This month, we look at free projects as a replacement for Flash and Java. Both Flash and Java are so widespread that you can’t realistically do without them, so it’s a pity that both are released under proprietary licenses. The community has started to remedy the situation.

Running server systems in virtual environments is a popular approach, but the technology offers benefits to desktop users. In this article, we investigate some virtual desktop alternatives.

Tired of too many terminal windows? Mrxvt is a tab-based terminal tool that lets you manage several sessions in a single window.

Bochs, the granddaddy of all emulators, is alive and kicking; thanks to regular vitamin jabs, the lively old pretender can even handle Windows XP.

Xnee, Gnee, Cnee, and Pnee – these strangely named tools record and play back mouse and keyboard actions.

Even if you are not a programmer, you’ve probably heard of Subversion, a powerful tool for managing changes to software projects. Although Subversion is designed primarily for software developers, it can be useful to mere mortals as well.

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of the LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine. com

You don’t have to use the vim text editor as a latter day vi. These simple tricks will save you time and keystrokes.