by Earl Moore on November 7, 2007
Ryan Paul at Ars Technica has published a detailed review of Ubuntu 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon”.
Final thoughts from the review included:
Linux is now an appealing choice for many users who would never have considered making the switch a few years ago. Distributions have improved at an astounding pace, and Ubuntu leads the pack on the desktop. Ubuntu 7.10 provides an effective and usable Linux platform that has a lot to offer a more mainstream audience as well as Linux enthusiasts.
This doesn’t mean that there aren’t some shortcomings with Ubuntu 7.10 as well…
Although Ubuntu 7.10 is very impressive, some of the new additions—particularly Compiz and Tracker—lack the polish and robustness that they need to truly shine. These technologies are still a work in progress and give Ubuntu 7.10 a slightly unfinished feel. Ubuntu also unfortunately inherits some of the minor weaknesses of the GNOME desktop environment.
A good read and Ubuntu 7.10 should definitely be considered for your next desktop OS.
by Earl Moore on October 24, 2007
Are you thinking about Linux or perhaps you now use Linux and are looking for a good free vector graphics application? Then you’ll want to spend a few moments to listen to an excellent podcast, “Inkscape Part 1,” by my blogging friend Richard Querin of Renaissance Man.Â
The podcast is presented as a guest spot on LinuxReality and this may be your best chance to hear Richard before he starts charging for speaking engagements. 
Richard does some amazingly creative things with Inkscape and is also co-creater/contributer of the Screencasters site that has many excellent tutorials on using Inkscape.
Good job Richard!
Technorati Tags: inkscape, linux, podcast, renaissance man, richard querin
by Earl Moore on August 17, 2007
Here’s a WOW folks! I know things aren’t good in “Vista Land” when Jim Louderback, the former editor-in-chief of PC Magazine and Microsoft Windows fan boy, expresses serious doubts about Vista as he’s writing his last column..
“I’ve been a big proponent of the new OS over the past few months, even going so far as loading it onto most of my computers and spending hours tweaking and optimizing it,” Mr. Louderback wrote. “So why, nine months after launch, am I so frustrated? The litany of what doesn’t work and what still frustrates me stretches on endlessly.” - via MacObserver -
Mr. Loudenback went even further in stating…
“I definitely gave Microsoft too much of a free pass on this operating system: I expected it to get the kinks worked out more quickly. Boy, was I fooled! If Microsoft can’t get Vista working, I might just do the unthinkable: I might move to Linux.”
I don’t think that’s the “WOW” Microsoft was striving for, but it’s certainly the one they seem to be getting lately. Even their greatest fans are frustrated, especially when remembering that Microsoft worked on Vista for five+ years prior to it’s release.
Hey Richard, you guys with Ubuntu wouldn’t mind welcoming Mr. Loudenback aboard would you? 
Technorati Tags: jim loudenback, linux, microsoft, pc magazine, vista
by Earl Moore on July 12, 2007
Apple has purchased the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS). CUPS is widely used by most UNIX and almost all Linux distributions, including Ubuntu.
CUPS became the basis of the Mac’s printing system beginning with OS X version 10.2 (Jaguar).
According to Linux-Watch:
Previously, CUPS and its trademarks belonged to Easy Software Products, which was founded by Sweet to develop a 3-D modeling program for real-time displays called ESP Modeler. The need to print these models led Sweet to develop ESP Print. When it became apparent that ESP Print was the more popular of the programs, Sweet turned his attention to it. From his work on ESP Print came the concepts and technology that became CUPS.
Sweet licensed CUPS under the open-source GPL2/LGPL2. In his announcement of Apple buying CUPS, he said, “CUPS will still be released under the existing GPL2/LGPL2 licensing terms, and I will continue to develop and support CUPS at Apple.” In the past, Sweet also worked on other open-source programs such as Ghostscript and Samba.
Michael R. Sweet stated that he will work primarily on non-CUPS related projects at Apple. Apple now owns the names and logos for CUPS. Support for the current and future versions will remain as it has been. All major Linux distributors and Apple will continue to provide CUPS support. Free support at the CUPS Newsgroups will also continue.
We’ll have to see if there are eventual direction changes for CUPS. Apple’s Bonjour, zero configuration network protocol, may well figure strongly in the next versions.
Technorati Tags: apple, cups, linux, printing, unix
by Earl Moore on July 3, 2007
It seems that developers are cooling on developing for Windows desktops and are looking to Linux and mobile devices.
Tech news blog - CNET News.com:
According to an Evans Data study published on Tuesday, software developers are choosing to write applications for Windows deskop PCs less than they used to.
In a survey, Evans Data found that almost 65 percent of software developers are targeting some version of Windows for their applications, as opposed to nearly 75 percent last year. The research group expects the number to drop another two percent in the coming year.
The culprit? Linux. Developers are choosing to write applications for Linux desktops in almost 12 percent of cases, which is a 34 percent increase from last year.
“It’s clear that a shift away (from) Windows began about two yeas ago and the data show that this migration is now accelerating. Linux has benefited, but we also see corresponding growth in niche operating systems for non-traditional client devices. The landscape is changing,” said Evans Data president and CEO John Andrews in a statement.
Where the developers go so go the applications followed by the users. Could Microsoft be losing it’s grip on the desktop?
Technorati Tags: development, windows, linux, developers, microsoft
