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If you're among the many people considering dumping Microsoft Office for OpenOffice.org 2.0 but fear change, well, that's normal. However, now there is a new book entitled Point & Click OpenOffice.org!, authored by leading open-source journalist Robin "Roblimo" Miller, that aims specifically to quell such fears.

I can understand why many people love Ubuntu and its KDE-interfaced brother, Kubuntu. However, neither one is a perfect fit for me.

First, the good news: although they go by different names, there's really no fundamental difference between the Ubuntu brothers.

Ubuntu uses the GNOME interface, while Kubuntu uses KDE. Specifically, the newest version, Ubuntu 5.10, also known as Breezy Badger, is a Debian-based Linux distribution. On the GNOME side, Ubuntu uses The GNOME Project's GNOME 2.12, while Kubuntu uses KDE 3.4.3.

In short, you simply choose your interface, and you don't have to worry about the rest. Kubuntu 5.10, which is the one I worked with the most, can also be upgraded to KDE 3.5.

For years I have had an on-again/off-again relationship with desktop linux. My old flame: Debian running fvwm. Over the years, however, we have both changed. Where I used to enjoy tinkering, I am now impatient and want things to 'just work.' Desktop linux has thankfully developed along these lines. Goodbye, stock Debian and fvwm. Hello Ubuntu and KDE (Kubuntu).

With this entry, guest blogger Bernard Golden begins his series of commentaries on the ongoing revision process for the General Public License.

Framestore CFC, the animation studio responsible for much of the eerie special effects work in the latest installment of the Harry Potter film series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," uses fast, powerful Intel-based Linux clusters in its render farm, but it was still running into problems because of bottlenecks with its Network File System servers. Accio Lustre -- an open source cluster file system called Lustre helped feed the studio's prodigious I/O appetite at a price point that keeps it competitive with larger organizations.

Pentium-Based Module Ideal for Small Form Factor MicroTCA Chassis and Custom Blades Equipped With AdvancedMC Sites

OpenSUSE project community grows dramatically, recording more than 13 million page views, 750,000 installations and 19,000 registered project members worldwide

I for one have no particular problems with the fact that Nessus has gone to a closed source model from version 3, with the exception that this means I can’t run Nessus on some of my platforms of choice (ie, Gentoo Linux). However, since a package is available for Debian 3.x, I wondered if it would work on Ubuntu. This didn’t prove too difficult - I expect because Ubuntu is based on Debian 3.x and also because the Nessus developers have historically bundled their own versions of libraries to prevent library dependency issues (that seems to be the usual reason for not being able to install Debian packages on Ubuntu for me).

LaCie Selects SteelVine Storage Processor for 'Two Big' eSATA Product

Yoon Seok-chan, leader of the development team at Daum, said, “Although the Internet is a public good, Korea’s Internet environment is increasingly encouraging monopolies by private companies. Against this backdrop, Daum has decided to jointly develop technologies with Apple.”

Portableapps.com is helping making a few waves for the OpenOffice team. They've released a USB-toteable portable version of OpenOffice 2.01, compact enough to fit on smaller sized drives.

The next version of the Linux distro will be available on fewer platforms to ensure a 'more limber' release process

Professional Services Firm Expands Presence in Midwest Markets Through Acquisition of Leading Cincinnati Systems Integrator

After a lot of hacking behind the scenes, a new initiative to improve KDE's interaction with network and hardware devices has been launched. Solid will provide a robust basis for the dynamic modern desktop in KDE, which needs to be aware of available hardware and networks, paving the way for innovative functionality. Users should see KDE applications taking advantage of Solid in KDE 4, from the most basic Plasma applets and complex applications to desktop-wide awareness. Developers will be able to take advantage of a robust, flexible and portable API and will be integrated into the Plasma engine. It will make use of existing technologies like HAL. Solid will also include a knowledge base providing a way for users to easily provide feedback on incorrect behaviour.

Build managers allow developers to better coordinate their coding efforts by providing an automatically generated current and working snapshot of an application, including a binary file for immediate testing. Build managers are the next logical step to source code repositories. Urbancode's Anthill build management server for Java applications provides build automation, unit tests, build tracking, and support for a number of version control systems.

Joins 200 World Class Organizations Certified Under the Support Center Practices (SCP) Certification Program

It’s not even out yet and this Firefox extension has bloggers around the world talking. AllPeers adds P2P capabilities to FireFox and is due out “soon”. According to the U.K.-based company’s site, AllPeers is “a free extension which combines the strength of Firefox and the efficiency of BitTorrent to transform your favorite browser into a media sharing powerhouse.”

IT staff at Swansea Council have been transferred to Capgemini as part of a controversial £83m e-government outsourcing project designed to modernise the way the council provides its public services.

As part of the first phase, Capgemini intends to overhaul the council's existing IT systems and working practices as part of an "integrated programme of business process re-engineering and technology transformation".

For many in the computer industry, the UserFriendly comic strip is the first Web page they open in the morning. However, only its most loyal readers are aware that, over the past five years, the company behind the cartoon has wandered into the public equity market, only to return to the status of a private company. Recently, I talked about this journey with JD Frazer, the creator of the strip, and David Barton, vice president of UserFriendly.org. Their account is a practical lesson in the difficulties involved in such business maneuvers -- to say nothing of a testimony to their collective ability to keep their business, ethics, and audience intact.

PHONE GIANT Motorola has dumped Apple’s iTunes, and a lot of its technical problems, from its ROKR E2 phone. Its predecessor the E1 was touted as the easiest-to-use music phone ever, thanks to its "seamless integration" with Apple's iTunes jukebox.