http://www.linux.com/feature Everything Linux and Open Source en-us Linux.com Admin hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.linux.com/feature/144851 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT The Virtual Volumes View (VVV) project lets you index your data DVDs and perform searches to figure out whether a given file is backed up and what disc contains it. If you routinely back up a large amount of data onto DVDs, you can simply number your discs and keep them in numerically sorted order. When it comes time to find an image or digital video you burned to DVD, just use VVV to figure out the disc number and quickly locate the right disc in the pile.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144851 http://www.linux.com/feature/144529 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT Some cloud computing vendors, such as 3tera and Nirvani, push their own proprietary platforms and tools, which forces adopters to limit their options and work in a restricted or closed architecture. When these established vendors say cloud, they mean their cloud. As a result, Web developers may believe that, in order to use cloud computing, they must accept limitations in the way they write and build their applications. But that view is a misconception; open standards for cloud computing are already in place and are being tweaked.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144529 http://www.linux.com/feature/144530 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT Linux has no shortage of audio and video players, but if you want to devote you whole system to multimedia use, you need the Xbox Media Center (XBMC). Although initially designed for the Xbox gaming console, XBMC has been ported to other platforms. The Linux port of XBMC that I use is quite usable, especially for video playback, despite the fact that not all XBMC features have yet been ported.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144530 http://www.linux.com/feature/144308 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT Scalix collaboration platform, with its latest release version 11.4, aims to be a good alternative to Microsoft Exchange. Based on the HP OpenMail platform, discontinued by Hewlett-Packard in 2001, it has been further developed by Scalix and now acts as an enterprise email and group calendar server with the option of integrating systems like ERP, CRM, and billing into the Scalix system using its open API. It is compatible with most LDAP authentication mechanisms, such as those in Windows Active Directory, Novell eDirectory, and Red Hat Directory Server. The most prominent feature of Scalix is its Exchange compatibility; you can use an Outlook client to access the Scalix platform. Scalix also provides an AJAX-based client that is nearly identical to Microsoft Exchange Outlook Web Access (OWA). Aside from Outlook compatibility, Scalix also claims to coexist peacefully with other existing Exchange email systems.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144308 http://www.linux.com/feature/144677 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT A shift from multi-core power-gobbling monsters toward whisper-quiet systems with single-digit power consumption is rippling through the desktop market. This trend plays right into the hands of a Paris-based company called Linutop, which offers a miniature Linux-based desktop system. The latest version of the machine appeals to customers who are in the market for a machine with green credentials and low maintenance costs. After testing one myself, I found the tiny desktop has a lot going for it.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144677 http://www.linux.com/feature/144182 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT Linux.com correspondent R. Scott Belford caught up with Open Invention Network CEO Keith Bergelt at the 2008 LinuxWorld Expo and had a pleasant (on-camera) conversation with him.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144182 http://www.linux.com/feature/143260 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT Cluster computing has played a pivotal role in the way research is conducted in educational environments. Because the amount of available money and hardware varies between university researchers, often it's necessary to find a clustering solution that can work well on a small scale, but also can be expanded into a large computing cluster. To maximize grants, researchers typically ask for an open source solution to meet their needs. Despite the lack of certain desirable features, Rocks clusters are among the best open source solution for building a computing cluster.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/143260 http://www.linux.com/feature/144180 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT NimbleX, a Slackware-based distribution, advertises itself as "the new wave of Linux." However, what is appealing in NimbleX -- its speed and small footprint and the resulting selection of alternative software choices -- will likely strike veteran GNU/Linux users as being very old school. By contrast, its limitations -- too little attention to such aspects as the installer, packaging, and security -- seem all too modern, being reminiscent of other distros intent on commercialization or emulating Windows, even though NimbleX is a community distribution and largely a labor of love for Romanian developer Bogdan Radulescu.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144180 http://www.linux.com/feature/144996 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT Gmail, Google's popular Web mail application, is already full of useful features all on its own. But Firefox users can further customize Gmail with a variety of add-ons. Some only change the appearance, while others add functionality that makes Gmail more like a personal planner than just a plain old email application. Let's take a look at three Firefox add-ons for Gmail.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144996 http://www.linux.com/feature/145140 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT This week in our parade through the wide world of the Linux.com forums, what to do with a stolen-then-recovered laptop, how to rescue an Eee PC netbook stuck in an endless boot loop, and how make Likewise Open and /etc/skel play nice together. Plus, competitive bash scripting, unanswered questions, and a world of bad Olympic puns.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/145140 http://www.linux.com/feature/145136 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT We have written about the OpenStreetMap (OSM) project many times, but we have yet to explain how to get started with it as a contributor. Since it is the vacation high season in the Northern Hemisphere and many more people will be hitting the maps, this is the perfect time. You can contribute a lot to the project even if you don't own a Global Positioning System (GPS) device -- or even a compass.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/145136 http://www.linux.com/feature/144852 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT Since the Chinese government began supporting domestic open source communities in 2005, hundreds of thousands of young people in the world's most populous country have become a part of the open source world.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144852 http://www.linux.com/feature/144179 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT Digital video recorders (DVR) are becoming more and more mainstream. TiVo, in fact, has passed the truest test of any popular technology -- having its name transformed into a verb. MythTV, a free and open source application that lets you turn a computer into a DVR, burst on the scene a few years ago, and has found fans among Linux users. However, with a little effort, it's possible to run MythTV front ends on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Xbox, and even an Apple iPod Classic.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144179 http://www.linux.com/feature/144857 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT I first heard of gOS when it was chosen to power the $199 Wal-Mart gPC. The third iteration of the OS, gOS 3.0 "Gadgets" Beta, was released last week. It's a great Web-focused desktop, but it doesn't offer much to experienced or current Ubuntu users.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144857 http://www.linux.com/feature/144870 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:59:59 GMT gOS is an interesting Ubuntu GNU/Linux offshoot. We've reviewed it and interviewed gOS founder Daniel Liu. Now, in this video, you can see the distro in action before you decide whether it is something you want to download and play with for yourself. Remember that this video was made with a beta version of gOS Gadgets 3, so some features don't work correctly that will almost certainly be just fine in the final version. That caveat given, here's the video.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144870 http://www.linux.com/feature/144534 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT With DrasticGrid, you can easily put a MySQL database table or view on a Web page, complete with editing, sorting, and pagination capabilities, and support for adding and deleting records.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144534 http://www.linux.com/feature/144177 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT The Open Source Census goes way beyond the traditional, too rarely used Linux Counter. It claims to be "the first collaborative, global project to count the number of installations for each open source software package." A lofty (and possibly unobtainable) goal, perhaps, but in this video, shot at LinuxWorld 2008, OpenLogic's Kim Wein explains why OpenLogic, along with more than a dozen other companies and groups, is sponsoring the Open Source Census.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144177 http://www.linux.com/feature/143418 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT Despite all its advances, GNU/Linux remains weak in its support for proprietary audio and video codecs. Because these codecs are often encumbered by patents, distributions must choose either to include support of questionable legality or else exclude it altogether. In the middle of this controversy sits Fluendo, a Catalan company of about 50 employees that is a main contributor to projects like GStreamer, and supports open formats, but also offers licensed, proprietary codecs such as Windows Media Video and MPEG4. While many would argue that this dual position is necessary, it's one that sometimes creates an unasy balance for the company, says Muriel Moscardini, Fluendo's sale director.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/143418 http://www.linux.com/feature/144178 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT Quantum GIS 0.11.0, released last month, is a free geographic information system (GIS) application released under the GPL that runs on multiple platforms, including Linux. QGIS can read, edit, and export common GIS file formats. After installing it and using it to work with existing data layers available from official data repositories, performing common spatial analysis tasks, and sharing files and data with the commercial GIS products, I found QGIS has the potential to be a viable alternative to proprietary commercial GIS programs from the likes of ESRI and Intergraph/Geomedia.

]]> http://www.linux.com/feature/144178 http://www.linux.com/feature/144533 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:00 GMT Firewall Builder (fwbuilder) is a graphical application that can help you to configure IP traffic filtering. It can compile the filtering policy you define into many specifications, including iptables and various languages used by Cisco and Linksys routers. Separating the actual policy you define and the implementation in this way should let you change what hardware is running your firewall without having to redefine your policy for that platform.

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