Articles by Jack M. Germain

Results 1581-1600 of 2147 for Jack M. Germain
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Portable Linux Apps: Not Always an Easy Schlep

One of the best productivity tools I had when I used Microsoft Windows was a collection of portable applications. I missed those tools when I migrated to Linux. Now several open source projects could make portable apps available to mainstream Linux users Three websites are trying to create that functionality. But the efforts might need more work be...

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Zim Desktop Brings Wiki Wizardry to Note Taking

Typically, we use computers to help us track our information and organize our data. Most everything else involves the computer functions related to accessing and processing all that information ...

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Audacity Delivers Bold Sound Editing Tools

Audacity, an open source multitrack audio editor, has versions for Linux/Unix, MacOS and Windows. If all you do with audio files is play them, then Audacity could be much more than you need. This is not an application for organizing your music collection It has no fancy search and play functions. Sure, you can use it to listen to your music collect...

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Clam or Klam? Either Way, It's Easy Linux Protection

Have you run a virus scan lately? Nope? Don't need to, you say. That's because you run a Linux OS Think again. To quote the title line of Bob Dylan's third studio album, "the times they are a-changin.'"...

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2 Smart Backup Apps Show You the Way to Go Home

In my dumber days when I ran Microsoft Windows, I was more concerned with backup programs. After I moved into the Linux desktop, I became much less paranoid about system failures. The Linux environment just never crashed. That does not mean that I never make backup copies of my critical data files. It's just that I do not worry about the Linux OS ...

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2 Task Manager Apps: Choose the Features You Can Live Without

Today, if you're in need of a task manager application, you're looking at a category filled -- perhaps even overfilled -- with options. If you carry a smartphone, you probably have a to-do listapp in your pocket already Gone are the days when Linux users had to panic over finding asuitable clone for Microsoft Outlook like Evolution. Web-basedservic...

STARTUP TO WATCH

Whamcloud to Put New Sheen on Lustre

The founders of Lustre software technology company Whamcloud openedfor business in June with a lot of potential and years of experienceworking with high-performance computing. What they lacked from theirfirst day was any signed contracts Whamcloud Cofounder and CEO Brent Gorda still is waiting to sign thedotted line with his company's first custome...

The New Threats: The Bad Guys Up Their Game

Computer users today face a new round of attacks that pose newchallenges to both consumers and businesses. These new attack vectorsoften sidestep traditional security defenses. Hackers, supported byinternational crime gangs with deep pockets, are accostingconsumers and office workers with sophisticated technology The threat landscape is changing. H...

VLC Media Player: The Cone Knows Its Formats

The world of open source software has ample choices for editing andmanipulating audio and video media files. But when you just want putyour feet up and relax, fewer really ideal options are available. Onesolid choice is the Gxine is a media player (See my review here). Butan even better pick is the VLC Media Player ...

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AWN Ekes Out a Win in the Battle of the Dock Apps

My newfound favorite computing app is the desktop dock. Overthe last few weeks, I freed myself of dependence on the desktop icon tofind and launch the programs I use every day. My search for the idealdocking app came to a halt with Avant Window Navigator, also known as "AWN." ...

Seeking Clarity in the Cloud's Security Haze

Corporate execs and IT managers may soon get clearer answers to fuzzy questions regarding how secure or insecure cloud computing really is In an effort to solve that lingering mystery, the non-profit Open Security Foundation (OSF) late last month launched its cloutage.org website. The new website is aimed at empowering organizations by providing cl...

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GNOME Do Launcher Starts Apps on the Right Foot

I have a problem with Linux! It has too many cool ways to navigate thedesktop and launch programs. I fell in love with the really awesomeGNOME Do recently and started a feud with myother computing personas. One relishes the panel, and another isenamored with the desktop draped in icons of my always-used programs ...

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Sunbird: Your Calendar, Your Way

Sunbird Calendar could prove to be one of your most useful tools. ...

2 Photo Managers That Tie Features Into Neat Little Bundles

The more I delve into open source photo apps for Linux, the harder thechoice becomes to use just one photo management solution. I keepfinding photo managers that outdo my previous picks ...

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Two Apps That Make Backup Less Chore, More Lifesaver

Backing up data on my multiple Linux computers has always been a gray area for me. The process of backing up data for me boiled down to convenience and cockiness. I thought my no-app backup procedure was a better option. That twisted view nearly resulted in a data disaster for me recently Having multiple computers all storing the same data tends to...

Typhoid Adware: Coming From a Laptop Near You

A yet-unseen malware variant dubbed "Typhoid adware" could allow cyberattackers to prey on portable computer users tethered to unsecured WiFi connections at Internet cafes and other public places This potential threat is lurking wherever consumers gather to use free Internet access points. The hidden new threat has none of the tell-tale symptoms of...

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A Note-Slinging Dynamic Duo

The drawback with using most note-taking applications on any platformis that they are limited in the type of data you can put into them.For instance, simple text editors ignore Internet and content links.Plus, you cannot import graphics. Even word-processing programs, whichovercome the links and graphics deficiencies, lack the tree structurethat makes storing and viewing notes quick and useful...

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Calibre Is an Elegant E-Book Librarian

Regardless of your take on the iPad as a do-everything replacementdevice for laptops and netbooks, other e-book readers (EBRs) aregaining a substantial foothold. Devices such as the Kindle and theNook provide access to volumes of literature and documents withouthaving to lug a fully-functional computer around ...

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Album Shaper: Plenty of Oomph Without the Button Glut

If you are on the hunt for a do-everything photo management app, checkout Album Shaper. Considering its solid, user-friendly design, Album Shaper is packed with a hefty toolset offeatures that newcomers to image manipulation programs willappreciate ...

LINUX PICKS AND PANS

Almanah and RedNotebook: Easy, Elegant Journaling

Diary writing apps are nothing more than glorified text editors with anarrow focus. Keeping a daily diary for personal life commentary is atask that many people restrict to traditional paper-and-pen entries.Keeping a daily journal of work-related entries is more suited toelectronic entries ...

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