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Chakra Linux is one of the most promising desktop distributions of 2011. It was on my list of the top 6 KDE distributions of 2011. In this article, all the step required to dual-boot this distribution (the latest editions and previous releases too) and Windows 7, are presented in an easy to follow manner. So that at the end, you should have a boot menu that looks just like the one below – when you (re)boot your computer.

Linpus Lite is a Linux distribution published by Linpus Technologies, Inc., a Linux software solutions provider based in Taiwan. Linpus Lite Desktop is, as the name suggests, the version designed for traditional desktop computing. Aside from that, the company also publishes other editions (for example, Linpus Lite Android Edition and Linpus Lite PCTV), but those are not available for download by the public.

Linpus Lite Desktop 1.6 is the latest stable release of Linpus Lite Desktop. The previous one reviewed on this website was Linpus Lite Desktop 1.4. This article is a detailed review of Linpus Lite Desktop 1.6.

Chakra Edn 2011.12 is the third and final edition of the Chakra Edn line of Chakra, a desktop GNU/Linux distribution based on Arch Linux. The first two editions were Chakra Edn 2011.09 and Chakra Edn 2011.11. I always like to start my reviews by providing information about the installer and installation process of the distribution being reviewed, but since there were no changes or new features in Tribe, Chakra’s installation program, there is no point in rehashing information that is already available in Chakra Edn 2011.11 review.

Pear OS Linux Panther 3 is the latest edition of the desktop Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, but with a desktop appearance that is fashioned after the Mac OS X UI. It is the only distribution released this year that actually makes GNOME 3 look really good. It is not perfect, but it is a lot better than other distributions that use the GNOME 3 desktop environment. As good as I think it is, there are aspects of it that could have been better configured out of the box. This short tutorial provides some tips on how to tweak those areas to make the UI a bit more user-friendly than it already is.

The last edition of Linpus Lite that was reviewed on this website, was Linpus Lite 1.4, and that was in September 2010 (see Linpus Lite 1.4 review). That edition was good in some ways, bad in others, but in general, was usable, though it lacked basic security features that I expected to see in a modern Linux distribution. The latest release, therefore, provides an(other) opportunity to see what, if anything, has improved in this RPM distribution.

Pear OS is a new Linux desktop distribution based on Ubuntu Desktop with the graphical installer. Its development started in early August 2011 by David Tavares (from France), and on August 15 2011, Pear OS 1.0, the first version marked “stable,” was released. The latest edition, release on December 14 2011, is Pear OS Linux Panther 3. Though a Linux distribution running the GNOME 3 desktop, Pear OS’s desktop is fashioned after Apple’s Mac OS X, and each major version’s code name is taken from the Mac OS release with a corresponding version number. So, “Panther,” the code name of Pear OS Linux 3, is taken from the code name of Mac OS 10.3.

Pear OS is a new Linux desktop distribution based on Ubuntu. Development started in early August 2011, and Pear OS 1.0, the first version marked “stable,” was released on August 15 2011. The newest release is Pear OS Linux Panther 3. I tend not to pay too much attention to Ubuntu-based distributions especially when there is no feature or features that truly distinguishes them from their parent distribution, but Pear OS appears to be different. In fact, it looks to be better than any other Ubuntu-based distribution. Perhaps even better than Ubuntu itself.

Fedora 16 is the latest stable edition of Fedora, a Linux distribution whose development is sponsored by Red Hat, Inc. The main edition uses the GNOME 3 desktop environment, but there are editions, called Spins, that use other desktop environments. The available Spins in order of popularity, based on download count, are: Fedora KDE, Fedora Xfce, Fedora LXDE, Security, Games, Design-suite, Scientific-KDE, SoaS, Robotics, and Electronic-Lab. This review is of Fedora 16 KDE.

The security features in Fedora make it one of my favorite Linux distributions. And that is partly why it is in my list of the top 6 KDE distributions of 2011, even though it takes some tweaking to get it to the it just works state. I will take the security advantages of an operating system over any user-friendliness weaknesses, provided those user-friendliness weaknesses are not show stoppers.

The combination of GNOME 3 and MGSE is an attempted to improve on the user-experience of a stock GNOME 3 installation, however, it still leaves the user fighting the desktop just to get things done, and MATE is not yet ready for prime time. While I am not exactly a fan of Ubuntu’s Unity Desktop, I think it presents a better user-experience than GNOME 3 with MGSE. So, this tutorial shows the steps necessary to install and run Unity Desktop on Linux Mint 12.

The source or cause of the joy is none other than the announcement from HP that webOS will be, in their own words, a “pure open source project.” Awesome! Did I see this coming? Yes, sir! Did I influence HP’s decision? Perhaps. Ok, alright, that last one is a stretch, but back on August 19 2011, after HP had announced that it “will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones,” I suggested in a blog post (see what HP should do with webOS), that “to not let webOS be a failed distribution, here’s what I think HP should do with webOS – make it a free, Linux distribution, such that the relationship between it (HP) and webOS would be akin to that between Red Hat and Fedora, or Canonical and Ubuntu.”

Wuala is a cloud storage service offered by LaCie, a computer storage and display outfit. Wuala is supported on all major operating system platforms, and there is even an app for iPhone and iPad. Like all cloud storage services, Wuala makes it easy for you to backup, sync, share and retrieve your data from any location. Yesterday’s article about Wuala was mostly about its terms of service. This article gives the steps required to create an account and start using the service in Ubuntu 11.10 and Linux Mint 12.

Linux Mint 12 is the latest edition of the popular Linux distribution. Not to be confused with Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), the version of Linux Mint that is based on Debian, Linux Mint 12 is based on Ubuntu Desktop. This release, code-named Lisa, comes with more desktop options than you would normally find on a Ubuntu-based distribution. That of course has much to do with the distribution’s developers attempt to find a compromise desktop for the mess that has become the GNOME line of desktop environments.

A packet filtering firewall, designed to regulate incoming and outgoing packets from a network or an operating system, is akin to security personnel guarding the entrance to a commercial or residential property. Such a system has very little authority, unless given additional powers, in what applications inside the operating system or network are able to do. That is where an application “firewall” comes into play. It is designed to ensure that applications in an operating system (or in some instances, a network) adhere to access control rules that govern their “activities.”

The last time I followed a distribution’s suggestion to remove some packages that were no longer needed, I completely hosed the system. Could not use it afterwards. Though the machine was a test machine, the experience thought me to always let sleeping dogs lie.

Disk encryption is one of several physical security measures that could be used to protect data on your computer from unauthorized physical access. And it is best configured during installation, not after. But once configured, how effective is it?

Sabayon is a Linux distribution described by its developers as “… a bleeding edge operating system that is both stable and reliable.” It is based on Gentoo, a source-based (Linux) distribution. The latest edition, Sabayon 7 (GNOME 3, KDE and Xfce desktop editions), was released October 10 2011. Sabayon Core was released nine days after that (October 19 2011). The last Sabayon 7 editions, the Experimental Releases, featuring the LXDE, E17 and Awesome desktop environments, were released on November 9 2011. The GNOME edition has already been reviewed here. This review is of the KDE edition, which made my list of the top 6 KDE distributions for 2011.

By default, Linux Mint 12 ships with a guest session enabled, so a password-less access to the system is possible from the login screen to anybody with physical access to a Linux Mint 12-powered computer. If you do not want that level of openness on your computer, this tutorial will show you how to disable that guest session, and also how to create additional user accounts on the system.

Linux Mint 12, code-named Lisa, is the latest release of the popular desktop Linux distribution. This is the version of Linux Mint based on Ubuntu Desktop, not the one based on Debian. That one is called Linux Mint Debian Edition, or LMDE.

The first alpha release of Mageia 2 has been made available for download and testing. As you might expect, this is not a review-quality release, so if you have the time and resources, time to start hunting for bugs – and reporting them, if any, to Mageia Bugzilla. Installation and Live CD and DVD ISO images for 32- and 64-bit platforms are available for download here. The final version is scheduled for an early May 2012 release, almost a full six months away. So if you will not be testing this or any other pre-stable release, the following screenshots of the KDE 4 and GNOME 3 editions will give you an idea of what to expect.