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Tags > desktop

Loss Leaders and Linux

I bought a low-end, small footprint desktop: an eMachines EL-1300G. The cost at a local big box retailer was $159. A friend of mine was so impressed she went to the store right before Christmas to buy one as a gift for her sister. The price had dropped to $149. Of course, the systems came preloaded with Windows. Linux was not an option.

Are You Intimidated By Breakfast Cereal?

An article by Graham Morrison for Tech Radar UK this past week struck a bit of a raw nerve for me. It was one of a type we see periodically in the tech press and the title pretty much tells the story:  The trouble with Linux: there's too much choice. To Mr. Morrison and all the others who have written articles like this one I say: Hogwash!

Gnash 0.8.8: A Huge Improvement Over Previous Versions

Early this week Gnash 0.8.8 was released. Despite the small increment in version number, which would make this seem like a minor maintenance release, the difference between version 0.8.8 and the earlier 0.8.7 is like night and day.

Linux Regaining Netbook Market Share

ABI Research published some new data last month and the results may surprise you. They place the 2009 market share for Linux on netbooks at 32% with 11 million units preloaded with Linux shipping this year.

Linux Netbooks: They're Still Out There

I found a wide variety of systems with Linux available from mainstream outlets and factory direct, at least here in the United States where I live. While I don't have updated market share figures it's clear, despite claims by Microsoft and their supporters, that Linux remains entrenched in the netbook market and is spreading out from there.

Linux Performance: Different Distributions, Very Different Results

I almost invariably get a comment to the effect that all Linux distros are essentially the same: running the same kernel, the same libraries, the same filesystems. Performance should be essentially the same, right? The answer is a resounding no. The performance results of different distributions, even ones running the same kernel version, the same core libraries, and the same filesystem can be very, very different.

Improved Linux Screen Space Management With PekWM

PekWM offers an additional solution: window grouping. It allows a variety of different applications to be grouped together in a single window. Most everyone is familiar with tabbed browsing by now. Window grouping takes this one step further. When window grouping is used in PekWM the title bar in the window manager is segmented with each section effectively acting like a tab.

Another ditzy patent application comes up for examination by Peer-to-Patent

Peer to Patent project is examining a patent application that tries to get a monopoly on a trivial tagging mechanism similar to what millions of people use on blogs, social networks, and media sharing sites.

Installing Rails on Hardy Heron (Desktop)

One of the most difficult parts of the tech review for Learning Rails was Chapter 1, installing Rails. There are way too many operating systems and choices within those operating systems to provide a straightforward explanation. To help deal with...

The desktop 3D printer

Yesterday, Andrew Sheppard pointed me at a desktop 3D printer for under $5000. That brought back some memories... In the early 80s, I worked for Imagen, the company that made the first laser printer that sold for under $20,000, the first laser printer that sold for under $10,000, and the first laser printer that sold for under $7,000. We didn't...

How Linux Supports More Devices Than Any Other OS, Ever

Greg-Kroah Hartman discusses why he believes the Linux kernel supports more devices than any other operating system ever has, why binary-only drivers are impractical, immoral, and illegal, and how the kernel development process contributes to the inevitable world domination of free software.

The Sine Qua Non of the Free Desktop

Pundits of all kinds love to preach that the free desktop needs this feature or that software to succeed. They may be right for certain audiences, but they often miss the single essential feature which gives free desktops an amazing evolutionary edge.

After a tussle with new hardware interfaces

Hopes are high that we're enter an exciting new world of ground-breaking human-friendly devices. But will humans be able to master all the new human-friendly interfaces? I worried about this a couple weeks ago after I had the pleasure of checking out FILE 2008, the Electronic Language International Festival in São Paulo, Brazil. My conclusion is that such interfaces are hard to design properly, as well as hard to use.

How PowerTOP, LatencyTOP, and Five-Second Boot Improve Desktop Linux

Arjan van de Ven is a Linux kernel hacker and the author of PowerTOP and LatencyTOP. His goal is to fix problems in the Linux desktop to save power, respond more smoothly, and to run faster. This interview explains how.

Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 2 for Mac is Available

If you wait long enough, things appear. Microsoft finally released a production version of RDC2.

Curl Launching Nitro vs Adobe AIR

Inforworld covered the announcement of Curl's entry into the rich desktop game with the release of Nitro. It appears to be positioned as a competitor to Adobe's AIR, the key differentiator they're claiming is security and performance, but this seems hard to prove at this stage.

Google Docs Goes Offline

We were all wondering when Google was going to use Gears to take Google Docs offline. Well today is the day. I'm always a little bit surprised how long it takes some companies to implement their own technologies I'm always happy when they do. For I'm generally an early adopter so I win, but more importantly those underlying technologies improve for developers and everyone else.

The Abstract Sanctuary

There still seems to be a battle to be had about the future of computing in the browser vs. on the desktop. With a little bit of terminology change, and a slightly different perspective, it becomes clear that these two environments for running software are co-evolving, not competing for attention.