What is in a (Linux) Name?

January 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you are like many others, researching the etymology of names is a fascinating concept. Whether you want to find out what country your name originated from, what your name means, or find out what famous people share the same name, there is usually an interesting story behind every name.

The same goes for the creator of the development of the Linux kernel, Linus Torvalds, and the founder of the Debian computer operating system, Ian Murdock.

Linus Benedict Torvalds

Linus Benedict Torvalds, now the chief architect of the Linus Kernel, was born on December 28, 1969, in Helsinki, Finland. He attended the University of Helsinki from 1988 to 1996 receiving his master’s degree in computer science from the NODES research group. It was in 1990, that he discovered UNIX for the first time.

Torvalds says his parents named him after Linus Pauling, an American Nobel Prize-winning chemist. Linus Torvalds also said in the book Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution that he also believed his parents named him after Linus in the Peanuts cartoon. He believes he is “half Nobel-prize-winning chemist and half blanket-carrying cartoon character”.

At the beginning of his work on Linux, Torvalds stored all his files under the name Freax, ‘free’ and ‘x’, alluding to UNIX. He at first considered Linux but dismissed the name as “too egotistical”.

Ian Murdock

Ian Murdock, the founder of Debian, was born on April 28, 1973, in Konstanz, Germany. While earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Purdue University, Murdock wrote the Debian Manifesto in 1993.

Murdock named Debian after his then-girlfriend Debra Lynn, and after himself, Deb and Ian. The Debian Project Leader from August of 1993 until March of 1996, Ian Murdock joined Sun, and led Project Indiana, or OpenSolaris.

From March of 2007 to February of 2010, Murdock served as the Vice President of Emerging Platforms at Sun. When Sun merged with Oracle, Ian Murdock resigned his position with the company.

 

 

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Who Uses Linux Operating Systems?

December 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 21: A customer looks ...
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The Linux operating system has become a popular choice of many individuals and companies. While other operating systems might be unstable and offer security risks, Linux offers companies and individuals the chance to run their computers on a system that is stable and safe.

With all the buzz going on about Linux what and the wave of companies choosing to go with this operating system, here is a look at some of the popular companies that have made the switch to Linux operating systems.

Rental Offices. Personal businesses and retail companies all across the company are switching to the Linux operating system. Many Los Angeles apartments have rental offices that are hooked up through Linux so that they can fill out rental information as well as resident information.

Google. Google is pretty much the king of the Internet and Internet searches. All of its main branch computer systems are hooked up through the Linux system. Even Google servers for the search engines run on Linux.

Government agencies. Many government agencies across the globe are switching to Linux as a way to have a safer, more secure operating system than the ones used previously.

Amazon. Amazon made the switch to the Linux operating system within the past few years. There are thousands of computers within the Amazon offices that take orders, allow shipments to be shipped out and help in customer service areas. All of these computers run on Linux.

Hollywood film companies. Many Hollywood film companies that use 3-D technology rely upon the Linux operating system as a way to run their computers. There are less crashes and technical repairs that need to be done. It also allows these companies to work smoothly and not have as many technical issues.

These are just a quick look at some of the popular companies that are making the switch to the Linux operating system.

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Linux Announces the Linux.com T-shirt Design Winner

December 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Linux.com Screenshot
Image via Wikipedia

The Linux Foundation recently launched a new storefront for customers to buy t-shirts, mugs, hats, and stickers in order to support the Linux cause. The company also launched a Linux T-Shirt Design Contest that drew over 100 entries. Six finalists were chosen from the 100 entries. After over 8,000 votes, the foundation announced the winner of the contest. The design won by 57 percent (or 4,501 of the votes cast). The other 43 percent belonged to the remaining five finalists. The winning design was displayed on T-shirts in Linux.com store.

The Linux Foundation announced that Mr. Said Hassan, a marketing consultant SADAF Information Technology in Gaza, Palestine as the winner. Hassan said it “represents the collective work of the people.” As the winner, Mr. Hassan will receive travel expenses and a free pass to LinuxCon in Boston where “The People’s Product” design will be displayed at the store.

Amanda McPherson at the Linux. Foundation said, the People’s Product design is an important addition to the Linux.com Store to help generate revenue for activities that advance the Linux operating system,” said Amanda McPherson at The Linux Foundation.

The Linux.com Store is an online marketplace where you can purchase items from a line of original T-shirts, hats, mugs, and other items. Six finalists were chosen from more than 100 design entries. Designers competed for the grand prize and encouraged their personal networks to vote.

Said’s design reads “We Made IT.” The T-Shirt design demonstrates the contributions of a worldwide community working to produce an innovative operating system. As the winner, Said gets a free pass to LinuxCon in Boston (along with travel expenses). T-shirts with the winning design will also be available to purchase at the conference.

Filed Under: Computers, Linux, Linux versions, Operating Systems Tagged With: , , ,

Backing Up Data Files

December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As a computer user, you’ve spent hours saving file to your computer’s hard drive, and in most cases, it’s information that you need to save. You can’t afford to lose information; it’s valuable. If you use your computer on a regular basis (as many people do), it’s critical to back up your files on a regular basis. As a general rule, you should back up the data files on your hard drive every week. Data files are anything you create on your computer’s hard drive, include databases, documents, and spreadsheets.

If you don’t have an external hard drive or network attached drive available to you, more recently, your choices for backing up data files include either a CD or DVD burner (assuming you don’t have an external hard drive or network). Since a CD holds 400 or 500 times much more information than a floppy disk, it’s a much better option for storing files.

Many years ago when computers were first invented, the only way to back up files was to use a floppy disk. It was an ineffective way to back up files, since the disk held on 1.44 megabytes of data (which isn’t very much information).

When backing up data files, keep in mind that you don’t have to back up every single file on your hard drive, especially if you’re a Linux user. In that case, you’ll only need to back up a few files that exist outside of your Home directory. If, you were to lose all the data on your computer (heaven forbid) or your hard drive, you’re options are to reinstall the Linux operating system. In addition, you’d need to restore the backed-up contents of your Home directory. Typically, your Home directory contains your personal mail file, as well as setting and preference for the applications installed on your computer.

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A Brief Look at Wine for Linux

November 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When you make the switch, and start using a Linux distribution as your operating system, you may feel a little nervous. Many people today have grown up using Windows Microsoft, and they are comfortable with the look, feel, and programs that come along with it. Luckily, if you have made the decision to use Linux, but still have some Microsoft programs that you want to use, you are in luck. There are programs out there that will allow you to do this. The most popular of these is Wine.

Wine, like many other open source programs, is free. It allows programs that are written and used by Microsoft to be able to run on other operating systems. Some people are concerned that Wine is an emulator, but it is not. It acts as a compatibility layer.

The Wine project was started in 1993. It has since its inceptions, been somewhat of a difficult process for its developers. Not only are some of the documentations of Windows incorrect, but many things have had to be reverse engineered, which requires a lot more time and effort.

Some people are concerned that wine hurts other applications that are made to be used with Linux, or that it is completely pointless. While people who use Wine to gain access to Windows based programs may not use the similar open source program, that does not mean that there are not many more people that are using those programs. Many people feel the need, or legitimately have the need to use certain Microsoft programs, and if a program like Wine was not available, they would not be using Linux at all.

Wine is a program that is constantly being changed, added to, and updated. currently, not every Microsoft program is working, and the program will continually be expanded. If using Windows programs is a concern that you have about moving to Linux, don’t let it be a concern any longer.

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Photo Editing and Other Multimedia Programs for Linux

November 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you are a designer, or just enjoy editing pictures, you may be concerned about the compatibility of a Linux distribution operating system and your favorite photo editing program. Unfortunately, not all photo editing programs are available to use with Linux, but even if your favorite isn’t, there are great options for other photo editing programs.

One of the most well known programs that is usable with Linux is GIMP. This is a free, open source photo editing program that you can use. It is great for both the experienced photo editors, as well as novices. Even if you are not currently using Linux, GIMP is usable for other operating systems as well. It is seen as one of the best, if not the best, free open source program that you can get for editing your pictures. It has been compared to Adobe Photoshop, and has a lot of the same functionality.

ImageMagick is another open source program that you can use to edit your pictures. It supports a wide variety of picture formats. There are quite a few different special effects that you can add to your pictures, as well as changing colors, scaling, flipping, and more. Though it has been said that this program is not as powerful as GIMP, it is still very functional for most people.

If you are wanting to create images, mvComicsMaker may be an option for you. With this program you can make vector images, and create bitmap files. You can even make animated images with this program! If you are wanting to get a little more in depth with your animations and do some 3D, Blender is a program that offers you a professional grade application.

Depending on what you want to do with your photos or images, there are different programs that you can find in the open source market that will surely fit your wants and needs!

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Office Software of Linux

November 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The Microsoft Office Core Applications

Image via Wikipedia

One thing that many people are concerned with when they move from Microsoft Window to a Linux based operating system is that they will not have the office software that they are used to working with. While the software that is available for a Linux based operating system may be a little different than what you are used to with Windows, there are still options and programs that can help anyone.

Open Office is currently the most widespread and well known of the programs that are considered office software. It has been made to be compatible with many, if not all, major office programs out there. In fact, many people who do not use Linux also use openoffice, because of the complete compatibility that it has. It is a completely free program, and has multiple applications that can be used.

If you are looking for something that focuses just on spreadsheets, Gnumeric could be a great option. The entire goal of the program has been to make the absolute best spreadsheet possible. They have also made it an effort to not copy other, existing applications exactly. Gnumeric is able to open files that have been saved on other spreadsheets.

If you are looking for a processor that will help you structure your documents how you want them to be, and give a great looking product right away, you may want to look at LyX. This program focuses on the structure of the document more than the appearance, and you don’t have to worry nearly as much about formatting or playing around to make it look good.

No matter what you are looking for in your office software, you can find great options that are free and open source. If you still prefer Microsoft Office, a program such as Wine may be able to help you get what you want for your Linux based operating system.

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Recognizable Companies That Use Linux

November 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There are many companies that you are familiar with that use Linux as their operating systems. In fact, you may be surprised by the companies that rely on a Linux distribution for their every day workings.

If you have ever shopped at Burlington Coat Factory, you know that the store is a large factory outlet for mens clothing, women’s clothing, children’s clothing, and more. They actually have nearly 300 stores, which are located in 42 states throughout the United States. Burlington uses a Linux based operating system in their warehouses, back offices, and even their gift registry.

There are multiple large oil companies that use Linux in their daily operations. Amerada Hess Corporation, as well as Conoco.

You may be interested to find out that Cisco, which is a company that makes routers throughout the world, has their printing services running off of Linux. At one point, they signed a large agreement with Microsoft, and as part of that agreement, Cisco stated that they were an “all Microsoft” company. Cisco’s IT staff was unable to work correctly in Microsoft though, and is now working in a Linux based operating system.

There are even entire cities that use Linux based operating systems for their business offices. The City of Largo, Florida uses a Linux operating system, as well as the government of Mexico City. They could not justify the cost of Windows any longer, when they could get Linux for much, much cheaper. Even the United States Army, Federal courts, and Postal services use Linux bases for many of their operations.

Google, which is the most widely used search engine in the world would not work correctly if they did not use the extreme customizability of a Linux operating system.

There are many companies, both large and small, that use Linux based operating systems for their back end, daily use, warehousing, and more. Linux is a great system not only for companies, but also for individual users.

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Games for Linux

November 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Day 48 - Frozen Bubble
Image by Nick J Adams via Flickr

If you are looking for some games to play on your Linux based operating system, you may feel like you have come across some snags. Quite a few of today’s most popular computer games are not compatible on a Linux based system. There is hope, though. There are many games that are able to be played on Linux, without worrying about using Wine or dual booting your system.

If you are interested in shooter games, America’s Army may be a good option for you. This game was actually originally made and distributed by the United States Government. Originally, it was used as a tool for new army recruits to train by. This has become a very popular game for Linux users that want to get out and shoot some bad guys.

Another first person shooter that is enjoyed by many people is Cube 2. It is known by gamers to be a game that is both quick, as well as easy, to get into. Cube is also a game engine, and so if you are also a game developer, you can actually create your own game with the engine.

If you prefer puzzle games, Pingus is a great game. You must tell the penguins in your control exactly what they should be doing. The end goal of the game is to get all of your penguins to the exit.

Frozen Bubble is another puzzle game that is extremely popular. You must get groups of at least 3 of the same color bubble together, for them to go away.

No matter what type of game you are looking for, most likely you will find one that will work for you on your Linux computer. There are so many types of games that have been developed for Linux, that it is difficult for people to say today that there are not good games for the system.

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Multimedia Options for Linux

November 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Some things that many people do on their personal, and maybe even their work computers, are listen to music, watch videos, or talk to friends or coworkers. No matter what operating system you are using, it is essential for many people to be able to do these things.

If you are looking to play some music, KPlayer is one of the multimedia players you may be interested in. You can play both audio and video files, as well as stream information from this platform. MPlayer and RealPlayer for Linux are also both great options. Many people will feel most comfortable with RealPlayer for Linux, simply because it is a program that they may recognize from when the used Windows.

Video players are also important to many. The vlc media player is a great program that works on many platforms. It handles discs, streaming, and other files. RealPlayer for Linux and other of the music players will also allow you to play video on them, as well.

There are many options if you want to talk to coworkers or friends. If you are playing a game, or just want to talk to someone vocally through your computer, TeamSpeak is a great application that allows people to speak to each other over the internet. Pidgin is a messaging service that works on many platforms. It actually supports many of the common messaging services, such as Yahoo, Google Talk, AIM, and more. Xchat is a chat client based on IRC. It is usable both in Windows and Linux, and allows file transfers, connection to multiple channels, and even private messaging.

No matter what type of program you are looking for when it comes to multimedia, you can find it all for your Linux computer. Multimedia is a large part of many people’s lives, and most feel that their computers would not be complete without the opportunity to talk to others, watch a video, or listen to some music.


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