Aug 16, 2012 GMT
Debian is the most influential Linux distribution ever. Of the 305 active distributions listed on Distrowatch, 147 are derived from Debian, and 87 from Ubuntu, Debian's most famous off-shoot. In other words, 77% of the distributions being used today wouldn't exist without Debian. That makes Debian's nineteenth anniversary on August 16 worth a moment's reflection, not just technologically, but socially as well.For me, Debian and free software are hopelessly intertwined. While I had played about with Linux before, I only went hardcore when I started work on 5 July, 1999 at Stormix Technologies, an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to commercialize Debian. From there, I jumped ship to...Off the Beat: Bruce Byfield's Blog
Aug 01, 2012 GMT
(Disclaimer: I wrote in support of The Ada Initiative, a Geek Feminism off-shoot, in the first months of its existence. From June to November 2011, I was on its advisory board. I then resigned and wrote more critically about it once or twice. Since then, I have written several times about feminism and computing, sometimes discussing as individuals people associated with both groups.)Given my history, at first I may seem the last person to comment on accusations that Geek Feminism is hostile to more conventional women and how they dress. Nor do I want to be guilty of "mansplaining" -- assuming that I know more than anyone else simply because I am male. However, I maintain that my...Jul 31, 2012 GMT
I spent much of last week dodging discussions of the shootings in Aurora. Too much of the discussion was predictable -- the same pro and anti gun arguments we've all heard hundreds of time, all made in that contextless way that is so peculiarly American, as though the rest of the world didn't exist, and none of the collective angst likely to change anything. And the little I heard despite my best efforts started nagging me. Somewhere, I had heard it all before.An immediate answer was the ramp-up for the Summer Olympics, with all the talk about excellence that's designed to pretend that the games are still about something besides nationalism and commercialism. Since the Winter Games were...Jul 25, 2012 GMT
GIMP is part of the standard installation of most distributions. The average free software user opens it to resize a photo or to convert to a different graphics format, exactly as they might keep a Porsche around for trips to the corner store. But those who might wonder how to get more from GIMP, Michael J. Hammel's The Artist's Guide to GIMP, now in its second edition and covering GIMP 2.8, is a thorough place to start, even though it is not altogether free of the organizing problems that covering such a large topic.GIMP is a graphics application (although admittedly not for text), so a book on it requires a certain level of typography for credibility. Its publisher, No Starch Press, as...Jul 17, 2012 GMT
Last month, Joshua Gay and Donald Robertson III, two long time employees, took on responsibility for the Free Software Foundation's (FSF) compliance lab (http://www.fsf.org/licensing/). Already, they are finding that having two people not only allows them to do more, but to organize more for future growth as well."Already, we're doing all the things Brett was doing and rolling out new projects," Gay and Robertson say. They are referring to Brett Smith, the former solo employee for the lab, who is now employed by the W3 Consortium. Under Smith and his lone predecessor David Turner, the compliance lab developed the policy of focusing on education and assistance rather than...Jul 06, 2012 GMT
Over the years, I've endured my share of jokes about having worked in marketing. Never mind that it's only one of many fields in which I've worked, nor that I always tried to work from a technical understanding of what I was promoting; the average marketer and programmer think so differently that the ribbing is inevitable. I'm just glad that so much of it has been good-natured. But part of me has always been slightly ashamed of my marketing experience -- until this last week, when I realized that knowing a little about marketing has twice helped me to keep me some perspective when those around me were losing theirs.The first occasion was the Google Glass demo last week...Jun 28, 2012 GMT
You don't often hear about lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals, and queers (LGBTQ) in free software. Like the rest of the community, they're too busy contributing to their projects of choice. However, this past week, two events have emphasized the fact that they exist.The first event is the centenary of Alan Turing's birth. If you know anything about the history of computing, you must have heard of him: the builder of proto-computers, the cryptographer primarily responsible for cracking the German Enigma code in World War 2, and the inventor of the Turing Test for evaluating artificial intelligence.What you may not known was that, found guilty of the victimless crime of...Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs