Been using Web OS's lately?

So I was in the Linux Outlaws IRC channel some time ago, when someone mentioned eyeOS. Curiously I Googled the term and found the official site and hastily created an account, and I liked it. But then I wondered, are there alternative eyeOS setups to this? and are they better? eyeOS is open source after all.

I looked at those setup by eyeOS fans in the eyeOS forums, and they seemed pretty much the same as eyeos.info (the official eyeOS).

Then I found eye-os.co.uk. Not only does it look better than every eyeOS out there I've seen so far, it boasts a large 1 GB quota for files, has more applications and looks amazing! I'm sure they must have made some serious changes to their implementation of eyeOS.

Not convinced yet? try it out at http://www.eye-os.co.uk

Arch Linux: a breath of fresh air

A while back, I became reluctant to try 'difficult to use' distro's and OS's; Windows 7 didn't play well with FreeBSD on my triple boot Ubuntu-Windows7-XP setup (and I was too lazy to look for a solution), and Gentoo took far too long to install and setup for my liking.

But then I found Arch, being customizable, without the emphasis on compiling almost everything (Gentoo *cough*), and by installing only what you want and nothing more, unlike some other popular desktop focused distro's, Arch was a breath of fresh air. Arch is also a rolling release, so improvements are continually added rather than the Ubuntu style 6 month release cycle, packages are also updated very quickly in the pacman repositories (not just security updates).

I won't recommend it for novices, but if you have some knowledge of linux (alright a bit more than some) I say give it a go. You can find it here: http://www.archlinux.org/ .

Xubuntu Jaunty Jackalope is Frickin' Awesome!

I've been using the new Xubuntu beta, codenamed "Jaunty Jackalope" for a few weeks now and I am throughly impressed; it really does seem like the Xubuntu Team are improving the distro from one version to another.
The first thing I noticed (after the X server with Intel GPU bug was sorted out) was the boot up and running speed, it seems noticeably faster than Intrepid. The various tweaks you may want to apply to Xubuntu, whether Xubuntu specific or the new Xfce 4.6, are right there in the Applications menu, as well as a Add/Remove button for easy install and removal of the most popular linux applications. The compositing feature of Xfce 4.6 with its opacity settings for windows helps the desktop look better in a useful way, for example when inactive windows are more transparent than the rest of the desktop, your eyes naturally focus on windows which are active. SMB shares and non-root local disks are now easier to access using Gigolo which also supports other remote filesystems.
Want to give it a try? http://xubuntu.com/news/jaunty/beta remember though, its a beta, so if you are after stability, I don't recommend it quite yet...

Have YOU tried KDE 4.2?

I seem to be attracted to eye candy; and the new KDE 4.2 released late January this year keeps me satisfied, at least in this respect. Setting up Desktop Effects (which uses Compiz) is simple with a single button click on Kubuntu.


When I first experienced Linux a few years back with Knoppix and KDE 3.5 I liked the way it looked as well as the ease of transition from the Windows world (which is all I knew at the time). After that I switched to Gnome, Xfce and the two earlier KDE 4's at various times over the years. I have to say the new KDE is more stable than any other KDE 4 I've used, applications don't seem to crash so much, in fact I haven't had a single crash yet since installing it this morning on my triple boot Xubuntu/OSX/Windows XP box. Only time will let me judge for myself how stable the new KDE really is. It also seems faster than the other KDE 4's.
Some have also likened the KDE4 panel to the Windows 7 equivalent; having installed the Windows 7 beta in VirtualBox I have to agree on this point, it certainly does look similar. I bet the KDE and Windows fan's are debating this very thing as I'm writing this post!
I will not recommend KDE for anyone who needs or prefers a lightweight Desktop Environment, in fact I would recommend the opposite, don't use KDE; use Xfce (or Fluxbox if you really don't care about looks). But for those who like to experiment and are visual people, give KDE4 a go, you might just like it!

The year of the Linux netbook?

I went to a popular computer retailer recently to purchase a new bigger bag for my laptop (and books), and was happy to see netbooks with Linux pre-installed on them. I'm not quite sure which distributions were on them, but my guess is Ubuntu.
Has Linux finally become mainstream? It seems now that its only a matter of time until Linux becomes as popular as the others out there, given that the most popular distros (spearheaded by Canonicals Ubuntu) are becoming easier to use than ever before. Its also completely free, the equivalent Linux netbooks are generally cheaper than there Windows counterparts.
As little as five years ago, I don't think anyone could have predicted with any certainty that Linux would have evolved into a working desktop OS, although many hoped for just that.
I just have to say congratulations to the FOSS community for bringing such a brilliant OS to more than just the Unix geeks (even though I would call myself just that).

Is it a PC? is it a Mac? Its both!

After countless attempts trying to get OS X on my laptop, and almost losing hope in the whole scene, I finally got the thing to work!


I had tried installing various OSX86 'distros', until finally after realizing that I had problems booting it from external hard disk and buying a £15 (or thereabouts) compatible Mini PCIe wifi card, i got it to work with almost no hassle after the successful install.
If you would like to get OS X on your PC, be prepared for trouble (at least for most people and hardware), but if you get past the headache causing part your left with what is, at the moment, my favourite OS. I mean its just beautiful!

Tips to get OSX86 working on your PC:
1. Do your research, check out http://www.insanelymac.com/
2. Be persistent; if one distro doesn't work, or the customizations don't work, try something else
3. You may need to purchase new hardware to get some things to work