Linux Standard Base Supported by Linux Industry, Says Free Standards Group

Linux Standard Base Supported by Linux Industry, Says Free Standards Group

So what’s this? Well basically a large number of the big players in the Linux world have come together, again, and agreed upon a set of standards by which to build and design Linux operating systems. This is an extremely important step in helping Linux advance past use by hackers with privileged knowledge. One of the key issues that keep Linux from becoming main stream is that there are so many different versions. I know for a lot people this isn’t a big deal because most of the differences are small and picky. But to the average American consumer this can seem daunting to say the least. With these standards though we now have a base upon which to build. By uniting the community can expand in other forays that were once not possible. For example; by having all distributions use the same file structure that makes it easier to switch from one distribution to the other. If your a Windows user, imagine a world where every version of Windows came with a different file structure setup. So it wouldn’t always be guaranteed your program files are in “My Programs.” That’s what Linux would be like without standards. Set forth by these people or not they are something we do need. Enjoy the Penguins!

basically
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Revert to “basically”

privilege
privileged
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knowledge
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My Dream Machine

I know it was only last Christmas that I started this blog and got my new computer on which I use Linux exclusivly, but the time for dreams tends to never cease. So in the spirit of always wanting what you can’t have I’ve already compiled a list of things I can’t have. A Linux computer should be fun and exciting I think. Windows tends to bore me, OSX does to actually, so with Linux I try to keep it exciting. Here’s the short list for anyone interested.

1. EduraPro104 Keyboard
2. Any 300G+ SATA HDD
3. CoolerMaster Centurion Case
4. A second computer to setup as a “test server”
5. A flat panel monitor (19″)
6. A SD card reader + fan controller combo

I’ve included links for the more specific things. The centurion one is specific, but not to a great degree. It has to be black or two tone (mainly black). I’d also want one with two A drive slots. I’d like to have the keyboard with the USB cable instead of the PS/2, black of course. I’m really disapointed in the refresh rates of the current LCD monitors. If you haven’t most LCDs will only give you between 50-80 both ways. Your average CRT monitor on the other hand will dish out between 50-90 Horizontal and 60-160 Vertical. I guess on a LCD its not as noticable that your refresh rate is so low, but you do still hear people complaining about “shadows” and such. Thats one reason the monitor is so low on the list. I just want a SATA drive period. The increase in speed from even the lower end ones would be great over the 80G IDE hand-me-down I’m running now. The “test server”? Well thats just a toy really. Something for me to experiement and play with. I have debated going on e-bay for old complete computers somewhere in the 1-2.5Ghz processor range to see what kind of deal I might be able to get. As for the SD card reader, that would be nice for my Palm Tungtson C (which uses SD cards) and if I ever get a digital camera, I’ll probably buy one that uses SD as well. The fan controler just sounds cool . But while your dreaming of your new hardware and/or software, don’t forget to Enjoy the Penguins!

Michael Gartenberg – Boot Camp Tips

Michael Gartenberg – Boot Camp Tips

I know I run a Linux blog, but since MacOSX is a Unix based product I like to throw in some Mac related tips every now and then. Here’s something interesting I found through another blog about IPods actually.

So what’s so interesting? Well when you install Boot Camp, a piece of software that lets you run Microsoft Windows XP on your Mac, on your MacBook there is no Delete key. Ok, Ok, yes there is a “Delete” key, but Windows recognizes it as the “Backspace” key. So you won’t be able to use “Ctrl+Alt+Delete” is Windows decides to lock up on you. All is not lost though because through some third party software you map another key to take the place of the “Delete” key.

Something else of note, when you install Boot Camp on your Mac your getting pure Windows. That means no extras that people like DELL, and HP like fill your harddrive with before you can fill it with yourself. That could potentially even contribute to better stability of Windows on your Mac.

So if you decide to put some Windows on your Mac, don’t forget your roots in Unix. Enjoy your Penguins!

Fedora Foundation | FedoraNEWS.ORG

Fedora Foundation | FedoraNEWS.ORG

I don’t usually talk much about distros I don’t normally use, but I felt this article was to important to pass up. It looks like Red Hat Inc. is giving up on the Fedora Foundation. Why? Because they’ve decided it would be more efficient to run Fedora without the Foundation. Its that simple really. They realized there was nothing the Foundation could do that a large community couldn’t already do. With that said, what does that mean for the regular user, like you and I? Not much really. In fact, I can’t seem to find any difference. Red Hat has for the past 10 years supported a free version of Linux, and according to this site, have no intention of stopping that support. So you and I still get a free version of Linux.

Finally, I guess your asking why is this so important? I don’t know. But I thought it sounded like something the open source community would be interested in. That’s such a lame reason, I know. But with or without a Fedora Foundation, we’ll still have Fedora and that’s all that really matters, so no need to panic. Enjoy the Penguins!

Like it or not people USE open source

I know this may be a bit of an exaggeration, but many time I find myself, as an open source user pretty much alone in the world. I only have one friend that I’ve met in person that uses Linux. I have several friends who use Firefox, but 99% of those are because I set them up with it, they didn’t get it on their own. So with all of these gloomy statistics in my immediate life, I find it refreshing every now and then to look out and see I’m not alone.

There’s no need to tell me you don’t check out my sites statistics, I don’t check the statistics on 99.9% of the pages I visit, but if you’ve ever looked at mine odds are you didn’t make it past the initial site which showed how many visits per day, week, etc. Well, if you did a little deeper you might come across a pie chart that shows the “Browser Share.” If you look at mine you’ll find something that made my day. A full 68% of users who visit my blog view using Firefox. That’s right! I know Microsoft’s IE has the market right now with a dominating percentage, but when it comes to my blog on open source products, specifically Linux, its an open source browser that reigns king! I personally find it very fitting. I’m betting most of you do as well.

Enjoy the Penguins!

Updated Look

This post isn’t Linux related, but its related to my blog… directly. I have, as you may have noticed, updated my blog’s theme. Yes, it quite a contrast compared the old one, and I’m not really sure if I totally like it or not yet, I’m playing with it. I still consider myself new to blogging and playing with the theme every now and then to keep things fresh I believe is healthy.

After a comment on the post before this one, I learned a little HTML and changed the font size (made it larger) and even made it bold, so that it would be easier to read. I was so excited by the change I didn’t realize it was hard to read font that small. So now its a little bigger and hopefully easier on the eyes. My font, as of this posting, I don’t believe is totally white. Something else I might look into changing in order to improve readability. My views and visits, according to Sitemeter (whom I highly recommend) has been out the roof the past day or two. I use that expression loosely because I know that 40+ hits per day for a lot of sites is pitiful, but for me that’s pretty damn good, pardon my French.

Hope any regular readers, or any passer byers, enjoy the new theme and most importantly of all, Enjoy the Penguins!

Sample virus targets Windows and Linux | Tech News on ZDNet

Sample virus targets Windows and Linux | Tech News on ZDNet

I suggest anyone who thinks that Linux is “virus proof” read this article. Its not and this is pretty much the proof. All operating systems have thier vunerabilites, granted some more than others. I still love my Gentoo Linux with virus vunerability or not. Knowing the open source community though, I would not be surprised if the vunerabilty is soon fixed.

The virus was written as a proof-of-concept by a virus company in Russia named Kaspersky. The site warns though that code like this will likely lead to alot of copy-cat viruses trying to exploit Windows and Linux just like it does.

Hopefully you’ll virus free while you Enjoy the Penguins!

DailyTech – AMD’s Socket 754 to Outlast Socket 939

DailyTech – AMD’s Socket 754 to Outlast Socket 939

Well, well, well. Look at this. It looks like my choice of a Socket 754 processor and motherboard may not of been a bad choice after all. With the 754 outlasting the 939 my outlook appears rather promising. Well ok, maybe not really, since I’ve maxed out my motherboard processor wise, but it makes me feel a lot better about saving money and not getting the 939. Granted the 939 would allow for a faster upgrade of just the processor in the future to even a dual core processor, but I don’t see myself upgrading anything that expensive anytime in the future. Especially in the next two or three years. After that I’m going get a whole new rig anyway. Maybe experiment with making this one a server or something fun like that. Maybe even replace this site with any open source alternative I’ll host myself… shh don’t tell Blogger.com !

Enjoy the Penguins!