Linux Hot Chick (NSFW)

Check it out here...

Linux Hot Chick

This is the first time I saw a girl loving Linux..

Technorati Tags: Hot Chick, Tux, Linux, Body Painting, Not Safe for Work, NSFW

Thank you, Fox News

Fox News, Thank you for quickly fixing video problems under Linux.

Right Now, I am using Ubutu and Fox News Video site is working great!

Fox News, I have just two words for you..

THANK YOU.

Links:

• Fox News Video
  

Computer viruses hit one Million mark!

This may be a pretty old news for many people, But I still want to discuss.

The computer viruses count has hit 1 Million mark this month. This count includes viruses, worms, trojans and other malicious code threats. This information was revealed by Symantec in their latest edition of bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report.


Thanks to Linux, I need not worry about 99.999% of them.

Here are the few interesting statistics.

1. The total number of computer viruses present is around 1,122,311.
   
2. Almost two thirds of them or 499,811 viruses were created during the second half of 2007.
   
3. Almost all of them target Windows operating system.
   

Links:

• BBC

Command to make your monitor to go into the standby mode

Here is the command, using which you can force your computer monitor to go into the standby mode..

/usr/bin/xset -display :0.0 dpms force off

Since I have learned this command, I have stopped touching my monitor's power button.

P.S.: This commands requires ACPI enabled kernel. Also, it requires acpid to be installed in your system. In Ubuntu, these are installed by default.

Get KDE 4.0 Release counter for your website

You might have already noticed the KDE 4.0 Release counter at the top of this blog.

You can get it for your website also..

Just paste following code in your website.

<a href="http://www.kde.org/kde-4.0-release-event/"><img src="http://games.kde.org/new/counter/" alt="KDE 4.0 Release counter" title="KDE 4.0 Release counter" /></a>


Paste it in your website and help us spread KDE4.

KDE 4.0 Release Event

KDE team has announced the KDE Release Event at Google.

KDE 4.0 will be released on January 11th which is just 8 day away.

My sincere thanks to all the developers and testers who have worked hard for KDE 4.0

Thanks to the Google for arranging the KDE 4.0 release event.

I hope that, both this event and the upcoming KDE 4.0 will be a huge success.

I just can't wait for Kubuntu Hardy with KDE 4.0

gOS available for download now

Thanks to kind people at Everex, They have released the iso image of greenOS aka gOS.



Everex recommends this iso only for developers, so that they can improve gOS and the application support.

However it should be possible for anyone to download this iso image and try to install on their home PC. Its a live cd, so you can try entire OS without installing anything into your hard disk.

This is exactly same OS which comes preloaded with gPC. However this live CD lacks out of box DVD and restricted format playback features due to patent concerns.

However the gOS bundled with gPC can play DVD/restricted formats such as Mp3 out of box.

Currently I am downloading this live CD, I will publish a photo review soon...

Downloading:

This iso is currently available as a torrent file only. You can download this torrent file using any torrent client such as Azureus or Deluge.

Download Links:

• Download gOS torrent.

Links:

• gOS Official website.

Linux PC for masses, $198 gPC

Everex, a personal computer vendor has recently unveiled a new model of personal computer running Ubuntu based OS along with open source productivity tools & Google centric web 2.0 applications.



This PC named gPC would costs you just $198. which is by far much cheaper than Windows Vista licensing cost itself.

The price of this desktop in Indian Rs is 198*40 = Rs 7920. wow, I have paid twice of this amount just for my motherboard alone. (ASUS P5W DH Deluxe)

What makes this PC look so good is its damn good specification for a solid price.

Hardware:

Hardware Specifications of gPC are

1. 1.5GHz, VIA C7®-D Processor
   
2. 512MB DDR2 533MHz SDRAM
   
3. 80GB Hard Disk Drive
   
4. DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo Optical Drive
   
5. VIA UniChrome Pro IGP Graphics with 64MB Shared memory
   
6. Realtek 6-Channel Audio
   
7. 10/100 Ethernet Port
   
8. DB 15-Pin VGA Port
   
9. Six USB 2.0 Ports
   
10. RJ-11 Port
    
11. Headphone/Line-Out Port
    
12. Two Microphone/Line-In Ports
    
13. Serial Port
    
14. Parallel Port
    
15. Keyboard
    
16. Mouse
    
17. Amplified Stereo Speakers
    

Well, as you can see, for normal home user above specifications are pretty damn good.

Software/Operating System:

This machine comes with its own custom OS named gOS (Green OS for Green PC) which is based on Ubuntu - 7.10. gOS come pre installed with many free/open source applications and productivity tools. The gOS uses Linux Enlightenment E17 desktop interface with a Google-centric theme.

The “Favorite Applications” that appear in the task bar at the bottom of the screen are:

1. Firefox with Google toolbar.
   
2. Google Mail
   
3. Google News
   
4. Google Calendar
   
5. Google Maps
   
6. Google Docs and Spreadsheets
   
7. Google Product Search
   
8. Blogger
   
9. YouTube
   
10. Facebook
    
11. Faqly
    
12. Meebo
    
13. Rythmbox
    
14. Skype
    
15. Wikipedia
    
16. Xine
    

gOD comes with gimp for image editing tasks and OpenOffice.org for office productivity.

Since gOS is based on Ubuntu-7.10, it should be possible for you to install Ubuntu desktop packages just by adding ubuntu repositories in /etc/apt/sources.list file.



Where to purchase ?

gPC can be purchased from selected stores of Wallmart or from Wallmart on-line store.

Support:

This machine comes with 1 year of free 24×7 technical support. That’s more than some companies offer on computers that cost hundreds of dollars more.

If you need another reason to buy, this system comes with lifetime of free upgrades for gOS. ie; You need to pay for upgrades unlike Windows, they are for FREE.

Final thoughts:

If you remember properly, few months back(July 18th 2007), Everex had launched its first 'Back to School' PC with OpenOffice.org 2.02 into WalMart stores and that was a huge hit. Success of 'Back to School' PC has made Everex to introduce gPC. Everex is hoping same kind of response for their gPC. If Everex succeeds with their new gPC, many PC vendor may start selling low cost Linux PCs. Microsoft surely will be in serious trouble if this happens. well, Only time will tell us the final results.

I would recommend this machine to all, those who need a basic machine for browsing/mail check/office work. or for students who just need a basic machine to help them out in their studies. If you think that you come under this category, then this machine is Highly Recommenced for you.

I would like to see companies like Everex in India. Personal computer for just Rs 7920 is good if not great, that too with 24*7 support for 1 year. I think low cost branded machines like this has good scope in India. In India branded systems are costly, thanks to Windows licensing fee. Assembled PCs are more popular in India, just due to their cost factor. Assembled systems does not come with pre installed Windows, hence they are damn cheap compared to branded systems with Windows.

If Everex sells this machine in India, even for Rs 10,000 ($250) along with 1 Year support, I am sure that this machine will sell like a hot cake.

I wish all the best for Everex for their new gPC.

Links:

• Desktop Linux
  
• gOS Screenshots

OpenSuse 10.3 Wallpapers

Here are the default wallpapers of OpenSuse distro.

OpenSuse 10.1

Normal version:



Wide-screen version:



OpenSuse 10.2

Normal version:



Wide-screen version:



OpenSuse 10.3

Normal version:



Wide-screen version:



After looking into these default wallpapers of OpenSuse, I must admit the fact that, OpenSuse community has some of the most talented graphics designers. Kudos to them.

Ubuntu-7.10 Gutsy Gibbon released

Today Ubuntu-7.10, code named Gutsy Gibbon is released into the wild.

Here is a screenshot of Ubuntu-7.10



It looks like all the download servers including the mirrors are quite busy, so its a good idea to download Ubuntu through torrent.

You can download the torrent for Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) - Desktop CD i386 here.

In case you want to download 64bit version or just want DVD instead of CD then visit here.

If you have very slow internet connection then you may want to get FREE ubuntu CD's delivered to your door step. Order your FREE CD's here.

NY Stock Exchange Moves to Unix/Linux

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is migrating off a 1,600 millions of instructions per second (MIPS) mainframe to IBM System p servers running AIX and x86 Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) servers running Linux, with the first part of the move going live today.



Francis Feldman, the vice president of the shared data center for Securities Industry Automation Corp. (SIAC), the NYSE's technology arm, said the bottom line for the migration was the bottom line. He estimates the move will halve the cost of transactions, and though he wouldn't detail how much that would mean on a yearly basis, he said it is "serious financial savings, very serious."

Trades executed on the floor of the NYSE are matched and sent by the mainframe to The Depository Trust and Clearing Corp., which clears and settles the trades. At night the mainframe handles batch processing and supports regulatory requirements. But Feldman and SIAC found that the costs of running Big Iron, which includes the manpower, software licensing and services, were prohibitive as long as they were under a 2,500 MIPS mainframe.

"The mainframe simply did not make sense," Feldman said. "For the type of work we run, we found price points that were more attractive on different platforms."

Links:

• techtarget.com
  

Motorola finally launches U.S. Linux phone

At New York press conference Motorola CEO Ed Zander finally introduced Linux-based "Rokr" and "Razr2" models of mobiles for the US market.



Motorola announced plans to adopt Linux more than four years ago, but has shipped Linux phones in volume only in Asia and Latin America, to date.

Razr2 (aka RAZR2)

Zander called the Razr2 the "biggest technology upgrade" in the brand's two-and-a-half year history. He said, "Our Linux/Java platform will be available on some versions of Razr2, taking us to our next generation."

Zander touted Razr2 hardware upgrades for reduced thickness, and added strength and smarts. He confirmed that Razr2 phones will use "monolithic" processors based on ARM11 and clocked at 500MHz. Other touted hardware features include high-speed USB 2.0, a steel frame with cast aluminum hinge, and new assembly techniques producing a more seamless look. "We've lost the Rokr's double chin," he said.

Other touted Razr2 features include:

1. "Crystal-talk" adaptive technology adjusts volume based on ambient noise
   
2. Talking phone features for use by the blind, in cars, etc
   
3. Ability to send pre-set messages in response to incoming text messages, without flipping open
   
4. "Best music experience" in feature/fashion phone segment
   
5. Full web browser
   
6. 2MP camera with multi-shot feature
   
7. Personal video conferencing
   

More info about the Rokr2 can be found here.

MotoRokr Z6 (formerly MotoRizr Z6)

Motorola announced the MotoRizr Z6 in January, touting it as the first Linux phone to support all of Microsoft's Windows Media technologies. Now known as the MotoRokr Z6, the phone officially launches today, with global roll-out expected over the next several weeks.

The Z6 has a unique slider form factor aimed at clearly delineating modality. In other words, "Closed, it's an MP3 player. Open, it's a phone," Dale said.



Dale also called the Z6 "Our first true Linux/Java product," presumably a reference to the device's monolithic processor architecture, on which a real-time enabled version of Linux may provide both control- and data-plane functionality; earlier Motorola phones used VRTX or other real-time OSes on separate baseband processors to handle signal processing and run the cellular modem.

Other touted features include:

1. PC song sync at 3 sec/song -- three times faster than Sony Walkman phones
   
2. Song storage on removable 2GB SD/MMC cards
   
3. Simple music management using Windows Media Player
   
4. X9 stereo bluetooth headphones included in European package
   

All I can say after looking into these mobiles is WOW !!!

For sure my next mobile will be from Motorola !!

Links:

• Linux Devices
  
• Gizmodo

Ubuntu 7.04 - Feisty Fawn is OUT

Yeah... This is my most awaited Ubuntu release since Ubuntu Dapper Drake LTS. I have been testing Feisty Fawn since Herd 3, till Beta, and sadly none of the builds worked properly on my new Core 2 Duo machine.



All of them failed to boot itself on my machine. Ubuntu bug tracker suggested that many other peoples are also having the similar problems with their new machines. The problem seems to be with the kernel and it has to do some thing with the PATA controller of our mother board. ( I used the Live CD version of the installer and I haven't yet tested the alternative CD build yet.) And Yeah.. I have tried custom kernel parameters such as irqpoll all-generic-ide no-splash verbose etc, but still it didn't work and right now I'm stuck with Windows XP on my computer.

But strangely I was able to install Ubuntu Dapper Drake LTS on my machine with out any custom kernel parameters and it worked like a charm.

But still I'm hungry to try the latest and possibly the greatest version of Ubuntu since I haven't used Ubuntu since last 6 months. I hope at least this final release will really shine on my new machine.

Actually Ubuntu was the reason for my new machine purchase. I was impressed by the beauty and performance of Ubuntu + Beryl and my last machine didn't had a graphics card. All it had was a integrated Intel graphics accelerator, and yeah I was able to test the basic version of compiz on it, Thanks to open source Intel graphics drivers . But that was not just enough for me , So I purchased this brand new machine with NVidia 6200 graphics card.

Right now I am downloading the Ubuntu Feisty Fawn CD image and waiting for download to complete so that I can kick a$$ of Windows out from my machine.

edit: It looks like we can now order FREE pressed cd's of Feisty Fawn. So order for the FREE pressed CD's if you can not afford to download the iso image.

Links:

• Ubuntu News - Feisty Fawn Released
  
• Ubuntu 7.04 - Feisty Fawn Release Notes
  
• Ubuntu 7.04 - Feisty Fawn Download Page