Linux

So what is the main benefit of choosing Slackware Linux over other distributions? First and foremost, it's the clean and uncomplicated system, with no hidden surprises, that is perhaps Slackware's biggest asset. As commented recently by a poster on a popular web site, it is the only major distribution that has resisted the temptation to add custom features and other bloat to Linux. Slackware is as pure and natural as a Linux distribution can be - it comes with a vanilla kernel and it includes just the necessary libraries, as well as a well-balanced set of development tools, desktop and server packages. Nothing more and nothing less.

Purchase a new PC or motherboard soon, and the chances are good that it will come with two built-in network interfaces -- either two Ethernet jacks or one Ethernet and one Wi-Fi. Tossing in a second adapter is an inexpensive way for the manufacturer to add another bullet point to the product description -- but what exactly are you supposed to do with it? If you are running Linux, you have several alternatives.

Primarily Unetbootin allows you to install a version of Linux via a network connection (without any CD), however I think it’s greatest value comes from the option to install “Visparted”. Visparted allows you to resize and move most types of partition (including NTFS) and is easy to use.

but it struck me that this was so easy to use, no cds, no USB keys, just a computer and a internet connection, a nice graphical interface and it uninstalls itself when you reboot.

The KDE Community today announced the immediate availability of KDE 4.0.4, the fourth bugfix and maintenance release for the latest generation of the most advanced and powerful free desktop.

won’t go through the changes as we’re getting really close to a public BETA release. I’ll document them within the release notes instead.

Linspire, Inc. developer of CNR.com (www.cnr.com), today announced the immediate support for the Linux Mint operating system. To gain access to the free CNR Service, Linux Mint 4.0 users simply install the free CNR Client that is available at CNR.com. With Linux Mint support, CNR.com now offers its one-click software delivery service to five of the most popular Linux distributions available, including Freespire 2.0, Kubuntu 7.04 & 7.10, Linspire 6.0 and Ubuntu 7.04, 7.10 & 8.04 (32bit).

Hardy Heron is a fast, exceptionally stable operating system. It is a significant step up from Windows XP and better than Vista when it comes to efficiently using resources, and frankly, ease of use.

Fedora 9 will include KDE 4.0.3 by default, so this is a look at the progress of one of the major free desktop environments. KDE 4.0 was released January 11, 2008 after a couple of years of discussions and hype. The initial release was followed by a succession of minor releases that fixed many of the glaring bugs. The project that was initiated on October 14, 1996, so its developers have nearly a decade of experience now. While a lot of things have changed, there is still a familiar feel from its initial days. So what has changed?

The new Kickoff menu is a bit unusual and takes time to get used to.

The KDE project has taken a big risk, hoping to jump-start innovation. I hope they get it right. Along with the interesting acquisition of Trolltech by Nokia, the future is exciting and uncertain… and that’s just the way I like it.

Seeing Linux clearly: Demystifying KDE and GNOME

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS vs. Windows XP SP3: Application Performance Benchmark

I’ll try to discover how a 2008 edition of Ubuntu Linux will perform against the 2001-born Windows XP fortified with 7 years of bug-fixing and 3 Service Packs.

To sum-up, I’d say that Windows XP SP3 is a very solid performer and it beats the default Ubuntu in anything related to multi-media processing. This only adds to the misery of Linux in this domain as it still struggles with proprietary codecs and lacks a proper HD support

Profiling entire system activity with sysprof

Profiling an application lets you see what functions are taking up most of the CPU time so you can concentrate your optimization efforts on making the those pieces of code run faster. With sysprof, you can profile all the applications that are running on your machine

To get the most out of sysprof you should also install the debug information for all the applications you wish to profile. Without the debug information you will see only the name of a shared library in the profile information and not be able to tell what functions are taking up the lion's share of time spent in that library.

Interviews The A-Z of Programming Languages: BASH/Bourne-Again ShellWhen the Bourne Shell found its identity

in this article we chat to Chet Ramey about his experience maintaining Bash.

In BASH's case, the problem to be solved was a free software version of the Posix standard shell to be part of the GNU system.

The A-Z of Programming Languages: AWKAlfred V. Aho of AWK fame talks about the history and continuing popularity of his pattern matching language.

PCLinuxOS 2008.1 GNOME gives me a very good impression and I haven't encountered any show-stoppers yet.

There is not doubt in my mind that Zypper is the most powerful package management utility available today, with many useful options and arguments that do not exist elsewhere. While its apparent complexity could be seen as discouraging at times, once you take the time to learn the tool and to understand its intricacies you will undoubtedly appreciate the effort openSUSE developers have put into creating Zypper.

Anatomy of Linux journaling file systemsJournaling today and tomorrow

Linux File Systems: Ready for the Future?

The OpenSUSE Project claims its 11.0 release has 207 new features. While many are fairly minor, that may only attest to the maturity of the distribution;

This long-standing odd/even development model was officially scrapped in 2004 thanks to the success that Linus and Andrew Morton were having working together, and significant "unstable" development began happening between each 2.6.Z release.

I'm happy to announce that KDE 4.1 simply rocks.

As far as eye candy, KDE 4.1 looks simply stunning. While its theme uses the same foundation as 4.0, the developers have improved it with many tweaks.

KDE marks a triumphant return to full usability with the 4.1 release.