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Making SUSE Linux 10.1 the perfect desktop OS
by Jem Matzan (May 31, 2006)
When you're done downloading and installing SUSE Linux 10.1 OSS, your desktop system is not complete. You might still need support for Java programs, MP3 audio files, and browser plug-ins for Macromedia Flash, Adobe Acrobat, RealPlayer, and Windows Media Video. You may also want to add support for ...
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Setting up a Moodle education server
by Mark Rais (May 31, 2006)
This introductory article provides step-by-step instructions for installing Moodle, a Learning Management System, on a Fedora Linux server. The article provides everything necessary to setup a full-powered intranet web-server that can support course listings, event calendars, student/teacher communication, and more. Best of all, a prototype server can be functional within ...
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Get ready for the Vista/SUSE smackdown!
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (May 30, 2006)
In one corner, we have the champ -- Windows. Come January, it will come out swinging with what Microsoft tells us is the latest and greatest version ever -- Vista.
In the other corner, we have the challenger -- OpenSUSE 10.1, ...
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Singing the OpenSUSE package manager blues
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (May 23, 2006)
My current favorite desktop Linux is OpenSUSE 10.1. I can say all kinds of good things about it, except when it comes to the package manager. Unfortunately, the package manager, which the administration tool YaST uses for adding new programs and updating old ones, currently has serious problems....
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Keeping Thunderbird from breaking
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (May 16, 2006)
My love/hate relationship with Thunderbird, the Mozilla Foundation's email client, continues. On the one hand, Thunderbird's a very good open-source email/Usenet/RSS client. It's easy to filter, search, and sort messages with Thunderbird -- even with multiple mail accounts. And, unlike Evolution, my favorite email program, ...
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Giving desktop Linux a try
by Doug Roberts (May 8, 2006)
Foreword: In this interesting guest column, Doug Roberts, a desktop Linux user for about two years, shares his perspective on switching from Windows to Linux, and what to think about when you decide to take the plunge. After an initial, unsuccessful attempt to install Xandros, Roberts tried a Knoppix live ...
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Freespire: Great idea? Awful idea?
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (May 2, 2006)
It's a simple idea. Take the Linspire Debian-based Linux distribution and bundle it with every proprietary driver and program that's available for Linux. Ta-da, an instant Linux that's compatible with far more hardware and applications....
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Making sense out of SUSE's delta releases
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (May 1, 2006)
With a cold on one side and a complete Internet connection meltdown on the other, I've been having a heck of a time keeping up with my email. Still, before my ISP, Bell South, hosed my DSL connection and my cold medicine knocked me out, I got a message asking: ...
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Student research report: Desktop Linux in Government
by David B. Rankin (Apr. 25, 2006)
Foreword: This research report by a third-year graduate student examines the growing use of desktop Linux among governments in the U.S. and globally. Drawing on published research and comments from industry analysts, the author hypothesizes that desktop Linux may be nearing a tipping point within government settings, ...
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Curmudgeon deems SUSE 10.1 "really cool and solid"
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Apr. 19, 2006)
This is one really, really cool and solid distribution. OK, before I go any further I should point out that SUSE 10.1 (code name: Agama Lizard) isn't actually released yet. I've been kicking the tires of the first SUSE 10.1 "Release Candidate."...
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A Linux desktop fairy tale
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Mar. 21, 2006)
Once upon a time, long long ago, everyone who was anyone in the Kingdom of Linux used SlackWare. Then, along came Red Hat, which many people in the kingdom thought was neater and had a great package manager....
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Top 10 reasons Linux pwns your OS
by Scott M. Morris (Mar. 16, 2006)
You've probably heard the talk and seen the articles from Linux enthusiasts on how virtually any Linux distro can run rings around Windows. To help clarify things, Scott M. Morris, the editor of Novell's CoolSolutions website, has complied all the key reasons in one handy, bookmarkable article....
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The other big Linux office suites
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (March 13, 2006)
If you're new to Linux, you may be excused for thinking that there are only two note-worthy Linux office suites: OpenOffice.org and its commercial brother, StarOffice. Nothing could be further from the truth. By my count, there are three other significant Linux office suites....
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Old OEMs, new Linux tricks?
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Mar. 13, 2006)
I've been thinking a lot, lately, about PC manufacturers and desktop Linux. I've long believed that for desktop Linux to really get going, it needs big-time vendor support, with OEMs like Dell, HP, and Gateway putting Linux PCs on the shelves of Best Buy, Circuit City, and CompUSA. ...
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OpenOffice is ten years behind MS Office? That's just fine!
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Mar. 6, 2006)
In an interview with Australian online technology newspaper IT Wire, Alan Yates, general manager of business strategy for Microsoft's information worker group, said that OpenOffice.org is about where MS-Office was 10 years ago. That is to say, Microsoft seems to think OpenOffice.org is only good for single-desktop users....
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WordPerfect for Linux lives on
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jan. 30, 2006)
Corel Corp. may have given up on bringing WordPerfect to Linux, but that doesn't mean Linux users have to give up on running WordPerfect on Linux....
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Why we need Windows apps ported on Linux
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jan. 27, 2006)
Novell has had one of those amazingly simple ideas that make you ask: "Why didn't I think of that?" The Linux vendor is using its Cool Solutions community-relations website to conduct an online public survey to determine which Windows-only applications people want to run on their Linux systems....
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Getting scanners to work with Linux
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jan. 26, 2006)
I recently received a note from a disgruntled Linux user. He was having an awful time trying to get his unidentified USB Canon scanner to work with his copy of Xandros Desktop 3. He's not the only one stuck in that position....
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Choosing a desktop Linux distro
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jan. 24, 2006)
Probably everyone who reads DesktopLinux.com -- and certainly yours truly -- encounters the same question over and over again: "What's the best Linux desktop distribution?" Now, while some people will swear up and down that Slackware or Fedora or even Puppy, for that matter, ...
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How one reviewer approaches the art of reviewing
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Jan. 6, 2006)
I've been receiving a fair amount of e-mail from people who are sure that I don't know Linux, but their notes are really showing me that they don't know reviewing. I don't hold that against them. Few people know how reviews really work....
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More Articles...
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Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.
Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.
Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.
Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.
Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.
Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.
Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.
SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.
Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.
Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.
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