News Archive - January 2006
FoX Desktop Lite 1.0
Friday 27th January 2006
Categories: Reviews, GNU/Linux, FLOSS
For once, this is a review of a not-so-big Linux distribution: FoX Linux.
So, what is FoX Desktop Lite? It is based upon Fedora Core 4, with KDE 3.5. After a quick e-mail fired off to FoX themselves, and an equally quick reply, I found out that is aimed at users that are not neccessarily an expert at computing. So, does it work?
GPL3, Google and Gentium
Thursday 26th January 2006
Category: News
Somewhat unsurprisingly, there has been plenty of talk recently on the draft of the new GPL3. Debian has had its (unofficial) say, while Linus has said that he won't use GPL3 for the Linux kernel. Overall, the draft seems to be a hit, although there's still a fair way to go.
Moving away from Open Source for just a moment, and we have the news that Google are resisting the US Department of Justice. Specifically, they are refusing to hand over certain data since it "threatens trade secrets". Elsewhere, The Inquirer has been bought by VNU - it will be interesting to see how, if at all, the site changes. Having said that, some of the Internet community are already somewhat unhappy about it.
Moving back to free software, and we have Gentium, an open source font that, while still in early development, looks promising. As another alternative to proprietry software, GNU is developing an open source Flash implementation, while will support up to Version 7, while there is still no Flash 8 for Linux from Macromedia (apparently, we have to wait for 8.5, and miss out on Flash 8 entirely). Finally, there is a handy little guide to CSS that has popped up on the Internet.
Patents and Pigs
Wednesday 18th January 2006
Category: News
First of all, we have a couple of articles regarding patents. Sadly, Microsoft has finally got their FAT patent, although it still seems to be doing nothing with it. Google Talk has also been accused of patent infringement.
Elsewhere on the web, Linus Torvald's comments on GNOME and KDE are still having an effect, as shown by another article on GNOME and KDE. Unfortunately, nobody really seems to be standing up for the smaller packages, such as XFCE.
Finally, a couple of stories from the BBC. First of all, Sony has been told off, and can no longer use XCP and MediaMax on its discs. Last, but by no means least, is an article on fluorescent pigs.
Thunderbird, GPL3, Linux, etc.
Thursday 12th January 2006
Category: News
We kick off this time with the release of Thunderbird 1.5, coming a few weeks after its friend Firefox. Personally, I'm keeping an eye on Seamonkey instead...
There's also the imminent first draft of GPL3, no doubt sure to set people across the internet talking. Onto Linux specifically, SCO is still apparently waging war against Novell.
Finally, two slight more Windows orientated articles. First of all, there is an article about switching to Windows from Linux, although the author doesn't seem too enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. There's also a new program from Google called Google Pack, first announced on the Google Blog. Although some are already praising it, perhaps it might getting so much attention and plaudits simply because it has the word Google on it. Also, with packages such as Apt and whatever voodoo magic Fedora Core et al use, don't most Linux users have something like this anyway i.e. something to easily manage programs? Useful(ish) for Windows users, perhaps, but not really for those already on Linux.
Beginner's Guide to XHTML: Accessibility
Saturday 7th January 2006
Categories: Guides, Internet, Code
When creating a web page, it is always important that as many people as possible can view it. By making a web page more accessible, you can make sure that almost anybody can view your webpage, regardless of browser or disability. Although there are a number of ways in which this can be achieved, this article concentrates on the specific (X)HTML tags that can be used.
Debian, Ubuntu, Browsers, etc.
Friday 6th January 2006
Category: News
It's a new year, so: Happy New Year! No doubt others are already predicting the future. I'd say: new releases of GNOME, KDE and friends, new releases of Linux distributions, Linux Tovalds saying something controversial on a mailing list, and something stupid being sold on eBay. Beyond that, I have no idea! (Let's just hope that Debian Etch releases on time).
Speaking of Etch, at the moment, it is planned to release for eight architectures, and also mentions the hopeful release date of December 2006. Although some people don't like the long release cycle, it does make Debian so stable. If you can't wait that long, you can always download a CD set from testing, so you have a 'snapshot' of testing if you want consistant packages. There's also Mark Shuttleworth talking about the DCC.
That brings us nicely to Ubuntu. The Inquirer reviews Ubuntu for AMD64, and isn't all that positive about it. Another review states it is "good, but not good enough".
I mentioned Linux Tovalds on mailing lists earlier, and the effect of his comments on GNOME and KDE are still going on according to ZDNet. There's also an article about somebody who's got rid of Windows and used Linux for a year.
More on the internet side of things, browser developers met up and had a chat about security. Hopefully, consistancy across browsers and cooperation can help protect users. Who knows how else they might work together in the future, but this is a step in the right direction.