Giving Linux That 'XP' Factor

Keir Thomas, PC World | Wednesday, March 25, 2009 11:22 AM PDT

Everybody has a version of Windows that's their favorite. What version it is depends a lot on your age. Some of my older colleagues swore blind thatWindows 95 was the pinnacle of computer science, at least when it was released. I remember hearing a certain phrase over and over again in the late 90s: "Microsoft have got it just right with 95."

For others, Windows 98 is their favorite. This was effectively Windows 95 Mark II, of course. For some desperately misguided souls, Windows Me tops their list.

(Have you noticed a curious feature about Microsoft is that they take two or three attempts to get things right? We see this playing out right now withWindows 7, which is effectively Windows Vista Mark II. Xbox 360 is Xbox Mark II, and nobody really used Windows until it reached version 3.1 back in 1992.)

For most people, XP is their favorite Windows. If asked to express a preference, I'll probably agree, despite the fact I'm an open-source guy. It's a solid and functional operating system.

Somehow Microsoft got everything just right with XP, but it's extremely hard to quantify exactly what. The gut reaction is to say that it's easy to use, but I don't think that's true. Many people I've worked with fail to grasp even XP's basic concepts, despite years of use. Often I'll explain something as simple as the search function of file browsing windows, and their eyes will widen as if I've just revealed the location of the Holy Grail. Unlike, say, OS X, Windows has never gone out of its way to be easy to use.

Does XP come with all the features we need, then? Far from it. It's shocking how basic a fresh installation of XP is. It's almost useless. Few media file formats are supported by Windows Media Player, for example. XP doesn't read PDF files. Practically none of your hardware will be supported. But, of course, all of these vital features are just a free download away, and this is perhaps a key point: it's easy to mould XP into how you like it. There's a whole industry devoted to just that purpose.

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Distributions: The big and the small

SOURCE

Linux distributions (the Linux kernel plus a desktop and applications) come in many flavours. Here's an overview of just a few of the recent releases

by Alexandra Kleijn (akl)

While the community distributions Fedora and Ubuntu, as well as Mandriva, prepare for their spring releases, Novell has been busy completing final adjustments to SUSE Linux Enterprise. Smaller Linux distributions are also doing some spring cleaning and publishing updated versions.

The Ubuntu countdown: This week will see the release of the first beta of the upcoming Ubuntu 9.04 release (aka Jaunty Jackalope), with the final releaseexpected on the 23rd of April. The next version of Mandriva, Mandriva 2009.1, is scheduled to be released on the 29th of April, following the first release candidate that was made available on the 11th of March. Ubuntu will have support for the Ext4 file system alongside the new 2.6.68 Kernel, however, the default file system will continue to be the proven Ext3. Fedora 11 is expected to be released at the end of May and will use Ext4 as its standard file system. The Fedora teamrecently announced that the Fedora 11 beta, originally scheduled to be released on the 24th of March, has been delayed an additional week.

The Debian Project has officially signaled the start of the development ofSqueeze, the next stable version of Debian. The developers have not yet announced a release schedule. The project team released the long awaitedDebian 5.0 Lenny in the middle of February. The Team also recently updated the Debian Policy and the Package Policy. Elections for the new Debian Project leader are scheduled to run from the 29th of March through to the 11th of April. The only other candidate this year is Stefano Zacchiroli, who is running against the incumbent, Steve McIntyre.

openSUSE has announced a release cycle of eight months. The upcoming release of 11.2 (code-named Fichte) is aimed at November, eleven months after the release of the currentversion 11.1, which arrived just before Christmas. Meanwhile, there were increasing signs of an early release of the upcoming version 11 of SUSE Linux Enterprise. Novell provided a sneak preview of pre-release versions of both SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 as well as Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) 11 in late February and released them both on the 24th of March.

Later this week, CentOS version 5.3 is expected to appear. The Red Hat clone, which traditionally releases a few weeks after the final releases of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), this time is a little late.Scientific Linux 5.3, also a Red Hat clone, appeared late last week. Just like CentOS, the developers built the distribution from the Quell packages of Red Hat Linux. However, the Scientific Linux developers have added some of their own extras and the distribution is backed by several scientific institutions, includingFermilab and CERN.

After nearly two years, this month saw the release of a new version of PCLinux OS, a Mandriva derivative with its own additions that has attracted a growing community of German users. In contrast to the rpm-based Mandriva, PCLinuxOS uses the packet manager from Debian and Ubuntu with the graphical front end from Synaptic. A community version with the alternative desktop GNOME was released alongside the official KDE version (KDE 3.5.10 – the features of KDE 4 did not suit the developers). The team, however, didn't want to wait for the recently published 2.26.0 release of GNOME, so PCLinuxOS GNOME 2009.1 is based on GNOME 2.24.3.

The slim Zenwalk Linux arrived at version 6.0 with theXfce 4.6 desktop environment a few weeks ago. It was shortly followed by the release of Zenwalk GNOME 6.0, which included the new 2.26.0 release of the GNOME desktop.

There is now a new version of Absolute Linux, a lightweight Slackware-based distribution, which includes the IcwWM window manager and a new version ofFrugalware Linux. The developers of Absolute Linux 12.2.3 consider Ext4 stable enough to use it as the standard file system for automated installations. The Frugalware developers are more conservative and continue to use Ext3 as a base for standard installations. Noteworthy in the recent Frugalware release is the new PPC (Power PC) port and support for ASUS Eee PC netbook models.

Persian speaking Linux enthusiasts are likely to enjoy the new 2.0 version of ParsixGNU / Linux. The GNOME centric distribution is based on the testing branch of Debian and comes as an installable Live CD. It contains several free Persian fonts, an English-Farsi dictionary and works well with the Persian keyboard layout.

Tiny Core is a small minimal version of Linux only 10 MB in size. Tiny Core is based on the 2.6 Linux kernel, features the BusyBox tool collection and a minimal graphics system based on Tiny X and the window manager Jwm. The mini-distribution can be expanded to include additional applications with the help of online repositories. The system can boot from CD or a USB drive and then be installed to a hard drive. Tiny Core Linux can function on as little as a i486DX processor and 32 MB of RAM.

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40 Years of the Mouse

02.09.09

SOURCE: PC Magazine Online

Here's a look back at the little device that changed computing.

1952		The Royal Canadian Navy creates the first precursor to the mouse, the trackball.
1968		Inventor Douglas Engelbart debuts the first mouse, consisting of a wooden block and two metal wheels, in a live demo at a San Francisco conference.
1972		Bill English invents the "ball mouse," which has a single roller ball that allows the mouse to move in any direction.
1981		Richard Lyon and Steve Kirsch each develop early versions of the optical mouse, which uses light to navigate a computer screen.
1983		Microsoft introduces its first mouse, nicknamed the "green-eyed" mouse.
1991		Logitech unveils the MouseMan, the first wireless RF mouse.
1995		Mouse Systems introduces the scroll wheel.
2006		Apple breaks with 22 years of tradition by selling the multibutton Mighty Mouse, complete with innovate scroll ball.
2006		Logitech and Gyration release designs for the gyroscopic or"air" mouse.
2008		Microsoft introduces BlueTrack technology, letting the mouse work on a variety of surfaces.

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Dvorak discoversLinux

Mar. 10, 2009

John Dvorak, the legendary compu-journalist notorious for acerbic views and wry wit, has found a soft spot in his heart for Tux. The veteran essayist and cable TV star says he will "install [Ubuntu 8.10] permanently on my latest machines."

Dvorak says that he previously shied away from Linux due to problems using it with the "overloaded" hardware that computer journalists of his stature are apparently awash in. Now, though, the "live CD" feature ubiquitous in Linux installers lets him verify hardware support prior to installation. To his surprise, Dvorak notes, "Almost all the newest hardware coming out has Linux support."

Dvorak adds, "The critical mass has been reached, and it's time everyone tried Ubuntu."

Dvorak would not be Dvorak, though, without a healthy dose of spleen. And indeed, his attraction to Linux apparently stems as much from his frustration with Windows as anything else. He writes, "I'm tired of dealing with Windows malware, patch Tuesday, and the never-ending deterioration of the OS as it clogs up like a drain in a greasy-spoon restaurant. I can't take it anymore."

Dvorak finds that even when run from an optical drive, Ubuntu is "at least as snappy as Windows." He reckons that Windows 2000 was the height of Microsoft OS achievement, but even this backhanded praise is quickly tempered by the observation that no Microsoft patch has ever increased performance. "Ever," he emphasizes.

Linux mavens may wish to soak up Dvorak's good graces while they can. If Dvorak starts using Linux regularly, it likely won't be long before the opinionated, thick-skinned writer starts cranking out amusing and (probably) deadly accurate criticism holding Linux to a higher standard.

Meanwhile, Dvorak's "come-to-Linux" essay can be found here.

-- Henry Kingman

Debian 5.0 Continues Strong Linux Tradition

Stability and long life are frequently cited as the chief reasons for choosing Debian, particularly in server roles for which administrators might wish to “set and forget” their machines. However, the roughly three-year security fix window that applies to Debian releases falls short of the five years of coverage that Ubuntu offers for its Long Term Support releases, or the seven years that the similarly free-to-acquire CentOS derives from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux releases on which CentOS is based.

Version 5 of the Debian GNU/Linux open-source operating system offers the same top management tools and processor support that previous versions of the Linux operating system have. There also are a host of updates to open-source components, and the Linux distribution is still a great fit for servers and a solid desktop choice. However, the top reason for upgrading from version 4 may be the relatively short three-year security fix window, less than the coverage time offered with Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux-derived CentOS.

Debian GNU/Linux, the open-source operating system that's proven more influential than any Linux flavor this side of Red Hat, recently hit the Internet's FTP mirrors in the form of an updated 5.0 release.

Version 5, which is also known by the Toy Story-inspired name “Lenny,” sports the same excellent software management tools and broad processor architecture support that marked previous Debian releases. In addition, the new release includes a host of updates to the open-source components that comprise it.

Unlike the Debian 4 release that I last reviewed, which impressed me with its disk encryption leadership among rival Linux distributions, Lenny doesn't significantly advance the state of Debian or of Linux in general. Beyond its slate of software package refreshes, the best reason for existing Debian users to upgrade to the new version is that, as per the project's security policy, version 4 will fall out of security fix coverage one year after Lenny's Valentine's Day release date.

Still, Debian is a great fit for server deployments, and is particularly well-suited for hosting applications that draw on open-source components, such as Apache, MySQL, or any of the other thousands of applications that the Debian project has packaged up for easy installation over one of the project's many repository mirror sites.

I often turn to Debian as a foundation for assembling virtual servers for my testing, since the distribution's very good text-based installer makes it easy to spin Debian into whatever arbitrary sort of Linux server I seek, and since I find the configuration applets that come bundled with many Debian packages handy for setting up unfamiliar components.

Debian 5.0 can also work well in a desktop role, thanks in part to what appear to be contributions drawn from the Ubuntu Linux releases that are themselves based on a Debian foundation. For instance, during my Lenny testing, I recognized the system's Update Manager and Software Add/Remove tools from my use of Ubuntu.

Debian 5.0 defaults to GNOME 2.22.2 as its desktop environment, but offers KDE 3.5.10 and Xfce 4.4.2, among other, lesser known options, as desktop alternatives.

Finally, Debian's broad processor architecture support—which spans 12 architectures and sets the distribution apart from any other Linux flavor of which I'm aware—makes Debian a natural fit for the fast-growing class of embedded Linux implementations.

Debian is freely available for download from the Debian project or from one of its mirrors via www.us.debian.org. As a noncommercial entity, the Debian project doesn't offer support beyond community resources, although the project maintains a directory of companies offering support services here.

The entire Debian distribution, which includes all the freely redistributable packages in the project's main repository, spans 31 CDs or five DVDs. I typically download the distribution's 180MB network install image and pull down the packages I need from a friendly neighborhood mirror site.

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