Linux OS is no longer a geeks-only zone and good for a normal user – The Economic Times

By Ubuntusphere | Published: May 16, 2012

In the battle of the desktop operating systems (OS), there are only three dominant players left – Windows, Mac and Linux. At some point, Windows was cast as the platform for the common man, Mac as the one for the artist, and Linux as the geek’s playground.

…

There’s an image associated with Linux that can be frightening for a normal user, invoking pictures of command lines and terminal windows. But over the past 20 years, some massive steps have been taken to make the OS more accessible.

via Linux OS is no longer a geeks-only zone and good for a normal user – The Economic Times.

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Top 3 Websites To Check Whether Your Hardware Is Supported By Linux

By Ubuntusphere | Published: May 16, 2012

If you’ve ever used Linux, you’ve probably noticed that a lot of hardware works straight out of the box, no questions asked. No motherboard drivers need to be installed, no ethernet drivers, in most cases no wireless drivers, and not even graphics drivers depending on your stance on open source vs. proprietary. In this sense, Linux definitely offers a plug-and-play experience above Windows, and as far as I know it challenges Mac OS X‘s capabilities as well.However, no operating system will have support for every single piece of hardware out of the box, and it’s important to know which ones have that support. There’s always a driver for that piece of Windows hardware, but with Linux, you do not have that guarantee, so the overall hardware support including additional drivers you can download is smaller.You can figure out, however, which pieces of hardware do have Linux support by checking hardware databases.

via Top 3 Websites To Check Whether Your Hardware Is Supported By Linux.

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So you want to try switching to Ubuntu? | Michael Hall’s Blog

By Ubuntusphere | Published: May 4, 2012

Over the years there have been no shortage of articles where people try switching to Ubuntu (or other distro) for some period of time, to see if they can use it as a replacement for Windows.  Some are happy with the results, but many have a hard time with the move.  One thing I’ve noticed, as have many commentators on each article, is that many of the problems are due to faulty perceptions or assumptions, not faulty software.

via So you want to try switching to Ubuntu? | Michael Hall’s Blog.

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Who Uses Ubuntu Linux and Why?

By Ubuntusphere | Published: May 4, 2012

A recent survey of Ubuntu Linux details not only the people who actually use the open source operating system, but also how they use it and their reasons for doing so.

As opposed to what is usually depicted as Ubuntu’s users being those young hackers who live in basements, results of the survey indicate that most of today’s Ubuntu users come from all around the globe and are professionals who have been using the operating system for two to five years and they use it for both work and recreation. Its open source nature, security, speed and environment are the key factors that make it valuable for the user.

via Who Uses Ubuntu Linux and Why?.

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Five Things Linus Torvalds Has Learned About Managing Software Projects CIO.com

By Ubuntusphere | Published: May 3, 2012

Linus Torvalds needs no introduction in operating systems or open-source circles. He’s the creator, muse and chief developer of the Linux operating system. Torvalds started Linux while he was in college in 1991. Today, Linux is the foundation of multibillion-dollar companies including Oracle, Novell and Red Hat. It’s used on computers from small office servers and home office desktops to the New York Stock Exchange.

Torvalds does this by managing a self-selected team of over a thousand developers around the world, united only by a mailing list (the Linux Kernel Mailing List) and a source-code management system (Git). Torvalds herds Linux programming cats from multiple major companies, such as IBM, Intel and SGI, as well as the occasional stereotypical developer programming in a basement.

How does he do it?

via Five Things Linus Torvalds Has Learned About Managing Software Projects CIO.com.

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Linberry – Blackberry Phone Manager for Linux

By Ubuntusphere | Published: April 13, 2012

Linux Blackberry owners may be frustrated by the lack of desktop management tool for their chosen operating system.

And that’s the fault of RIM, the makers of popular smartphone. For whilst they provide dedicated desktop clients for managing the phone under Windows and OS X they provide nothing for use on Linux.

So it falls to the Linux community to provide solutions. And the most thorough of these comes in the shape of LinBerry – a dedicated desktop manager for Blackberry devices that’s currently in beta.

via Linberry – Blackberry Phone Manager for Linux.

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10 New Features Added to Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin | Tech Drive-in

By Ubuntusphere | Published: March 5, 2012

A quick roundup of everything that is new in Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin.

10 New Features Added to Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin | Tech Drive-in.

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Top 5 Ubuntu pre-installed Laptop companies | Unixmen

By Ubuntusphere | Published: March 5, 2012

Here are the Top 5 companies you should look at if you are looking for Ubuntu laptops.

via Top 5 Ubuntu pre-installed Laptop companies | Unixmen.

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10 New Open Source Projects You May Not Know About | PCWorld Business Center

By Ubuntusphere | Published: January 22, 2012

Open source-focused provider Black Duck Software this past week announced the winners of its fourth annual Open Source Rookies of the Year. Included in the list are a bunch of new projects that are worth watching.

via 10 New Open Source Projects You May Not Know About | PCWorld Business Center.

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67 Open Source Replacements for Really Expensive Applications – Datamation

By Ubuntusphere | Published: January 17, 2012

Why spend thousands or even hundreds or thousands of dollars on a closed source application when you can get a comparable open source app for free? Even if you need commercial support, many open source programs now offer paid support that costs much less than the alternatives.

For this list, we looked for quality, open source alternatives to software that has a reputation for being expensive. Whenever possible, we included MSRPs for the expensive software, though in some cases, the pricing scheme is so complicated that it’s nearly impossible to pin down.

via 67 Open Source Replacements for Really Expensive Applications – Datamation.

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