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Filed under: Linux, Open Source

Gentoo to celebrate tenth birthday with new live DVD


Venerable Linux distro Gentoo will hit the decade mark this December, and they're celebrating the milestone with a new live DVD release.

Born as Enoch Linux in 1999, the distribution has slipped a bit in popularity over the years, yet it still provides a solid foundation for other distros. Like Debian was supplanted by Ubuntu, Sabayon - which is Gentoo-based - maintains a spot in the top ten on Distrowatch.

The anniversary build will be the first (and likely only) Gentoo release of 2009. A sneak peak of the release is already available via the US and EU mirrors for those who want to check it out now. As Phoronix points out, there aren't yet any 10th anniversary customizations in the snapshot builds. You'll just be getting a look at the current default packages for now.

[via Phoronix]

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Linux

MobaLiveCD adds USB drive support to Linux virtualization app

A while back, Brad introduced Dowload Squad to MobaLiveCD, a handy little app that allows you to virtualize Linux LiveCD distros right in Windows using QEMU integration.

Moba 2.1 now includes support for bootable USB drives. Got a favorite distro installed on your trusty thumbdrive? Pop it in, wait for the drive to become visible in Explorer, then press the LiveUSB button in Moba. Performance is on par with that of LiveCD ISOs running under QEMU. Of course, you get the added benefit of being able to access all the apps and data you have stashed on your drive.

Performance isn't quite what you get from running live distros in VMWare or VirtualBox, but it's a decent, low-impact way to test all those distros you downloaded and planned to check out -- but never did.

Filed under: Linux, Novell, Open Source

openSUSE 11.0 Beta 1 released

ScreenshotThe openSUSE team has released the first beta of their popular but controversial Linux distribution, and it has some spiffy features that make it worth checking out.

The most exciting improvements are in the area of speed, as this is one OS that is often ridiculed by reviewers, mainly for its historically sluggish boot times and sloth-like package system. In contrast, openSUSE now uses an improved version of "zipper", which, long story short, makes incredibly quick package installation possible, much faster than Ubuntu or PCLinuxOS. Not only that, the system installation has been trimmed to 60%, meaning that it only takes about 24 minutes on typical hardware, which is damn fast for Suse.

There are still way too many bugs for you distro-shufflers to start revving your DVD burners, but if you would like to help with testing, check out the download page.

Filed under: Linux, Open Source

PCLinuxOS Gnome edition: An excellent alternative to Ubuntu

ScreenieWe're generally big fans of Ubuntu, but it's not the only Linux distribution on the block. After spending a little too much time trying to complete a simple operation in Ubuntu the other day, we decided to take another popular Linux distro for a spin.

PCLinuxOS has been called "The distro hopper stopper", and we can see why. System configuration tasks are handled by a rebranded version of the venerable HardDrake suite. All of our hardware was detected without user intervention, and we were on the local wifi in no time. Codecs are included out of the box as well, saving a lot of potential headaches. libdvdcss is included in the default repository, and we installed it with a click.

Something else that is worth mentioning is the package manager. PCLinuxOS is based on the RPM standard due to its Mandriva pedigree, but it uses the Synaptic Package Manager that Ubuntu and Debian users have come to enjoy. We found all package operations to be prompt and efficient, just as good as a DEB based system.

No review should be based on the first few hours, so expect a full report in a few days. Until then, feel free to try it out for yourself if you are impatient.

Filed under: Features, Linux, Open Source

Flipping the Linux switch: The distribution maze

Who doesn't love choices? You can "have it your way" at fast food restaurants. No two cars ever cost the same, because of add-ons and price negotiations. We like choice. It's a good thing.

Right?

Choice, really, is a double-edged sword. We get too many choices, and we can get easily overwhelmed. "Oh crud, another option..." leads to "What do I care?" leads to "Forget it." We either select our options without thinking through (or understanding) the consequences, or we drop what we're trying to customize without ever getting all the way through.

Choosing a Linux distribution is tough. We're not kidding. There are a lot of them out there... some wonderful, some not so wonderful, and some that are designed to fit very specific needs you may (or may not) have.

So how are you supposed to sort through them all?

Here's a hint. You don't. Not all of them, anyway.

Read more →

Filed under: Linux, Productivity, Open Source

Vector Linux 5.9 Gold released

ScreenshotThe Vector Linux team has released the latest Version of their Slackware 12 based distro. It boasts many features that make it stand out from the crowd. From the release notes:

"The release features fully working browser plugins including Flash, java, mp3, real media, Windows media, pdf and Quick time. Additional features include: X.org 7.3, Linux kernel 2.6.22.14, fully customized Xfce 4.4.2, Fluxbox, Jwm, SeaMonkey Internet Suite 1.1.7, Firefox 2.0.0.11 and Opera 9.5.0 beta1 (so you'll be sure to have your favorite browser!)."

We will publish a full review soon, but in the meanwhile be sure to check out the VectorLinux Homepage for more tantalizing info.

Filed under: Fun, OS Updates, Linux

Readers Sound Off: The best Linux distro ever

Linux TuxReaders, in your opinion, what is the very best Linux distro and why? I have heard everything from Ubuntu (though it isn't clear how you pronounce it) to Gentoo, Knoppix, Debian, Xandros, Linspire, and so on...You can see the dilemma. For anyone who isn't familiar with Linux, or someone just starting out with Linux, which distro is the best? The easiest to install? Easiest to use? Which comes with the most or best applications pre-bundled? Best for XP users who want to play with Linux? Best Live CD Linux? On this post, you get the last say. Depending on the response to this, I will post the results of this "poll" in a day or two with your top choices for Linux distro. So feel free, sound off, it's up to you! I'll be handing out stars to the top (most informative or creative) comments.

Filed under: Linux, Commercial, Open Source

Linspire announces community-driven Freespire

FreespireLinspire, the Linux distribution criticized by some for being full of proprietary drivers and software, is trying to go the way of Fedora with a new "community-driven" distribution called Freespire. Two version of Freespire will be released, one with proprietary software and one without. The really-free version won't, for example, come with DVD playback, which users will instead have the option to purchase. Groklaw calls it "nauseating," saying, "this is what happens when proprietary folks who are not from the community show up prospecting for gold. They can't change their thinking, which is that they want to make money by hook or by crook." Freespire will be released in August, likely at San Francisco's LinuxWorld West.

[Via Slashdot]

Filed under: Business, Linux

Linux distros compared

linux comparisonIt's not exhaustive, but informative. Joshua Drake has been using Linux professionally for over 10 years, and he shares his opinions and comparisons in an admittedly subjective but thorough comparison of the five major Linux distros for "non geeks." The comparisons are between Red Hat ES, Novell SLES, Fedora FC4, OpenSuSE 10, and Ubuntu Breezy Badger. Notice Linspire isn't in there? Again, this isn't exhaustive, but it's a quick read, especially if you know someone considering Linux, but they don't know which "Linux" to pick. I've been playing with Ubuntu myself lately, and will post some thoughts on it soon.

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The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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