Recent Articles
Mageia 2 alpha 1 KDE and GNOME 3 screenshots preview
The first alpha release of Mageia 2 has been made available for download and testing. As you might expect, this is not a review-quality release, so if you have the time and resources, time to start hunting for bugs – and reporting them, if any, to Mageia Bugzilla. Installation and Live CD and DVD ISO [...]
Using OwnCloud and PageKite could get you in trouble with Verizon
These days, everybody is talking about cloud computing, and many people use it in one form or the other. But popular cloud computing services are provided by a third party, which means that you store you data on a server somewhere, so that you can access it any time, from anywhere. But there are cloud [...]
Why your computer needs a firewall enabled
Why is it even necessary to convince anybody that they need a firewall enabled on their Internet-facing computer – desktop or server? You would think that the role of a firewall should be obvious to any computer user. However, some of the comments that I have come across on this subject tell me that is [...]
Top 6 Linux and BSD graphical installation programs
New users tend to flock to distributions with easy to use installation programs, that is, to distributions with graphical installers. Some people will probably disagree with that statement, but most users feel more at home with a point-and-click interface, than with a terminal (console) program. That is why, in my reviews, I tend to place [...]
Kubuntu 11.10 review
Kubuntu 11.10 is the latest stable release of the desktop Linux distribution sponsored by Canonical Ltd., a Linux software provider based in London, UK. It is based on Ubuntu, but uses KDE, the K Desktop Environment. According to the Release announcement, Kubuntu is a “perfect OS for casual users, social butterflies, Linux gamers, software developers, [...]
Top 6 KDE distributions of 2011
There are perhaps hundreds of KDE Linux distributions available, and like an active volcano, more are “erupting” at a rate that is tough to keep pace with. While more choices are a good thing, and distro-hopping is a fact of life in the free software operating system community, sometimes, it is desirable to find one [...]
Install Fedora 16 on an encrypted btrfs file system
Btrfs was supposed to have been the default file system for Fedora 16, but for technical reasons, that did not happen. Word on the street says it will be, in Fedora 17. But you do not have to wait for Fedora 17 to get your system humming on btrfs because you can do it right [...]
Fedora 16 GPT disk partitioning guide
Anaconda, the Fedora system installer, is probably the best installation program available on any Linux or BSD distribution, and the version that comes with Fedora 16, version 16.25, has a couple of visible enhancements that make it even better. One of those enhancements is support for GPT disk partitions. GPT, or GUID Partition Table, is [...]
2 cool reasons to use the K Desktop Environment
You can always find a reason or two to like or not like something, and frequently, the reason you like one thing is exactly why the next guy does not. I used to be a fan of the K Desktop Environment (KDE). I said “used to” because I could not make the transition from KDE [...]
Disk Encryption in Fedora 16
No distribution’s installer makes setting up disk encryption as easy as Anaconda, the Fedora system installer. And that has not changed in Fedora 16, the latest stable release. On previous versions of Fedora, those released before Fedora 16, the only automated disk partitioning option was one based on LVM, the Linux Logical Volume Manager. That [...]
Chakra Edn 2011.11 review
Chakra Edn 2011.11 is the second maintenance release of the relatively new desktop Linux distribution with some ties to Arch Linux. The first review of Chakra on this website was of Chakra Aida 2011.04. With this release, there is a DVD and a CD installation image. The CD image contains very few applications, while the [...]
How to customize Chakra 2011.11
Chakra 2011.11 is the second maintenance release of Chakra Linux, a KDE (desktop) distribution originally derived from Arch Linux. A detailed review of it will be published later tonight. While we await that publication, this article gives some customization tips. And there is much to customize because a new installation of Chakra 2011.11 is like [...]
Create and manage user accounts in Chakra Linux 2011.11
Chakra 2011.11 is the second maintenance release of Chakra Edn, a KDE distribution that was originally based on Arch Linux, but is now an independent distribution (a fork). This release is powered by KDE 4.7.3, the very latest version of the popular desktop environment. In previous versions of KDE, there was a “Users and Groups” [...]
Managing BURG with BURG-Manager
BURG-Manager is a graphical interface for managing BURG, the new bootloader that is based on GRUB, the GRand Unified Bootloader. It is a very simple application with many features, but the user interface is not going to win any style points from an honest evaluator. Here are just a few screenshots to show the features [...]
Takeoff with the K Desktop Environment’s best menu style
The K Desktop Environment (KDE) has more menu styles than any other desktop environment available. There is the Classical type, the Kickoff style (which most users dislike), Lancelot (better than Kickoff, but with a few shortcomings), the ROSA Launcher (for Mandriva Desktop 2011), and the Takeoff Launcher. I have already written about the Lancelot menu [...]
AgiliaLinux 8 GNOME review
AgiliaLinux is a fork of MOPSLinux, a defunct Linux distribution that was based on Slackware. Now, AgiliaLinux is an independent, multi-purpose distribution with development roots in the Russia Federation (MOPSLinux was also a Russian distribution). AgiliaLinux 8, the latest release, was made available for public download on October 3 2011. With this release, AgiliaLinux’s development [...]
Dual-boot Ubuntu 11.10, Windows 7 on a PC with 2 hard drives
You will find in this article, a step-by-step guide on how to dual-boot Ubuntu 11.10 and Windows 7 on a computer with two hard drives. If you are looking to dual-boot both operating systems on a computer with a single hard drive, it is recommended that you read how to dual-boot Windows and Ubuntu 11.04. [...]
Ubuntu 11.10 review
Ubuntu Desktop 11.10, code-named Oneiric Ocelot, is the latest stable release of Ubuntu, a Linux distribution whose development is sponsored by Canonical Ltd., a Linux software provider with headquarters in the UK. Aside from Ubuntu, Canonical also sponsors Kubuntu (based on KDE, the K Desktop Environment), Lubuntu (LXDE, the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment), Xubuntu (Xfce), [...]
Disable guest session and Ayatana scrollbar in Ubuntu 11.10
Ubuntu 11.10, the latest stable release of the popular Linux distribution, sports two guest accounts, one in the login screen and the other accessible from an active user session. Both are tightly coupled to LightDM, the new display manager that made its debut in this latest release of Ubuntu. The guest session from the login [...]
Sabayon 7 GNOME 3 review
Sabayon is a Linux distribution described by its developers as “… a bleeding edge operating system that is both stable and reliable.” It is based on Gentoo, a source-based (Linux) distribution. The latest edition, Sabayon 7, was released just last week (October 10 2011 to be exact). Sabayon has support for all the known free [...]
Guest session and user management in Ubuntu 11.10
User (account) management is one area that received slight modifications in Ubuntu Desktop 11.10, the latest stable release of the popular Linux distribution. This short tutorial presents some information about the guest sessions, what you can do about it -if you can do anything at all without messing up your system, and how to set [...]
OpenIndiana 151a Desktop review
OpenIndiana (OI) is a distribution of illumos, which is a community fork of OpenSolaris. And OpenSolaris itself was the open source version of Solaris, before it (OpenSolaris) was discontinued by Oracle, after Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, Inc., in January 2010. Before OI’s base was switched to Illumos, it was based on OpenSolaris. I know this [...]
Ubuntu 11.10 screenshots
Ubuntu 11.10, code-named Oneiric Ocelot, is the latest stable release of the popular Linux distribution. Since tradition demands that screenshots be published before a review, here are a few from a test installation for your visual pleasure. If you would like to get the gist on new features in this release, you might want to [...]
How to play Windows games in Linux
So, you just started using Linux, but found out that your favorite Windows games and applications do not have a Linux edition. What should you do then? Set up a separate computer just for Windows, or abandon Linux and go back to Windows. If you have the means, you can opt for the former, but [...]
Sabayon 7 KDE and GNOME 3 screenshots
Sabayon 7 is the latest release of Sabayon, a Gentoo-based, multi-purpose Linux distribution. It is the third and most likely, the final release this year. While a detailed review is being written, here are some screenshots for the KDE and GNOME 2 and GNOME 3 desktops. Though not listed in the Release Notes, the installer, [...]
Pardus 2011.2 review
Pardus is a Linux distribution developed by the Turkish National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEKAE), an arm of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). Unlike most distributions, it is not based on another; an original, in the same sense that Debian is an original Linux distribution. This article presents a [...]
Muon Package Management Suite
Muon Package Management Suite is the package management application that will replace Kubuntu’s package manager when Kubuntu 11.10 is released next month. It is designed for Debian-based systems, so it could be used on similar distributions, not just on Kubuntu. In fact, it is included in the default repository of Linux Mint 11. Its development [...]
Jitsi: Multi-protocol VoIP chat using ZRTP and SRTP
Jitsi (Bulgarian for Wires) is a multi-protocol and multi-platform voice and video instant messenger client. It is mostly implemented in Java, and is Free/Open Source software. Its multi-protocol features are similar to that of Kopete, the native IM client for the K Desktop Environment. In a previous incarnation, Jitsi was known as SIP Communicator. Where [...]
Tips for dual-booting Windows and Linux
Multi-booting, installing more than one operating system on a computer’s hard drive(s), has become very popular over the years, fueled, of course, by the popularity of Linux as an alternate system for desktop and servers. Dual-booting, installing two operating systems on a computer is a subset of that, and in this article, basic guidelines to [...]
Pardus 2011.2 screenshot preview
Pardus 2011.2, code-named Cervus elaphus, is the latest version of the Linux desktop distribution developed by the Turkish National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEKAE), an arm of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). Judging from the contents of the Release Notes, Cervus elaphus appears to be more like a bug-fix [...]
Guide to disks and disk partitions in Linux
This article is an attempt to provide basic information about disk naming and partition numbering conventions, in non-technical terms, to those new to Linux. I believe a basic understanding of all the aspects concerning how a disk is referenced and partitioned will put you in a better position to troubleshoot installation and disk-related problems. Basic [...]
ALT Linux 6 Simply review
ALT Linux, published by ALT Linux Ltd., a software vendor based in Moscow, Russia, is a distribution that originated from what used to be Mandrake Linux, now Mandriva Desktop. The first review of an ALT Linux Simply edition was of Simply Linux 5 (see Simply Linux 5 review). This srticle is a review of ALT [...]
ALT Linux 6 KDesktop review
ALT Linux, published by ALT Linux Ltd., a software vendor based in Moscow, Russia, is a distribution that originated from what used to be Mandrake Linux, now Mandriva Desktop. The first review of an ALT Linux edition was of ALT Linux 5 ARK Desktop, followed by Simply Linux 5 review. This article is a review [...]
Ubuntu 11.10 beta 1 screenshot preview
The stable version of Ubuntu 11.10, code-named Oneiric Ocelot, will be released sometime in late October, but the first beta has just been released on September 1 2011. If you would like to take it for a spin, you may download it from here. This article just presents a few screenshots to showcase some of [...]
How to delete DigiNotar CA certificate from Firefox
DigiNotar B.V., a unit of VASCO Data Security International, Inc., is an Internet Trust Service Provider based in the Netherlands. Part of their business involves issuing digital certificates. In other words, they are a CA, or Certificate Authority. You use digital certificates when you access a secure website, for example. If the certificate presented to [...]
Mandriva Desktop 2011 review
Mandriva 2011, code name Hydrogen, is the latest desktop edition of the popular Linux distribution. Released August 28, 2011, it marks a new direction in the development of Mandriva desktop distributions. Where there used to be three versions of previous editions (Mandriva One, Mandriva Free, and Mandriva Powerpack), the Release Notes say that only two [...]
How to customize Mandriva 2011
Mandriva 2011, the latest desktop edition of the popular Linux distribution, was released yesterday. If you have just installed it, you would have noticed, if you mouseover the update manager icon, this message: “No medium found. You must add some media through ‘Software Media Manager’.” That is just telling you that the package (or update) [...]
Guest account and user management on Mandriva 2011
Creating and managing user accounts are very basic tasks that you would need to perform on any operating system. If you are new to Linux and to Mandriva, this article provides information on how to add a user account and enable the built-in guest account on Mandriva 2011, the soon-to-be released desktop edition of the [...]
Mandriva 2011 installation and disk partitioning guide
Mandriva 2011, the latest edition of the popular Linux distribution, is just three days from being officially released, but the daily builds are already available for download. This article, based on a last-freeze daily build, presents an installation and disk partitioning guide for those who are new to Linux and will be installing it for [...]
Fedora 16 KDE and GNOME 3 Alpha screenshots
The first alpha of Fedora 16 was released yesterday (August 23, 2011). As you might expect, this is buggy, really buggy. While bug hunting is in progress, here are a few screenshots from the KDE and GNOME editions. A few of them have already been posted here, but the rest are new. In that article, [...]
Linux Mint 11 LXDE review
Linux Mint is a desktop-centric distribution based on Ubuntu Desktop, and Linux Mint LXDE is the edition that uses the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE). The latest release, Linux Mint 11 LXDE, was released August 16, 2011. This article presents a review, the first for an LXDE-based Linux Mint edition on this website. The installation [...]
Parsix 3.7 review
Parsix is a Linux distribution based on Debian Testing. It is a community distribution with roots in Iran. It is not as popular as other community distributions, but development is active and well. The only previous review of Parsix on this website was of Parsix 3.2, which was more than a year ago. This article [...]
CentOS 6 review
CentOS, Community ENTerprise Operating System, is a Linux distribution derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Not many would consider it a desktop distribution, but it could be configured as one, though it requires a bit more tweaking than other well known desktop distributions to just work. The latest stable version, CentOS 6, was released on [...]
Feature preview of Fedora 16 installer
Fedora 16 is more than two months away from final, stable release, but pre-Alpha installation ISO images have been floating around. News from the Fedora camp have already indicated that btrfs will be the default file system on Fedora 16, joining the ranks of MeeGo, the first (Linux) distribution to use btrfs as the default [...]
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