LXer Weekly Roundup for 15-Apr-2007

LXer Feature: 15-Apr-2007 A weekly recap of the big stories concerning Linux and Open Source.

Linux Users - Start.....Your.....ENGINES!: This post by Ken Starks started a maelstrom in the Linux community on the subject of promoting Linux. I talk about this in depth in another article.

The Perfect Setup - Debian Etch (Debian 4.0): This tutorial by Falco Timme shows how to set up a Debian Etch (Debian 4.0) based server for the 32-bit version of Debian Etch, but it should apply to the 64-bit version with very little modifications. If your looking to upgrade to Debian 4.0, I would bookmark this tutorial.

Building a new Slackware machine: James Dixon summarizes the process of building a new Slackware 11 box for his wife along with some of the challenges he overcame.

Swiftfox - the perverting of an open source browser: Swiftfox is a Firefox-based browser, but there is one big difference between it and Firefox -- you can't share Swiftfox because the Swiftfox license prohibits repackaging and redistribution. It seems that someone successfully "closed sourced" a version of Firefox.

Palm fesses up to Linux Treo plans: The company known for its line of Treo smartphones which up until now were powered by Palm OS and Windows Mobile, is likely to ship Linux powered phones this year.

Which Linux Desktop Distribution is the best for me?: This nixcraft article talks about all the distro chooser sites and how they really do not help someone who is new to Linux (newbie) choose the one that is right for them.

Fluxbuntu becomes an "official" Ubuntu offshoot: As of April 1st Fluxbuntu is an official variant of Ubuntu. The Fluxbox Desktop Environment being smaller and more efficient, it makes your computer act like a hot rod again. Fluxbuntu becoming "official" may be an April fools joke, but Fluxbuntu is not. If your interested in seeing how different and fast Ubuntu can be, then Fluxbuntu is worth a serious look.

Top 10 Firefox extensions to avoid: Peter Smith goes down a list of Firefox extensions he thinks that you should avoid using. I must say that Mozilla has done a fantastic job of weeding out the bad extensions. If he could only find ten or so out of the hundreds that exist, that's still a 90+% success rate of quality of useful extensions available for the Firefox browser.

California is trying to pass an open document requirement for all of it electronic documents: Mark Leno, a California State Assemblyman, has proposed a bill in the California Legislature that would make it a requirement that all California Documents will be an open XML-based format. Its too bad that Open-XML isn't really "Open".

OLPC XO Test Build: These screenshots give us a taste of what the Graphic User Interface is going to look like on the One Laptop Per Child computers.

Debian redefines itself with new release: The Debian website states, "We will do everything we can to make things very easy for the novice, while allowing the expert to tweak things.". Bruce Byfield shows us that they really mean it and he shows us some of the subtle changes that have been made to facilitate being both easy to set-up and use while still being very configurable for the expert user at the same time.

Why Linux is the perfect system for people who hate computers: Is it just me or is it always "old people" who hate computers? Its been my experience that individuals prove stereotypes wrong almost all the time. Its nice that the author thinks Linux is good for people who don't like computers but its not just older people who feel that way.

The Internet May Eventually Be Scrapped: Some scientists want to start from scratch with the Internet again so they can make it better and safer for everyone. Lets see, a new Internet design funded by the government. Why is it I don't believe them?

Dear Mr. Gates: Save Vista, Open-Source It: Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols sarcastically asks Bill gates, "Since Microsoft can't get the bugs out of Vista, why not turn the code over to the people who've shown they can fix intractable software: the open-source community."

Dell-linux Marriage: Desktop Prominence Or Five-Year Setback?: In our "It smells like FUD" article of the week Ron Enderle again attempts to confuse and baffle the reader with gymnastics in logic. There is a nice big picture of him though.