Interviews

Guide Gets Readers Away From Windows Gotchas
People who are new to Linux have a wide choice of introductory books. A recent addition to the market is "Peter van der Linden's Guide to Linux" from Prentice-Hall Publishers. Ibrahim Haddad caught up with van der Linden recently spoke to him to find out why he wrote it and what van der Linden sees as the important trends in Linux.
Thursday, September 8, 2005 11:04:01 AM EST

Miscs

Linux Engine
The only Linux search engine designed from the ground up with the new Linux user in mind. Hundreds of the most relevant pages are indexed and referenced. We also have a choice set of links including install guides for all major Linux versions and the best of the HOWTOs.
Thursday, August 26, 1999 11:33:55 AM EST

Opinions

.comment: I Want One!
From a nifty little notebook that's difficult to find to new notebook peripherals standards to a more notebook-friendly Linux distribution, Dennis E. Powell describes things he wants, but won't get, for Christmas.
Wednesday, December 19, 2001 02:32:58 AM EST

.comment: How Distributions Can Succeed (and help Linux take over the world)
Do we buy Linux distributions because of what the distributors have done to Linux, or do we buy them to get a fairly standard Linux with particular installation tools and documentation? Dennis E. Powell argues for the latter, and explains why he believes that the less distributions do to Linux itself, the better it will be for users, for Linux, and for the distributions themselves.
Wednesday, May 16, 2001 09:06:06 AM EST

.comment: A Tale of Two Packages
One key difference between Linux and the Unixes that have come before it is its very real potential as a desktop operating system for everybody, and SuSE is a good example of a distribution doing the work to make that happen. So what to make of the fact that something like PCMCIA seems to work "out of the box" while XFree86 4, despite all its enhancements, continues to present daunting configuration challenges? Dennis Powell explains.
Wednesday, May 9, 2001 09:48:55 AM EST

.comment: Something for Everybody II
Inspired by an interesting application found in the resurrected OS/2, Dennis Powell issued a call for A Grand Unified Package Handler that would let users slip the surly bonds of binary packages and manage their source-built applications sensibly. Thanks to the magic of reader feedback, he's back today with a report on CheckInstall, a tiny but powerful tool that could put us back in touch with the tarball in the best way possible.
Thursday, April 19, 2001 09:04:51 AM EST

.comment: Something for Everybody
OS/2 is back from the dead in the form of eCommerceStation with a fascinating new software management tool called Wise Machine. What's that got to do with Linux? According to Dennis Powell, it may be pointing the way to sensible management of packages built from source. His call for a "super package manager" within.
Wednesday, April 18, 2001 07:46:29 AM EST

gnotebook: Midnight Travels With Progeny
Progeny Debian GNU/Linux has thrown in its lot with GNOME as its default desktop. Michael Hall takes a quick look at some useful GNOME-oriented features of the distribution (recently released as version 1.0), discovers a source for GNOME 1.4 binaries for it, and issues a plea for assistance in finding the perfect GNOME support person for the upcoming Great Desktop Swap with Dennis Powell.
Friday, April 13, 2001 02:00:13 PM EST

The StartX Files: Seeing Linux Without Sight
If you can't see the computer, you can't use the computer, right? Wrong. In this week's column, Brian Proffitt explores the world of Linux for the blind, covering the Blinux project, Emacspeak, and SuSE's Braille-display supporting installer.
Tuesday, February 27, 2001 10:49:24 AM EST

Previews

Leading and Bleeding with XFree86 4.0 and KDE 2 Beta
With KDE 2 and XFree86 4.0 on the horizon, you'll soon need to make some difficult decisions about upgrading your Linux systems. To ease your mind about these important choices, we asked Scott Courtney to tell how he upgraded his Linux system to run both XFree86 4.0 and KDE 2--and show how these hot new technologies will change your Linux usage.
Monday, May 15, 2000 10:11:30 AM EST

Reports

Scali Manage 5 Offers to Tame Linux Cluster Proliferation
As Linux cluster use in the datacenter grows with each passing day, a unique problem has begun to develop, the kind of problem most people like to have: there seems to be just too many Linux clusters out there. Scali has released a new management application that promises to keep all of a company's clusters under control in one place.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 09:32:33 AM EST

Inside the Novell Linux Migration
It is open knowledge that Novell has been progressing towards migrating their own internal desktops and servers to a pure-Linux play. Details of this migration have been sketchy, but in a public presentation to attendees of Ohio LinuxFest, Novell specialists gave a rare look inside the ongoing move to Linux and laid out ideas for other companies to follow in their own migration plans.
Thursday, October 6, 2005 11:29:56 AM EST

OpenNMS: A Study in Deployment
"At one point we had three separate network monitoring systems, three separate performance management tools and a plethora different scripts, web pages and command line tools. We sent out critical alerts by email, pager, and SMS, often to completely inappropriate people. The company was growing, and it looked like it was beginning to need a grown-up systems management tool, but which one...?"
Thursday, June 2, 2005 12:15:45 PM EST

Zeroconf: A Net Admin's Work is Still Never Done
If you thought zeroconf would solve all your network configuration problems, you might want to hold on to your subnet calculator: The standard isn't soup, and configuration-free devices might make for a few too many chefs in your network kitchen.
Monday, July 12, 2004 12:22:46 PM EST

Clients Find The IDEAL Way
How do you make money with free and open source software? You get really good at implementing it for a variety of tough clients. Orlando-based IDEAL Technology Corp. is one such company, celebrating five years of Linux consultancy with clients such as the Army and the IEEE in their portfolio.
Thursday, July 8, 2004 11:37:51 AM EST

Novell Eyes YaST Solutions of Various Stripes
"In releasing YaST (Yet Another Setup Tool) to open source, Novell has thrown down the welcome mat to management solutions aimed at homes and small businesses as well as enterprises, according to Novell officials..."
Monday, April 12, 2004 03:20:04 PM EST

Linux Vendors Push Migration Strategies
Use Linux today, all the pundits proclaim. The cost seems right, the scale seems right... there's just one problem: what's the best way of actually migrating to this open-source OS? Recently, more vendors are stepping up with clear guidelines and toolkits that can make the move to Linux a lot easier.
Thursday, April 8, 2004 11:37:51 AM EST

Bacone College Stays Cutting Edge With OpenOffice.org
After 124 years of continuous operation in Oklahoma, Bacone College must know how to do a few things right, especially when it comes to making strategic decisions for the future. It should then come as no surprise that the college would choose to standardize on OpenOffice.org for its writing, spreadsheet, and presentation needs.
Thursday, March 11, 2004 11:28:09 AM EST

Hot Rodding Your Slightly Dated Laptop For Fun and Profit
Are you skittish about putting Linux on your laptop because the installation will be hard and it will be tough to find the right drivers? Are you worried that you're going to be limited to command-line based applications, especially on that old corporate laptop that moves like molasses under the weight of XP? Try revving up your beat up old laptop, using Linux to get some serious performance from something that was once obsolete.
Monday, November 18, 2002 10:42:26 AM EST

Amazon.com To Don Red Hat Data Center
Amazon.com has been a prominent user of Linux for quite some time, having implemented the platform for it's application and middle tiers. Now Amazon.com plans to "go for the 'full Monty' in the data center" and implement an Oracle on Red Hat solution there. And the benefits are already estimated to be enormous. Jacqueline Emigh reports.
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 10:37:37 AM EST

Students Score Big Opportunities For Learning Using Linux
In a practical sense, it is rather hard to ask users to just quit using the technology they're used to cold turkey. Rather than abandoning their use of Windows altogether in favor of Linux and Open Source, one Florida school is opting for a slower, more balanced approach as they move towards Open Source and Free Software. And, as Rob Reilly reports, the results are already pretty dramatic.
Friday, July 12, 2002 11:08:18 AM EST

Graduation Day for Linux
"Suddenly, the rest of the world has figured out what many in the Linux community knew all along--that the availability of free, resource-stingy software to these various environments could not help but bring significant costs savings to new Linux users. For two men in Portland, Oregon, the success comes as no surprise--they've been implementing Linux within school systems in the Portland area for the past six years..." Brian Proffitt reports.
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 10:49:58 PM EST

The Law Office Network/Linux Server Trial
Entrepreneur-based small businesses make up a large percentage of the business community. Not quite an enterprise and not quite home users, small businesses have their own unique needs in getting a Linux network put together, as Rob Reilly explains.
Thursday, April 4, 2002 09:12:28 AM EST

The Ultimate Install Fest: Linux on the IBM System/390
With 4,000 downloads and a raft of dedicated support personnel from several companies, Linux on the IBM S/390 is definitely a reality. The centerpiece of the Linux/390 evangelism is an IBM-sponsored Install Fest, where 150 customers from countries as diverse as Austria, France, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States signed up for assistance in installing Linux on their S/390s. Scott Courtney details the Install Fest and also explains how IBM is further supporting Linux on the S/390.
Monday, July 31, 2000 07:47:10 AM EST

Reviews

Finding China, Crystal, and Tableware With Linux
Seven million customers. Over 11 million items in an inventory with more than 250,000 patterns. Find out how one company in the business of replacing lost items found its way to a better IT solution with Linux.
Tuesday, October 3, 2006 10:54:25 AM EST

Versora Progression Desktop 2.0 Progresses
Versora's Progression Desktop migration tool gets better with every release. Now on version 2.0, the developers have expanded the capabilities of the software and qualified it with many more operating systems. It's never been easier to transfer your settings from Windows to GNU/Linux. Jem Matzan files this review.
Thursday, August 10, 2006 10:18:59 AM EST

Pavilion, SUSE Make for Great Portable 64-Bit Computing
While Microsoft struggles to capitalize on 64-bit power, Linux has led the way for years. Correspondent Rob Reilly dusts off an older version of SUSE and demonstrates that even year-old Linux technology can run rings around anything out there for the 64-bit desktop and provide users with one screaming portable machine.
Thursday, May 12, 2005 11:52:31 AM EST

Loving the Linspire Desktop
Linux--a word that normally causes migraines for non-techies--is a whole lot easier to swallow as a desktop operating system. We take a look at Linspire to see what it offers small business owners who might not think they have the tech-savvy to put Linux in their shop.
Monday, August 30, 2004 02:49:46 PM EST

Mandrake Is On The Move
MandrakeSoft has recently released Mandrakelinux 10.0 Community, an early-adopter's release of Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official, due out in May. Even though it's only a public beta, the newest Mandrakelinux is definitely worth the download, some rough edges notwithstanding. Here's why I think so.
Monday, March 29, 2004 09:07:52 AM EST

Off The Shelf And Onto Your Lap(top)
A Linux training company did so well with their laptop giveaways, they're starting to sell new Linux laptops as part of their business. LinuxPlanet recently got their hands on one of these machines, and has a review of LinuxCertified's new product venture.
Thursday, March 4, 2004 10:14:04 AM EST

SuSE Linux Demonstrates Old PCs Still Have Use
When most reviewers look at a new version of a distro, they install and work with the software on the latest cutting edge hardware. Rob Reilly likes to take a different approach: as Linux distros evolve, do they still do well on the older platforms? Is Linux still a viable option to recycle old PCs and potentially save businesses thousands of dollars in hardware costs?
Monday, May 12, 2003 11:26:53 AM EST

Red Hat 9 Offers Continuity, Transparency for Users
The latest version of Red Hat 9 (due for general release next week) offers a very stable and user-friendly platform suitable for home, corporate, and power users alike. How does one platform suit so many needs? Because for all the fancy trims and trapping, it's still Linux inside. Brian Proffitt spent last week using Red Hat 9 and files this review.
Tuesday, April 1, 2003 10:25:17 AM EST

Red Hat 8.0: Past the Hype and Under the Hood
We've all read the reviews about how nifty/weird/wonderful/bad the new Red Hat desktop looks; we've all read about how well it installs. But what's the distribution really like? Carla Schroder has spent quite a bit of time actually using Red Hat 8, and files this report on how an actual Linux user reacts to the latest Red Hat release.
Monday, November 4, 2002 10:40:39 AM EST

Distribution Watch: Gentoo Linux 1.2: Getting Better Every Day
Gentoo is a streamlined distribution of Linux that is aimed at pleasing the discriminating developer audience. Dee-Ann LeBlanc takes a second look at this distro to find out just how well it performs.
Wednesday, July 10, 2002 01:33:27 PM EST

Taking Up the Slack(ware)
The latest rev of Slackware, RC2 of Version 8.1, has been out for a few days, so Kurt Wall has taken it out for a test drive. Along the way, he discovered that many of things that make Slackware unique are still handled the same way. And maybe that's not such a bad thing.
Thursday, June 6, 2002 11:30:52 AM EST

KDE 3.0 Review: Bumpy Install, Smooth Run
The latest effort from the KDE developers has been on the FTP mirrors for a little under a week now. How has the newest version of KDE changed for users? Dee-Ann LeBlanc explores KDE 3.0 from download to configuration and finds that while some things have been greatly improved, some things could still use a little work.
Monday, April 8, 2002 10:13:47 AM EST

CrossOver Office: The Killer App for the Linux Desktop?
WINE emulation is certainly nothing new. But the ability to actually install and run Microsoft Office atop a WINE emulator has never been possible--until now. Dee-Ann LeBlanc takes a thorough look at the latest product from the CodeWeavers team: CrossOver Office 1.0.0, and discovers that you can indeed run MS Office on a Linux desktop.
Monday, April 1, 2002 08:36:17 AM EST

No BS guide to RedHat Linux book
The No BS guide to RedHat Linux has an uncompromising title. How well does it deliver?
Saturday, October 16, 1999 11:06:42 AM EST

Tips

Power down from software
Compile in APM kernel options.
Thursday, October 28, 1999 05:59:12 AM EST

Tutorials

Building a Linux Network Appliance, Part 2
In the first installment, we described why you need our Linux-based network appliances. Today we're going to start construction. We will be building two separate appliances: one for network border services, such as firewalling, secure remote access, and intrusion prevention; and one for LAN services, such as file and printer sharing, network storage, and backups.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 09:11:09 AM EST

WiFi PDA Meets Linux--Part 3
Did you know that your new WiFi-equipped iPAQ can be used as a VoIP communicator? How about your Linux notebook? Rob Reilly continues his series on PDA/Linux interoperability with this look at Skype.
Friday, May 27, 2005 11:19:49 AM EST

Mepis + apt = Working On Easy Street
"My reasoning for combining the traditional Debian apt command with Mepis was speed and efficiency. Also, in the fine tradition of open source, I could choose to use the command line instead of the Kpackage or Mepis System Center package management screen..."
Monday, January 24, 2005 11:15:22 AM EST

Rolling Out Unattended Debian Installations (Part 2)
Last week, Part 1 covered the basic configuration for a Debian FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) server. Today we'll configure the client installations--network server settings, what software is going to be installed, and the client boot methods.
Monday, December 13, 2004 11:07:02 AM EST

Rolling Out Unattended Debian Installations (Part 1)
The next time you have a hankerin' to install a new batch of Debian machines, make it easy on yourself and use FAI (Fully Automatic Installation). FAI is a versatile, intelligent installer for performing mass unattended Debian installations.
Monday, December 6, 2004 03:47:59 PM EST

My First Linux Server, Part 1
Linux is now a lot simpler than you may think. We can provide you with the easiest, simplest, no-problem process for installing Linux on a PC. After going through this simple installation process, you will have a basic machine that you can configure into any kind of server, workstation, or office desktop.
Wednesday, June 9, 2004 10:30:52 PM EST

Getting Some GRUB For Linux
If you're still lumbering along with the good, but antique, Linux Loader, it's time to consider a move to GRUB, the Grand Unified Bootloader--the bootloader of today's generation.
Monday, April 26, 2004 03:06:54 PM EST

A Writer's View of the Linux Wireless Dream, Part 1
As we travel from place to place, office to office, we still need that all-important connection to the Internet. Laptops are a perfect solution to this need, and it's even better if you get them running wirelessly. Rob Reilly steps through how he got the popular PrismII-based 802.11b card up and running with Linux.
Monday, June 2, 2003 10:51:02 AM EST

The Coda Distributed Filesystem for Linux
Bill von Hagen continues his thorough examination of the distributed filessystems available for the Linux platform. In this report, he explores the Coda distributed filesystem that provided much of the inspiration for InterMezzo and gives readers a detailed tutorial on how to implement Coda for themselves.
Monday, October 7, 2002 11:12:44 AM EST

Setting Up Your Own Diskless Workstations with LTSP
Schools use them, government agencies too. Diskless workstation networks are one of the best and easiest to use thin-client implementations you can use for your own organization. In this article, Alexander Prohorenko steps through the basics of using the Linux Terminal Server Project tools to build such a network on your own.
Wednesday, October 2, 2002 05:09:46 PM EST

No Excuses--Sync Your Visor/Palm to Linux
The ubiquitous handheld is a common element in business life today. But there is a common misperception that getting such a device to sync to a Linux machine is a major chore. In actuality, as Rob Reilly demonstrates, nothing could be further from the truth. It's just a matter of prepping Linux, installing the right software, and pushing that nifty little Sync button.
Thursday, September 19, 2002 10:12:09 AM EST

Conducting Virtual Meetings With Linux, Part II
Getting your people together with their people is not as simple a prospect as you might imagine. Rising travel costs and hassles, coupled with the driving force to get everything done yesterday means that alternatives to face-to-face meetings are looking more attaractive than ever. But proprietary solutions can be expense and make big demands on your hardware. Rob Reilly continiues his look at using free software to create audio/chat servers that will let you run your own "v meeting" for a song.
Monday, June 10, 2002 11:22:08 AM EST

Conducting Virtual Meetings with Linux, Part I
With travel becomimg more cumbersome, alternatives such as online meetings become more attractive. But who has the time and money to wire participants up with cameras, microphones, and costly software? In the first of a two-part series of articles, Rob Reilly shows how one Florida Linux Users Group is using open source technology in a creative way to run virtual meetings cheaply and effectively.
Tuesday, May 14, 2002 11:07:08 AM EST

Linux Device Drivers Demystified
We give you inside information on how Linux device drivers work and what devices are supported. Use our search facility to check if your soundcard, joystick, ethernet card or any one of dozens of devices is supported by Linux.
Thursday, September 23, 1999 12:49:47 PM EST

Rolling Out Linux
In this article directed at IT professionals, James Andrews discusses methods for installing Linux quickly onto many machines, by standard methodology and by cloning the hard disk.
Friday, September 17, 1999 08:10:43 AM EST

Getting Access to Documentation Under Linux
Wondering how to get access to documentation for your favorite features and tools in Linux? Step right this way, as James divulges the Linux documentation secrets!
Saturday, May 29, 1999 01:36:47 PM EST

How Do I Partition My Drive For Linux Use?
So you've decided to install Linux! Be aware, you'll need to partition your drive; check out this article for all the information you need before you jump in the deep end.
Saturday, May 29, 1999 01:36:47 PM EST