No one can make the claim that Ubuntu isn't becoming the de facto Linux distro out there in the world today. But Linux is all about choice, and there are some fantastic alternatives out there that fit the needs of most people. In no order of importance, here are my strongest Ubuntu alternative distros.
The news has been full of Caldera lately, from its retrenchment away from the retail market and hobbiest user base to its acquisition and reinvention of UnixWare into a Linux-friendly OS. This leaves us all wondering what that means for their distribution and its loyal enthusiasts. Scott Courtney says Caldera OpenLinux Workstation 3.1 beta is a promising, developer-friendly release that provides a development workstation right out of the box.
It was a big week for GNOME: the first beta for the 1.4 release arrived, and Ximian rolled out Red Carpet. Michael Hall takes a look at Ximian's new package management tool and provides some quick pointers on GNOME CVS for those times when keeping track of all the bleeding-edge GNOME goodies starts breaking things.
One of the biggest holes in the Linux application field is a true replacement for Intuit's Quicken personal-finance manager. That gap should close shortly, thanks to theKompany's impending release of Kapital, a personal-finance manager that emulates the leading functions of Quicken for the Linux user. Dennis E. Powell previews.
GNOME had a significant presence at this year's LinuxWorld Expo in New York City. In this inaugural GNOME column, Michael Hall interviews a slew of GNOME luminaries (including Eazel's Don Melton and Ximian's Ian Peters, Joe Shaw, and Vladimir Vukicevic) and previews the Galeon Web browser, which is rapidly approaching a 1.0 release.
Another major player in the Linux world enters the world of services, as Progeny Linux Systems -- headed by Debian's Ian Murdock -- builds a new model for Linux in businesses in the form of Linux NOW (Network of Workstations). Michael Hall reviews beta 2 of Progeny Linux, which is based on Debian GNU/Linux, and interviews Murdock on Linux NOW and why it will be important in the future.
For almost as long as there has been a KDE, there has been talk of the on-again, off-again Magellan project, a unified contact management and email application with some PIM-like features. Every few months discussion of the project would re-emerge on KDE mailing lists, with new rumors of a release Real Soon Now. Guess what? It's Now. Dennis E. Powell previews theKompany.com's Aethera, a contact-management/email packages based on the original Magellan code.
As the Linux desktop evolves rapidly, it seems as though Emacs is the forgotten application. But a new, revamped version of Emacs is in the works, a version that overhauls the look and feel of this valuable multipurpose tool. And, as Michael Hall reports, with support for proportional and international fonts, X/Motif libraries, IMAP, a customizable interface, and inline images, Emacs may end up being the most powerful tool in your Linux arsenal.
VMware is bringing its multiple-OS technology to the server field with two new products designed for corporate servers, ISPs, and the enterprise. With them, corporate managers will be able to run multiple operating systems--like Linux and Windows 2000--simultaneously on one Intel-based server.
Kevin Reichard reports.
The early preview releases of Evolution were rough, to say the least. But if you're a GNOME fan who's curious about the project and can put up with the occasional roadblock posed by Evolution, you'll want to check out the latest prerelease (0.6). Michael Hall reports on his experiences using Evolution for mail and calendar scheduling.
Though we really weren't impressed with the initial prerelease version of Nautilus, it was clear that Eazel was bringing many good ideas to the Linux desktop. Now, with the recent release of Nautilus PR2, Eazel has managed to implement many of these fine ideas--and in the process create a desktop file manager that could end up being the best in computing. Michael Hall previews Nautilus PR2.
With the release of KDE 2 came a significant upgrade to KOffice, a set of integrated applications (word processor, spreadsheet, et al). But, as Dennis E. Powell reports in his review, KOffice is still a work in progress--and while it holds a ton of potential, it's still a rough jewel that needs a lot of work before it's ready for daily usage by average Linux users.
Lost in the shuffle of this morning's unveiling of the OpenOffice.org Web site was that Sun actually released a new and improved Open Source version of its StarOffice software. How new and improved is OpenOffice? Michael Hall grabbed the source code and built it; he reports on what's new, complete with screen shots.
Yes, we know the mainsteam press has taking the Linux community to task for taking so long in coming out with Linux kernel version 2.4. But, as Dennis E. Powell reports, you will love kernel 2.4 whenever it's released in a final version--and chances are pretty good that you'll decide that time spent refining the kernel was well-spent.
The Nautilus file manager will be part of the upcoming October release of GNOME 1.4. Clearly a work in progress, Nautilus is the work of Eazel, a startup dedicated to bringing interface tools to Linux. Michael Hall interviews Eazel's Darin Adler to reveal the future of both Nautilus and Eazel, while also bringing us a sneak preview of how Nautilus works.
Discover how to start developing for the Android platform with this extensive guide, which provides a reference to the Android platform as well as a look at developing your first Android application. You'll explore the top 10 features for developers as well as learn design and development tips that go beyond the phone and target tablet development as well.