Get the Latest Information on Operating Systems http://www.osweekly.com/rss/ Copyright 2007 OSWeekly.com - A Division of iTech Media Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:47:17 -0400 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:45:46 -0400 FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.2.1) http://www.feedforall.com Everyone is familiar with PCLinuxOS by now. And most of us have preconceived thoughts and opinions on this Linux distribution. And yet, I could not get my head around the attraction of this distro over Ubuntu, Simply Mepis, Linux Mint, Freespire or any other beginner-friendly Linux release. I mean, yes, PCLinuxOS is very polished and attractive. It takes the best that Mandriva has to offer and then adds to it with features its developers felt like were lacking in Mandriva itself. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2801&Itemid=449 0C612E38-F8A7-4B7B-A039-90BB7889A27D Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:45:46 -0400 There’s been a lot of talk about third-party software here at OSWeekly.com recently, and this trend is only going to continue. Third-party software is an important element of our operating systems, and it can really make or break an OS. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to get nearly as much done on our computers, so be thankful for those useful applications that you enjoy using. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2800&Itemid=449 66FBBA74-3C60-4837-AC40-9475DA8D9A71 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:45:45 -0400 You come home, turn on your computer, and as if you were being punished for something, it does not work. After careful review, you discover that the hard drive has failed. This situation happens more often than you might like to think. In this article, I will share some suggestions for dealing with it in the preventive sense. In short, how-to have a backup of your hard drive, ready to go. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2799&Itemid=449 371F584C-CC94-4DD8-B68C-215A58A739CE Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:45:44 -0400 One has to admit, regardless of their feelings of just how idiotic the idea behind Digital Rights Management (DRM) may be, it is frustrating to watch the other two platforms have content we cannot enjoy ourselves. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2798&Itemid=449 D0CF3A0E-BF91-4469-A89B-0EEC7868A90B Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:09:03 -0400 My iPhone is sitting beside me right now, and I’m still thrilled that I purchased it. I’ve never been more excited about a device, and I can’t wait to see how the iPhone continues to develop. We’re well-aware that the iPhone is running a scaled down version of OS X, and we can thank OS X for making the iPhone experience enjoyable and useful in so many ways. Since the iPhone is an Apple product, it only makes sense that OS X would be running on the device, but what makes sense now didn’t always make sense in the past. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2797&Itemid=449 260FBD4F-8E73-4535-878E-0FCCB1E8B32F Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:09:03 -0400 Totally ignoring the fact that this type of news is becoming the new norm everywhere but in the US, it does present a very serious question - how does Microsoft compete with free? And not just free as in free of cost, but free as in freedom to either pay for support when needed or use an in-house IT team that has seen the coming change with their IT training, hence being fluent in all things Linux. Thus far, it appears that they have been unable to do so. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2796&Itemid=449 CF6C607E-E628-401A-9F17-C91DD68A4FEE Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:09:02 -0400 In one of my recent articles, I talked about the need to format your hard drive, install your operating system, restore your most important backups, and start from scratch on occasion. That can be a lot of work, and thinking about the process is enough to make you want to avoid doing it, but once you’ve cleaned up your computer, you’ll be glad that you did. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2795&Itemid=449 73227504-8C3F-4D3F-A96A-492C9ABD938D Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:09:01 -0400 How often do you perform a fresh installation of your operating system? When I say fresh, I mean completely formatting your hard drive and starting from scratch with only a copy of your favorite OS. There are no hard rules about this matter because you can pretty much do whatever you feel like, but it’s usually suggested that we do this once a year. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2794&Itemid=449 0EB7F015-3A00-443A-9D5F-3E42AF7F1252 Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:09:01 -0400 As I sit here looking at my Zonbu(s) (a mini and the notebook), I cannot help but feel overwhelming dismay over all the progress made with "ready-to-go" Linux solutions like the Eee, Cloudbook and of course, the OLPC project. My concern is not in regard to the projects themselves, but it’s where Microsoft is trying to edge their way into something that Linux was working magic with first. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2793&Itemid=449 8CB8243F-FDBA-4162-8208-AE599390F932 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:03:15 -0400 While Gates had a point about OLPC being able to come to full fruition, I think he is out to lunch on the idea that third-world countries are interested in Windows, paying for software and any potential malware headaches that will arise with running a stripped down version of XP on these systems. But perhaps the bigger question is how the minds behind the OLPC project can possibly expect, or even have an interest in what Intel does with other similar projects like the ASUS Eee. http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2792&Itemid=449 072172A9-51F3-45C3-814E-9D2D46E19827 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:03:14 -0400