The Joy of Linux Myth Debunking, Aug 24, 2009

It was with much joy that the Linux community saw two harmful myths about open source get put in their places recently.

Is Microsoft behind a conspiracy to keep Linux-powered netbooks off the market?

Does FOSS need a common packaging framework?

If we agree to accept the premise that Linux is not yet perfect, then does it need more outside critics to guide its development path? Or are there already too many? Or, as Goldilocks might say, is the number just right?

Device and hardware makers are discovering the flexibility of the Linux stack as the foundation of a platform for mobile applications that bring value to the wares they want to sell. Complications exist, but manufacturers are working through them to further drive the adoption of the Linux stack.

Is IBM preventing desktop Linux from flourishing?

What does the sale of the Ubuntu Hardy Heron Long Term Support package for $20 at Best Buy mean for the Linux community? While Adam Kane, a blogger on Foogazi, said it "ultimately [is] a great thing for Linux in general," others in the community were less upbeat in their comments.

Lenovo has introduced a Linux-based mobile Internet device that could be an iPhone killer in terms of the user experience. While the device's hardware is significantly larger than the iPhone, it is also vastly more capable.

When it comes to choosing a computer this holiday season, many of the hottest options are boxes that run alternatives to Microsoft Windows as their operating system. PCs and laptops running Linux are making strides in the consumer market, and for good reason. Linux machines are cheaper and often more energy efficient than their Windows and Mac counterparts.

The story had a certain flair. In early March, the chief information officer of the Federal Aviation Administration, David Bowen, was reportedly considering forsaking Microsoft Windows and Office in favor of the Linux operating system and the Web-based Google Apps Premium office suite.

While there are several different distributions of Linux specifically aimed at educators and students, they are not all created equal. Most, however, bear striking similarities -- both in the basic code and in the assortment of software offerings bundled into the distribution. Though each flavor of Linux has its own pros and cons, that variety may actually work to a user's advantage.

South Africa announced Thursday its plan to use open source software on government-run computer systems.

If you think that there are no great games for Linux, think again! We are taking a look at 10 of some of the most popular Linux games... that just so happen to be completely free!

Having been raised on DOS and the early generations of Windows, I rediscovered that sense of excitement in a pure computing experience when I first tried other Linux versions over the years. However, they required a steep learning curve and caused too much frustration with setup and obscure command-line options. Not so with Ubuntu Linux.

Richard Stallman is a free software pioneer. As president of the Free Software Foundation and founder of the GNU Project, he is also an evangelist of a free society in which people have inaliable rights to run, study, copy and distribute software. As such, Stallman is often grieved when he reads news reports that lump the GNU Project in with the open source movement

With Linux, the customer often expects to get the product for free and wants the retail price of Windows deducted from his/her purchase price. There are no funds passed back to the vendor and, because Linux is different, customers tend to place more service calls -- at $85 a call. As a result, the vendor generally ends up losing money.

At the center of the new migration initiative under Move2Lotus is "Migrate to the Penguin." IBM is introducing a limited time only rebate program for eligible IBM Software Resellers who move customers from Microsoft Exchange to Lotus Notes and Domino on Linux collaboration offerings.

Chilean software development firm Linux Center and its Mexican subsidiary Tallard Telecom plan to open five Linux showcase operation centers in the region -- one in Santiago, three in Mexico and one in Venezuela -- according to Chilean newspaper La Segunda.

If you're looking for a Linux blockbuster, you might have to wait for a while. On the other hand, if you need Linux for a cell phone, to manage a network switch, or to run a cluster, it's already here. It no longer pays to talk about the major justifications of one operating system over another at this level.

People often ask me how likely it is that an open-source license like the GNU General Public License will ever be enforced. When they ask that, they usually mean: "If I violate it will I get caught?"