linux

In what's being labeled by some as an attempt to deflect questions surrounding their floundering Vista reception and sales, Microsoft is threatening law suits aimed at open source distributors and users, claiming that Free Open Source Software ... (FOSS) violates 235 of their patents ... and they want royalties from it. If they get their way, free software won't be free any more. According to Microsoft , the Linux kernel violates 42 Microsoft patents, the Linux graphical user interface (GUI) violates 65 patents, the Open Office suite of programs violate 45 patents, Email programs violate 15 ... (view more)

Last November I wrote about an article concerning the Microsoft/Novell Pact , where Inter-operability was supposedly the aim of both companies. I also said that only the future would disclose the truth of the matter. Well, the truth is out and it ... ain't pretty! Over the past few months, Mr. Steve Ballmer (CEO of Microsoft) made a series of claims to the effect that Linux was infringing on Microsoft's Intellectual Property and that certain monies were owed to compensate Microsoft for that infringement. The Linux community has responded to those charges with an Open Letter To Steven Ballmer that ... (view more)

Arovax Shield Rather than looking for spyware traces or tracking applications that secretly send or receive data over the Internet, Arovax Shield blocks any attempt by malicious software to add entries to the auto-start menu, change the registry, ... hijack or install itself into a browser, or find any other way to stealthily get itself onto a PC. http://www.arovaxshield.com/ Dual-Booting Vista And Linux On XP and earlier Windows PCs, making Windows and Linux live together was almost automatic. Any of the major distributions made it easy. With Vista, things have changed. Microsoft has deep-sixed ... (view more)

It started with just Novell and Microsoft. If you haven't been reading along, the two companies recently joined forces in order to root out the many programming issues lying between Linux and Microsoft Windows. And although that relationship has had ... some rocky moments (mostly as a result of MS' patent infringement allegations), Novell is bridging out once, again. This time it's joining forces with Red Hat and Mozilla programmers in an attempt to avoid problematic technical boundaries between Firefox and Linux. Some Red Hat programmers have gone so far as to refer to the stability of Linux as ... (view more)

This is an Editorial. Actually, it is more of a commentary on my last posting concerning Microsoft's CEO and his remarks that declared his 'position' on the Novell/Microsoft agreement. Mr. Ballmer stated that Microsoft was preparing to take Linux to ... task over Intellectual Property rights. He stated he was doing this for his 'share holders' to increase their 'profits'. It appears that Mr. Ballmer was speaking about himself more than anyone else since he owns a fairly large chunk of Microsoft stock. However, there are a few things that Mr. Ballmer needs to be made aware before he speaks out on ... (view more)

Damn Small Linux Damn Small Linux is small enough and smart enough to do the following things: Boot from a CD as a live Linux distribution no matter what OS you're running, boot from a USB pen drive, boot from within a host operating system (that's ... right, it can run *inside* Windows), run very nicely from an IDE Compact Flash drive via a method we call "frugal install," transform into a Debian OS with a traditional hard drive install, run light enough to power a 486DX with 16MB of Ram, run fully in RAM with as little as 128MB (you will be amazed at how fast your computer can be!), Modularly ... (view more)

"The time has come," the Walrus said," to speak of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, Of cabbages and kings..." Not that I liken myself to the Walrus in Lewis Carroll's 'The Walrus and the Carpenter', but it is still time to speak of ... many things. In fact, things are changing with the speed of a run-away freight train, and you need to know the facts before things get out of hand. This is truly a cautionary exercise and not a case of 'Chicken Littleism'. Microsoft and Novell Microsoft and Novell entered into a collaborative agreement a couple weeks ago to develop a set of ... (view more)

Familiar with Linux? It's the hardcore techie's answer to the more restrictive (albeit user-friendly) operating systems from Microsoft and Apple. Those who know what they're doing with Linux can achieve unparalleled goals via software applications ... and open source technology. It's also a great way to hack an Xbox. Changes are possible upon the horizon, however, with the recent announcement that Microsoft has partnered with Linux owner Novell. The result is a relationship that will continue until at least 2012, and include some major cash transactions. The primary goal of the agreement is to ... (view more)

We all know that Windows has a convenient tool called Windows / Microsoft Update that allows you to maintain your operating system and MS Office Suite with the latest code available. But what about downloading updates for all your non-Microsoft ... software -- such as: Adobe applications, your ZIP compressor, Spyware and adware cleaner, CD or DVD burning program, non-Microsoft web browsers and email clients, etc? In Windows, you need to update your non-Microsoft programs separately, and that takes a lot of time! Linux, on the other hand, has a better idea. Why not update everything that needs it ... (view more)

Linux and "Open Source" software are "free." This means their license is a "free license," and the most common is the GPL (General Public License, otherwise known as the CopyLeft License). This license states that anyone is allowed to copy the ... software, review the source code, modify it, and redistribute it as long as it remains licensed with the GPL. Also, being free doesn't just mean free of charge, but also free as in Free Range (chickens?) and Land Of The Free! ;-) So why would you care about freedom when it comes to your operating system? Imagine that Microsoft disappears tomorrow (not ... (view more)