardware successes and failures and post them to your blogs or notify me and I'll post them.

5. Join the Linux Foundation or the community distribution network of your choice and contribute (time, money, resources) to the project.

Collectively, we can put enough pressure on hardware manufacturers to supply Linux drivers for their hardware. It's in their best interest to do so.

Manufacturers say that there isn't enough Linux deployed to justify spending resources on creating Linux drivers and potential business adopters say that without proper driver …

This is the third entry in the continuing "cave dwellers" saga and their new lives with Ubuntu. Someone posted a comment on the previous cave dwellers entry about iTunes not working on Linux and I was absolutely sure that it did. It doesn't. Much to my surprise (and disappointment), iTunes isn't available as a native application on Linux. What's a penguinista to do? Try WINE of course!

I installed WINE, downloaded iTunes' latest Windows application and installed the file. Quicktime and some other applications installed but no iTunes. I tried several times--still no iTunes. I googled. Nope, still no iTunes.

I turned to the youngest cave dweller (13) and said, "I know I've heard you play music on this, how did you do it?" He said, "Napster." I then asked him how he downloaded and synced music with his phone. "We don't. Not since you gave us Linux. We have to use Mom's laptop (Vista)."
I sat silent for a moment until my wife said sarcastically, "Linux not working for you, dear?"
"Yeah, it works for the important stuff" I retorted.
I told the boys that I would research these issues and get back to them.

My wife also asked about printing to our printer (Canon iP1600) from their laptop. I said, "I don't have that working yet." The printer is shared off of my Windows XP workstation. I tried using alternate drivers but it's no …

I will never again refer to the Linux Desktop in any of my writings beyond this post. From now on, it's the Linux User Interface, which encompasses the likes of GNOME, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, CLI and others. These Linux User Interfaces may be used on any Linux-enabled device. These interfaces are not limited to a single type of machine designated as a 'desktop' and I'll not diminish the importance of them by mentioning them in that realm again. Since the dream of a world blessed with desktop computers running Linux is a dream (and a far-fetched one at that), I'll leave its reference to the lesser of my literary colleagues to ponder.

Instead, the Linux User Interface (LUI - pronounced Louie), is now a catch-all for any of the aforementioned window managers. And LUI might refer to a desktop computer, a server computer, a wristwatch, a PDA or a netbook running Linux with a particular window manager running on it. The LUI is how you interact with the operating system and not a particular class of computer.

Gone are the days of the hopeful Linux Desktop. Gone are the days of the tumultuous desktop wars. Gone are the dreams of one day waking up and finding that the US Government has converted to Linux desktops. And gone are the days of my attempts at convincing the world that anything but Windows or the Mac OS will …

Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel, said at the LinuxCon in Portland yesterday that, "We are not the streamlined, small, hyper-efficient kernel I envisioned 15 years ago," he said. "Our kernel is huge and bloated. Whenever we add a new feature, it only gets worse." It's time to put Linux on a diet. What we need is a very small kernel that loads support via external files. Though Linux is a modular kernel, it seems that everything gets compiled in to the central code slug but I have a solution.

Instead of making the kernel impossibly huge and compiling in support for device X and peripheral Y, let's move support for all devices to XML files and just have the kernel read the ones we want. No recompiling. No derivative works in the kernel. And no debate needed between Tannenbaum and Torvalds over microkernels vs monolithic kernels.

Move support for everything to a directory or special filesystem, like /proc, where all of the necessary XML files reside. The kernel picks them up and uses them with no changes to the kernel and no kernel bloat required. Now, I have to tell you that IANAP (I am not a Programmer) by any stretch of the imagination but it seems to me that this would have been something that others would have thought up before now.
I'm a long-time user of Linux, an early adopter and the founder of the local Linux User's Group …

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote, "Has Linux Fallen Into a Well?." It was a tale of two brothers, aka The Cave Dwellers, who had too many complaints and angst concerning the Windows XP installation on my wife's old HP DV-5000 laptop. Reinstalling XP didn't do any good the last time I did it, so I decided to give them Ubuntu 9.04 in its place. All I did was to tell them how to login and left the rest up to them.

Two days after the installation came the first question: "How do I install the Adobe Flash Player in the web browser?" I told them to follow the on screen instructions and promptly shooed them out of my domain (cave).

They've used the laptop non-stop since I reimaged it with no problems reported. They do all the usual stuff with it that they did with Windows: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, web browsing, iTunes, Email and word processing.

My printer comes on and prints homework and their occasional "wows" and "cools" have let me know that the laptop is serving them well so far. I've heard much less door kicking and muffled cursing from them since the big switch to Ubuntu. Now the only door kicking and muffled (and not so muffled) cursing only originates from me.

So, I have to humbly say that Ubuntu is the best thing to …

Does it seem to you that Linux distributions have fallen into to a well or other deep support chasm that defies the space-time continuum? It seems so to me. Linux distributions are lagging behind Windows and Mac in significant ways.
Well, it doesn't work for this chipset. Well, it works but you have to tweak it. Well, it works but...is the common theme for many Linux installations. This generates frustrations for users old and new. It's hard to convince someone to use Linux when it's even hard for me to do something that would be impossible for a newbie.

For example, yesterday I had heard enough complaints from my kids about their shared Windows XP laptop's slowness, unresponsiveness and general lack of pep. I summoned them all from their caves (Rooms with TVs) and told them to save off their valuable documents, songs and other files of interest to a flash drive because I am going to reimage the laptop. They complied. I planned to reimage it with Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop. There began my problems that appeared to remain unresolved until I put Windows XP back on it.

Don't fret, I went ahead with the installation of Ubuntu 9.04.

The installation went fine. The updating via apt-get went swimmingly. Sound, wired networking, video--everything was just perfect--until I tried to use the wireless networking, that is. The kids have to use wireless because the only wired connections are in my office and I don't want them in …

Do you have a router, cable modem, etc. at your office? You would need to know the setup before you would know how you can connect in.
If it is Windows, terminal services via remote desktop connection will work...just use the external network IP address (the one the isp assigns your router) and hopefully someone has created a port forward to the server for port 3389. If VNC, then you'll need VNC viewer...just depends on how you're setup.