Applications

'Blender Master Class' Gets A+ in 3D Graphics Instruction
March 05, 2013

Blender Master Class is a must-have for anyone who uses or even plans to use the Blender graphics tool. It is a learn-by-doing guidebook that takes all the frustration and guessing out of the Blender equation. Author Ben Simonds is a professional 3D artist and co-director of Gecko Animation Ltd.

Hackers Clip Evernote, Forcing 50M Password Resets
March 04, 2013

Evernote, which makes software that lets users copy and store a variety of text and Web pages, announced over the weekend that it had been hacked, forcing the company to ask its 50 million users to reset their passwords. The company said hackers gained access to usernames, email addresses associated with Evernote accounts, and encrypted passwords.

China on Cyberattacks: US Is Pot Calling the Kettle Black
March 04, 2013

After taking it on the chin for its alleged attacks on U.S. media outlets -- and for its army reportedly backing hackers engaged in cyberespionage around the world -- China returned fire. The government claimed its defense and military ministries' websites are being bombarded with 144,000 hacking attacks a month from the U.S.

Facebook Blocks Millions of Photos From Instagram-Like App
February 26, 2013

Step aside, Google: Now it's Facebook's turn to take flak from France. A few months back, France demanded that Google pay for displaying links to French media's news articles. Next, a French Internet service provider demanded that Google pay extra for bandwidth consumed by YouTube.

Microsoft Shoots for New Outlook.com Users by Targeting Less
February 20, 2013

Microsoft has made its new Outlook.com email service generally available, following six months of receiving and incorporating user feedback. The service is ready to scale to a billion people, the company said, and Hotmail users will be shifted over to form the core of that base.

Linux, Microsoft and the Juicy Office Rumor
February 19, 2013

Rumors are not exactly an uncommon phenomenon here in the Linux community, but every once in a while one comes along that is so compelling, such a deliciously tantalizing prospect, that bloggers just can't leave it alone, no matter how far-fetched it may be. Case in point? Oh, it's a juicy one: "Microsoft is having a 'meaningful look' at a full Linux port of Office ... .

Raytheon May Know Where You've Been - and Where You're Going
February 11, 2013

Raytheon reportedly has developed software capable of quickly mining social networks for information that can reveal where particular individuals have been and where they may be going. The Rapid Information Overly Technology reportedly can track check-in posts and geotagged photos in social media. Further, it can chart social connections and highlight those an individual communicates with most often.

Windows 3.1: Geeks' New Choice for Graphics?
February 07, 2013

They say everything old is new again, and it would be difficult to find a better example than a post on Slashdot last week. "Why a Linux User Is Using Windows 3.1" is the title of said post, which refers to a recent NetworkWorld story by the same name. "About two weeks back, I was using my Android tablet and looking for a good graphics editor," author and said Linux user Bryan Lunduke began.

Facebook May Be Mapping Out a Location-Tracking App
February 06, 2013

Facebook, which already has a long history of skirmishes with privacy advocates, may be heading toward another fight following reports that the company is working on a mobile location-tracking app. The app would reportedly run in the background even when other apps are running on a smartphone.

Microsoft Office and the Big Subscription Bet
February 04, 2013

Well it's been another wild week here in the Linux blogosphere, what with all the ruckus emanating out of the bordering Redmond territories. Much like what happened last fall when Windows 8 made its fanfare-filled debut, the launch of Office 2013 and 365 last Tuesday left more than a few Linux bloggers with a ringing in the ears that didn't abate for days.

Google Adds Cross-Platform Notifications Brick to Chromium Build
February 01, 2013

Google appears to have taken a step toward integrating Android's Google Now notification feature into Chrome. French programmer Francis Beaufort revealed Thursday that he spotted a new notification center in the latest Windows Chromium build that includes rich templated notifications.

Microsoft Cuts Ribbon on Low-Rent Office
January 31, 2013

Microsoft this week announced the worldwide availability of Office 365 Home Premium, a cloud-based subscription version of its flagship Office productivity software. It will include all Office applications and work on Windows tablets, PCs and Macs. Pricing for most consumers is $99.99 a year or $9.99 per month.

KVM: Linux Virtualization That's Halfway There
January 30, 2013

Are you looking for a reliable virtualization package to run multiple virtual machines that handle unmodified Linux or Windows images? Then look no further than your existing Linux configuration. It already has the underpinnings to support Kernel-based Virtual Machine. You need look no further than your distro's package repository to install KVM.

Soulver Takes the Problem Out of Problem Solving
January 22, 2013

It's nigh impossible to avoid numbers in our daily lives. Whether it's preparing a household budget, doing a tax return, calculating travel expenses or divvying up a dinner tab, dealing with digits is inescapable. Necessity, however, doesn't make numbers any more interesting to many of us, especially those of us more comfortable with words.

Cisco Lets Virtual Desktop Users Get In on Its Jabber
January 17, 2013

Cisco on Thursday announced the Virtualization Experience Media Engine, new software that will extend its Jabber unified communications application to virtualized workspace environments. VXME will initially be available on thin clients from Cisco. Support for Dell Wyse thin clients, Windows-based thin clients and Windows PCs will follow.

Xvidcap Records Screen Activity Nearly Effortlessly
January 16, 2013

Xvidcap is a small tool to capture whatever goes on within the borders of an X-Windows display. It lets you capture what you do either as individual frames or as an MPEG video. Recording your computing activity keystroke by keystroke is not a need every computer user has. However, this is an ideal tool if you need to make a visual record of the steps you take to complete a computing task.

Pixelmator Delivers Powerful Image Editing at a Bargain Price
January 15, 2013

Many amateur shutterbugs can't afford professional-caliber image editing programs like Photoshop and Aperture, so they're always on the prowl for economical alternatives to those Adobe and Apple offerings. Pixelmator is such an alternative. For a fraction of the price of the big-name image editors, the software is loaded with features that will open the spigot for many a shooter's creative juices.

'The Book of GIMP' Leaves No Detail Behind
January 15, 2013

The Book of GIMP: A Complete Guide to Nearly Everything combines a step-by-step approach to learning how to use this epic graphic image-manipulation program with a handy reference manual supplemented with very useful appendices. Whether you are a GIMP beginner or a veteran user, this book will save you hours of trial and error when editing graphics files.

The Curious Case of Adobe's Almost-Good Move
January 14, 2013

Well, CES has come and gone for another year, and not a moment too soon! One more new phone announcement, and Linux Girl's head would have surely exploded. There's no doubt it was a mad, mad week -- so wild, in fact, that a curious event occurring outside CES could have escaped the notice of more than a few observers.

'Curious' Hack Jailbreaks Windows RT
January 09, 2013

A security researcher has hacked Windows RT to allow it to run desktop applications by bypassing the OS' security systems. The jailbreaking isn't dangerous to users' systems, researcher C.L. Roker insists. "It cannot at this point be exploited without the user actually wanting it, so it's not dangerous."