The Linux user and switcher blog http://www.itwire.com Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:51:21 -0600 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.itwire.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.itwire.com The Linux user and switcher blog http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29339&Itemid=1141 A New Jersey high school student took seriously Google’s open protocol of their new Wave product and has begun developing one of the first non-Google Wave-compliant products, called Sails. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:20:21 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29178&Itemid=1141 Can the US Government see open source as a viable platform driving its web sites? Yes it can! Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:51:31 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29098&Itemid=1141 Domain name broker SnapNames.com has always had its measure of detractors complaining the company permitted dubious practices. One grievance is now proven true with SnapNames admitting a staff member was bidding on domain name auctions, winning some for personal gain and inflating the price of others. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:11:34 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29011&Itemid=1141 If you’re a gadget junkie like me your house is probably similarly littered with devices that did a job once, and could still do so much more, if only the vendors kept them up with the times. Join with me in lobbying for open source firmware. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:55:56 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28788&Itemid=1141 The team behind Eeebuntu, an ASUS Eee netbook-optimised version of Ubuntu Linux, has announced that compatibility issues with Ubuntu 9.10 – Karmic Koala – has led them to abandon Ubuntu and build their work upon Debian Linux from now on. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:55:13 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28715&Itemid=1141 Liberal US shock-blog Daily Kos gained legal access to the database used by electronic voting machines produced by Sequoia Voting Systems. The Daily Kos sensationally claimed the database violated Federal voting law. A closer examination gives a different story. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:36:08 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28574&Itemid=1141 The popular Ubuntu Linux distribution has received criticism from an unexpected corner and its ASUS Eee netbook users are likely to be left with an unworkable system when Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala hits the Internet later this month. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:16:28 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28476&Itemid=1141 Last week Microsoft released Disk2VHD, a utility produced by its Sysinternals acquisition to convert a physical Windows hard disk into a Virtual PC disk image. While handy, Microsoft is treading ground Linux already covered in the form of open source program Clonezilla, which handles a far richer variety of disk formats and platforms. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:15:30 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28359&Itemid=1141 Microsoft’s marketing arm excitedly churned out a case study in 2005 when the London Stock Exchange (LSE) rolled out a C# stock exchange ticker system on Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2000. Four years later the LSE has scrapped the whole system in favour of a Linux-based solution instead. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:16:06 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28157&Itemid=1141 Microsoft has found an unexpected ally in its condemnation of Chrome Frame, a plugin by Google that switches out the Internet Explorer HTML and JavaScipt engines for those used by the Chrome web browser. Now Firefox maker Mozilla has spoken out. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:50:33 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28138&Itemid=1141 It appears Palm is seeking to follow Apple’s footsteps in gaining a reputation for inconsistent and spurious rejections and removals of iPhone and iPod Touch applications. In this case, Palm has resisted including a free application because the source code is attainable elsewhere. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:34:27 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28070&Itemid=1141 iPhone-touting Dropbox users worldwide have another reason to love their cloud-based storage network with Apple finally approving the free appstore Dropbox client giving a true manage-anywhere experience. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:45:00 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28059&Itemid=1141 Earlier this month cloud storage startup Dropbox celebrated its first anniversary, and has now hit another milestone with its two millionth user. Dropbox is a solid example of how the cloud can bring efficiencies in this modern ultra-connected world. It’s also a service that has genuinely changed my life for the better. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:54:56 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27996&Itemid=1141 Google's new Chrome Frame product is touted as an unobtrusive way for web apps to use Chrome’s rendering and JavaScript engines within Internet Explorer. Yet, what was the reason for bringing it to light? The Google Wave team have spoken out damning Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:35:35 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27955&Itemid=1141 Interested in Chrome but still just find Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser to be your first instinct? With Google's latest product you can still surf merrily in IE but use the Chrome rendering and JavaScript engine instead. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:30:51 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27940&Itemid=1141 In a sign of how compelling social networking has become, Jonathan G. Parker of Fort Loudon, Pennsylvania stopped to log into Facebook - on the computer in the house he was allegedly robbing at the time. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:43:57 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27901&Itemid=1141 Microsoft has been making steps to educate U.S. retailers that Linux is a limited operating system that works with only few peripherals or online services, and that what most customers want is Windows. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:14:13 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27697&Itemid=1141 Not all search engines are created equal and while Google has been the undisputed king for some years, perhaps Bing or even long-time Yahoo! is worth a try. A Microsoft employee has produced a blind search tool to help you find out just which one delivers the goods. Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:24:23 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27678&Itemid=1141 Microsoft’s own SourceForge-like repository of open source projects, CodePlex, celebrated its third anniversary recently. According to Sara Ford, CodePlex program manager, the site is accepted and welcomed among the fans of open source and Linux software. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:00:41 -0600 http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27517&Itemid=1141 One great tool power users in the Windows world have long enjoyed is Microsoft’s unsupported TweakUI. A range of similar Tweak utilities have followed for successive versions of Windows. Ubuntu Linux users have their own little-known tool called Ubuntu Tweak to help achieve the same degree of modification. Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:02:48 -0600