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Return of the King: GNOME 2 Is Making Its Way Back
December 03, 2012

With all the drama and pathos that plays out each and every day here in the Linux blogosphere, the temptation to equate the stories of today with classic tales from the world of literature can sometimes be overwhelming. Take the world of Linux desktops, for example. For years the users lived happily under the reign of GNOME 2; suddenly, Unity and GNOME 3 appeared on the horizon.

Linux in Lilliput
November 29, 2012

Well half a year has passed since Linux Girl last wrote about the invasion of the tiny, Linux-powered PCs, and she's delighted to report that the trend has shown no sign of slowing down. No indeed! "Tiny $57 PC is like the Raspberry Pi, but faster and fully open" is one headline that recently appeared, for example. "Meet the PengPod, a 'true Linux' tablet starting at $120" is yet another.

Linux and the GPL: A Storm Erupts
November 26, 2012

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone in the land of stars and stripes, it's a pretty safe bet that blood pressures are rising and tensions are high here in the Linux blogosphere. The holiday season is hard upon us, after all, and Linux Girl, for one, has resorted to her preferred coping strategy of warming the barstools down at the blogosphere's seedy Punchy Penguin Saloon.

Words of Gratitude for the Bounty That Is FOSS
November 19, 2012

It's a general matter of course in any given year that as Thanksgiving draws ever closer, more than a few Linux bloggers begin to wax sentimental about their favorite operating system, often recounting all the many reasons they're thankful it exists. It is the start of the season of thankfulness, after all. This year, the usual pattern doesn't seem to have happened.

Nvidia's Ginormous Gift to Linux Gamers
November 15, 2012

What a difference a year makes. It used to be that gaming was Linux's "Achilles' heel" of sorts, cited by more than a few enthusiasts as justification for their reluctance to switch away from Windows. Fast forward to today, and gaming may well be the focus of more Linux-centered excitement than any other area. How did we get from point A to point B, you may ask?

Open Source Could Clean Up US Elections
November 13, 2012

It's obvious from the latest U.S. election that our voting system could use some improvement in terms of both enabling and supporting voters and efficiently tallying and verifying a trusted result. Open source offers the technology, as well as the culture and community, to address these challenges, and it may be among the best solutions.

Microsoft's Bizarro World LinuxCon Sponsorship
November 12, 2012

Here in the Linux blogosphere, there are several hypothetical scenarios that most agree would surely make the Earth stand still. Flying pigs, of course, is one of them; numerous others, however, involve Microsoft doing something that promotes Linux. It was perhaps no great surprise, then, to witness the stunned hush that fell over the blogosphere when a recent tidbit of news hit the airwaves.

Linaro, ARM and the Road to Total Linux Domination
November 08, 2012

Well it seems like the dust may finally be settling here in the Linux blogosphere, and Linux Girl is fervently hoping for some long-overdue rest. We endured the launch of Rectangle with Rounded Corners 5; we patiently listened to the endless blaring fanfare surrounding Windows 8's debut. Is there no end to the autumnal excitement?

The FSF's Trick-or-Treat Stunt at the Windows 8 Launch
November 05, 2012

To "celebrate" the launch of Windows 8 just a few days before Halloween, activists from the Free Software Foundation played a little trick and handed out some treats at a launch event in New York City. With a costume-clad "GNU" leading the effort, the FSF representatives handed out DVDs loaded with Trisquel along with FSF stickers and information about the group's new pledge.

Linux Preloaded: Coming Soon to a PC Near You
November 01, 2012

It's no secret that many here in the Linux blogosphere greeted Windows 8 with jubilation -- not because they had any intention of using it, but because of the opportunity they think it represents for Linux to capture a greater proportion of mainstream users. That, indeed, was the hot topic du jour last week, but this week the conversation has shifted slightly.

Microsoft's Big Gamble Could Be Linux's Big Shot
October 29, 2012

Now that Windows 8 has made its long-awaited and widely trumpeted debut, there seems to be a fresh air of excitement and purpose here in the Linux blogosphere. This, of course, is not to say that many of us here are particularly excited about Microsoft's new OS, per se. Quite the opposite, in fact: Many of us are excited about the opportunity Win 8 means for Linux.

Windows 8: Jack of All Trades, Master of None?
October 25, 2012

There just doesn't seem to be any rest for the weary here in the Linux blogosphere lately, what with the release of Ubuntu Linux 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" last week and the "Rectangle with Rounded Corners" 5 not long before that. Next up? Well, it's Windows 8, which officially launches on Friday.

Ubuntu Uproar Echoes Through Blogosphere
October 22, 2012

Well it's been another wild week here in the Linux blogosphere, but this time the cause will come as no surprise to anyone who cares about Linux or FOSS. Last week, of course, was the week that included Oct. 18 -- a date most of us have had marked on our calendars for the past oh, say, six months. Why? Because it was none other than the official release date of Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal."

Should Linux Take a Lesson From Apple?
October 18, 2012

The Secure Boot saga may seem like it's been dragging on forever here in the Linux blogosphere, but the truth is that it's a mere babe in Redmond arms compared with the never-ending Apple v. Samsung drama. It seems safe to say that most FOSS fans are sick to death of hearing about both of them, but recently the always-insightful team over at TuxRadar posed yet another interesting question.

Linux Foundation Steps Into Windows 8 Secure Boot Flap
October 15, 2012

Herbert Lom, the actor who played the twitchy Chief Inspector Dreyfuss in the old Pink Panther movies, recently passed away. Linux fans can surely feel some sympathy with Lom's character. We may not have Clouseau to grate on our nerves here in the Linux community, but we certainly have something with the potential to be equally annoying: Windows 8 Secure Boot.

Which Distros Would Obama and Romney Use?
October 11, 2012

With fewer than 30 days remaining until the U.S. presidential election, it's become more or less impossible to hear ourselves think here in the Linux blogosphere, so loud is the din emanating from the land of stars and stripes. Of course, misery loves company, which probably explains why there's nary an unoccupied barstool at the Punchy Penguin Pub.

LibreOffice vs. OpenOffice, Part Deux
October 08, 2012

It's been a momentous few weeks for FOSS fans, not least because LibreOffice -- one of the most popular exemplars of free and open source software today -- celebrated its second anniversary late last month. Indeed, with 325 active committers over the last 12 months, LibreOffice is now the third-largest free software project listed on Ohloh focused on the development of a desktop application.

From Noobs to Experts: Is There an ABC for Linux Distros?
October 04, 2012

"To every thing there is a season," as the old saying goes, and "a time to every purpose under the heaven." Can the same be said for Linux distros? That is the question that's been on many Linux bloggers' minds. Specifically, "What Distros Have You Used, in What Order?" was the title of the Ask Slashdot post that got the conversational ball rolling, and it was a provocative one.

Ubuntu and Amazon Make Uneasy Bedfellows
October 01, 2012

Well it's been another tempestuous week here in the Linux blogosphere, rounding out a month that never ran short on controversy, to put it mildly. The topic du jour this time? None other than Canonical's decision to integrate Amazon results into searches done through the Dash on Ubuntu's Unity desktop.

Google, Acer and the Red-Headed Stepchild
September 27, 2012

Android may not be as fully open as many FOSS fans would like it to be, but the fact remains that it's essentially the poster child for Linux's success in the mobile world. So it was with some dismay we looked on at the impromptu battle that sprang up recently between Google and Acer over Alibaba's Aliyun OS.