Popular open source news - Operating Systems

Much like a vernacular, the universe of UNIX tools changes almost perpetually. New tools crop up frequently, while others are eternally modernized and adapted to suit emerging best practices. Certain tools are used commonly; others are used more infrequently. Some tools are perennial; occasionally, some are obsoleted outright. To speak UNIX fluently, you have to keep up with the "lingo."

I've looked at hundreds of Linux distributions over the years. Some of them have been awful. Many have been OK. Few have been great. Based on my early look at Karmic Koala, Ubuntu 9.10, I think we've got a very strong Linux desktop distribution coming down the way.

Today saw Ubuntu’s first “Artwork Drop” for Karmic Koala. Despite there being no official ‘artwork’ released from Ubuntu’s Design team as of yet, the community side of the artwork submission has been quite prolific. Of note are the four new themes and two new icon sets.

Red Hat recently posted an interesting case study on how retail giant The Gap moved from a Unix and Windows based e-commerce infrastructure to one based on Red Hat Linux with support for Microsoft's Active Directory via LikeWise, a product that improves the management and interoperability of Windows and Linux systems.

Moblin is an Intel-created open-source operating system for netbooks and, specifically, the kind of people who use them. On a technical level this means Moblin is built for the Atom x86 chip found in many netbooks, while on a practical level it means Moblin is an Internet- and multimedia-focused operating system.

Over the years, the question “is Linux ready for the desktop” has been raised time and time again, and countless articles have been written about the strengths and weaknesses of this operating system. While desktop Linux adoption has yet to go completely mainstream, recent indicators show that a major change is underfoot.

The latest version of Ubuntu includes some nifty embellishments to the GNU Screen program. These improvements make some of Screen's more sophisticated features accessible to users.