tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237356152012-01-23T12:21:54.910ZA blog about technology, Linux and stuff...Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.comBlogger1911100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-9523918896159034532012-01-23T11:46:00.003Z2012-01-23T12:03:35.055Z

Hi,For years I kept this blog going by writing about technology in general and Linux operating systems in particular.But as we grow older, we change and our interests change and we follow new directions.My new direction has been... outdoor.Basically, in the years since I last wrote a Linux review on this blog, I have spent a lot of my free time - practically all of it, really - outdoors.I have

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-74293603230191678522011-11-03T15:24:00.002Z2011-11-03T15:27:04.085Z

So, I'm using Ubuntu 11.10 and I would be quite enjoying the experience - except I hate the Unity interface with a passion (seems I'm not alone in this regard).So I changed my default desktop environment to LXDE.There... that's better. A proper desktop again. Nice.

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-31200537527252118042010-07-14T10:11:00.002Z2010-07-14T10:16:12.019Z

HAVING spent three days in the company of an Apple iPad, I thought it might be helpful to give a more considered verdict on the gadget everyone is talking about.The Good...The minimalist, industrial-sleek design makes iPad hugely desirable - guests at the Auchrannie Hotel on Arran, where I was staying at the weekend, were eyeing it covetously.The screen display is beautiful: Fonts display better

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-69522800460603969322010-03-31T11:56:00.012Z2010-03-31T16:00:24.620Z

WHAT price do you put on a principle?Some people put their principles before their lives, dragging the whole of the human race along with them to a better place.But those are the really big, spotlight principles, like freedom of speech, equality and justice.What of the less well-known, less glamorous principles, like the freedom to use and modify computer software in any way you choose, so long

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-33934116421669409172010-03-21T11:36:00.005Z2010-03-29T22:05:21.406Z

MY fondness for CrunchBang Linux is well documented, so when the release of the first alpha version of the next generation of this fine UK-based distribution was announced I was excited, to say the least.Regulars on the CrunchBang forum have known for some time that distro leader Philip Newborough was considering ending his creation's Ubuntu foundations, moving instead to being built from

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-67700204042939123102010-03-15T12:10:00.011Z2010-03-15T22:17:52.789Z

NOT wishing to pass full judgement on a distro until it has reached its final release stage - it is not fair on the developers - I nevertheless thought it might be useful to offer some early, 'First Look' observations about PCLinuxOS 2010.Rather than base my first impressions on a live CD session or a virtual machine, I decided to do a full install of this first beta release on a 10GB test

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-46692968561160833952010-03-12T11:31:00.011Z2010-03-12T11:45:35.475Z

NORWEGIAN browser firm Opera have struggled to make a major impact on the desktop dominance of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, and even newcomer Google Chrome is gaining more publicity on the web.But one area where Opera stand a good chance of gaining ground is in the mobile web space.This week the company released a beta version of their Opera Mini 5 browser for the Android platform, part

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-77518034625463113082010-03-08T12:29:00.006Z2010-03-08T14:38:45.740Z

I WANT to love e-books and e-readers, I really do. The gadget-lover in me says I should but the sad fact is, I just don't.A couple of weeks spent with Amazon's Kindle DX with Global Wireless, now on sale in the UK, has done little to change my opinion.The DX has a quality feel to it, particularly when it's shrouded in the leather-look black cover that makes it look like a super-slim,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-64706817694453467402010-03-08T11:25:00.006Z2010-03-09T12:55:43.200Z

QUESTION: When is a smartphone not a smartphone? Answer: When it's a Nokia N900. Think of the new N900 not so much as a smartphone, but as a mini-netbook with smartphone capabilities. I say mini, but the N900 is chunky in the way the N95 was chunky, but I like that – it feels solid and sturdy in the hand, even if it does create unseemly bulges in your pocket.The N900 uses a new operating system,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-5751856577826722142010-03-07T22:39:00.010Z2010-03-07T23:05:36.226Z

DIFFERENT is good. Different is refreshing, interesting, challenging.Elive 2.0 is different, but that does not necessarily mean that you are going to be happy with it. Why? Well, let me explain.Elive 2.0 is the newest stable version of a Linux distribution - based on Debian and using the Enlightenment 17 window manager/desktop shell - which bucks the general trend in the Free/Open Source Software

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-13500247847244822242010-03-05T16:19:00.012Z2010-03-05T18:16:56.559Z

CANONICAL is replacing the signature brown theme for the next version of Ubuntu, v10.04, with a stylish new 'Light' default theme. So after six years of brown, users have a new purple and orange theme to look forward to when Lucid Lynx hits the mirrors in April.The Ubuntu team say the new theme is "inspired by the idea of light" - waxing poetical, the documentation accompanying the new designs

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-51335323459065021792010-03-03T09:41:00.004Z2010-03-03T09:53:54.102Z

NOKIA'S terrifically helpful UK press office emailed me early this morning with an exciting bit of news for the Skype fans among their customer base.There's now a free app on the Ovi Store which allows Nokia smartphone users to make free, VoIP calls from their handsets.This is the kind of quality app the Ovi Store needs to bring it out of the shadows of Apple and Android because, let's face it,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-50087796148697124222010-02-14T15:50:00.004Z2010-02-14T18:37:27.892Z

HTC Hero 3G Android mobile phone and CrunchBang Linux 9.04HAVING dithered for weeks and read review after review, I finally bit the bullet and paid £300 on eBay for an unlocked, SIM-free HTC Hero.I'm fortunate in that my work provides me with a 3G mobile phone (currently a Nokia N96 on the Vodafone network) but getting the latest touchscreen-style handsets requires a lot of pleading and waiting,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-92072939006342451352010-02-05T11:41:00.005Z2010-02-05T15:28:28.400Z

THE Symbian Foundation's decision to make their smartphone operating system Open Source can only be good news for consumers.Some commentators claim the only reason Symbian has gone down the Open Source route is because the Foundation is nervous about the growing power of Google's own Open Source operating system, Android.Frankly, I don't much care if that does turn out to be the case, because the

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-45323291112222508822010-02-04T20:23:00.009Z2010-02-04T20:42:07.767Z

BETTER late than never, eh?I know I'm way, way behind with this article on Mint 8 - it launched late last year - but I've been very busy with work, so apologies for that.Anyway, the last time I wrote about Linux Mint was when version 5, the Fluxbox Community Edition, launched in 2008, and I was mightily impressed.What pleased me was, among many other things, the way the developers had taken a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-86445951917029529642010-02-02T13:27:00.006Z2010-02-02T13:44:32.856Z

I HAVE spent the past week deciding if I will give in to temptation and buy an iPad, and the answer is 'No'.Firstly, I do not need what it does; the devices I already own cover all my computing needs, mobile or otherwise, and I simply do not have money to burn on shiny baubles.And secondly, Apple's tight-fisted, proprietorial approach to content and software irks me greatly.If I pay to download

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-84476013623757060332010-01-23T15:35:00.004Z2010-01-23T15:50:08.784Z

iStorage DiskGenie secure portable hard driveHOW'S your paranoia?Given that the majority of my digital files include nothing more than MP3s and family photographs, I'm fairly relaxed about how I secure the digital data I carry around with me.But if you're used to carrying sensitive material, whether personal or professional, then I have just the device for you - the iStorage DiskGenie (

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-67259966962791048672009-12-05T14:26:00.005Z2009-12-05T14:38:54.381Z

BLIMEY, you turn your back for a minute...Actually, it's been a few months, because my attention has been consumed by a major project at the newspaper where I work: the introduction of a new editorial database system which, incidentally, works entirely within Mozilla's Firefox web browser.Days spent training around 90 staff to use the new system, in conjunction with Adobe's InDesign and InCopy

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-85940678636823583182009-09-23T20:49:00.006Z2009-09-24T19:45:29.854Z

SMALL but perfectly formed... no, not me, this new Linux distribution I've been playing around with (though I am, by modern standards, fairly short at 5ft 9ins!).Salix OS 13.0 made its debut on the Distrowatch Weekly 'New Distros' list recently and immediately caught my attention because of its natty desktop featuring a silhouetted bonsai tree.Anyone who read my last post about Zenwalk 6.2 will

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-14403627824706553402009-09-18T14:35:00.005Z2009-09-18T14:46:37.480Z

IT is always distressing to learn of discord among people you regard highly.So, I was concerned when I learned of a split in the ranks of the team of developers responsible for one of my favourite Linux distributions, Zenwalk.That distribution's latest release, version 6.2, is freshly installed on my old test machine, and I recently was working my way through my regular review routine when I read

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-10206737800417817102009-08-16T15:32:00.008Z2009-08-16T15:48:25.053Z

EVER wondered what it would be like to create your own Linux distribution?I certainly have, but a lack of programming skill and technical cowardice have prevented me from doing little more than dreaming about the day Red Devil Linux boots up on my PC.. until now.Thanks to an exciting - and free - new service from SUSE, called SUSE Studio, someone like me, with just a hobbyist's knowledge of the

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-15493389611417116812009-07-31T09:11:00.008Z2009-07-31T10:19:04.205Z

I HAVE seen the future - and I almost pinched its nose.It wasn't just me reaching out a hand to touch the characters looming out of the screen in Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs in 3D - everyone was doing it, and I'm really not surprised.You see that, for me, is part of the magic of going to the movies, that readiness with which we abandon our common sense and become enveloped in the

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-21274179856671697192009-07-28T16:01:00.011Z2009-08-01T10:02:55.475Z

THASUNKE What-ko?I know, I know - every time there is a new release of the antiX Linux distribution, I have to scurry off to Wikipedia to find out a bit about who, or what, it is named after.The fact that the prime mover behind this Mepis Linux/Debian Testing off-shoot goes by the internet name of 'anticapitalista' (he is a Brit, earning a living as a teacher in Thessaloniki, Greece) explains a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-5152463110034706432009-07-21T19:10:00.006Z2009-07-21T19:26:55.144Z

SO, there I was, having installed Fedora 11 on a dusty old Compaq Presario - 700MHz AMD Duron processor, 10GB HDD! - and things had gone relatively smoothly, if glacially slowly.Even the Sitecom WL113 USB wi-fi adaptor I use on the old Compaq (it has no NIC) had been automagically detected and my network was picked up without any fuss, but then it usually is on most distros with a modern kernel

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-63389042746230513592009-07-20T11:26:00.011Z2009-07-21T16:10:43.448Z

KIDS these days have amazing play facilities filled with intricate log-and-cable structures designed to test their nerve and athleticism.Our local park has one such structure, a succession of thick ropes strung like a spider's web over a metal pyramid which attracts kids like, well, flies.In my 1960s childhood we had a wood full of climbable trees, a shallow stream, lots of rhododendron bushes

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-27694318877254932892009-07-18T11:42:00.004Z2009-07-18T12:09:35.830Z

I SHOULD have hated Ross Raisin's debut novel, because I'm a Lancastrian.It's not that Lancastrians have any kind of problem with books - there are libraries in most of the towns now, don't you know, even those with dark, satanic mills - and we even know some quite big words.It's just that Raisin's story is set in that other northern English county tha knows, where they talk reet funny; it's the

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-41032840319225310432009-07-12T10:30:00.013Z2009-07-23T21:42:32.971Z

WHAT happened to the "p-y-e-o-w-w-w"?I've lost count of the number of times the sci-fi blaster sound that CrunchBang Linux makes when it starts up has made me - or someone in the room with me - jump.Now, it makes an equally sci-fi "boop-bleep-bup" sound which is nice, but doesn't have the same dramatic effect of making people duck if your speaker volume is maxed-out.The laser bomb start-up sound

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-51814550933310944332009-03-29T17:15:00.003Z2009-07-05T22:50:00.300Z

I've been writing this blog in my spare time for quite a while now and, of late, I've become a bit jaded by the constant process of installing/testing/fixing/re-installing of Linux distributions.In a couple of weeks I'm due to take my family on a well-earned holiday to Florida - our first in a couple of years - so as of today I'm taking a break from updating the blog.Hopefully, when I get back

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-88598270448909411922009-03-26T15:02:00.008Z2009-03-26T17:07:36.871Z

AFTER more than a decade of using Linux, it's not often that a Linux distribution appears on Distrowatch and I go: Who? What?But that's exactly what happened when Igelle PC/Desktop 0.6.0 appeared on the new releases list recently, so my curiosity was piqued. Here's what I managed to find out about the project.Igelle is an open source project based in The Philippines, with the aim of developing a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-9139608646106251052009-03-23T11:30:00.004Z2009-03-23T11:36:55.998Z

ALWAYS a bit slow on the uptake, I've recently discovered the joys of using the Amazon MP3 Downloads store in Linux.I guess the announcement last year that the Amazon MP3 Downloader is available for a variety of Linux platforms passed me by, and I owe my belated arrival at the store to a passing mention in the Linux Outlaws #82 podcast, where presenter Dan mentioned he uses the store.Better late

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-46347699699434480732009-03-14T19:19:00.007Z2009-03-14T19:31:40.778Z

I THINK I'm living proof that Charles Darwin might not have been as smart as he thought he was.You see, I just don't learn; I haven't evolved beyond the stage of sitting on the floor, drooling happily to myself and wondering what will happen if I stick my wet pinkie into that little hole in the wall.If you were being kind, you'd call it stupidly incurable curiosity; otherwise, you'd call me an

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-86376010297767805372009-03-12T09:58:00.001Z2009-03-12T09:59:57.315Z

I couldn't have put this any better myself.. no, really, I couldn't

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-47235379976371153202009-03-11T10:50:00.010Z2009-03-12T09:19:32.577Z

THE first real connection I made at an emotional level with a Linux distribution was with Zenwalk, back in its version 2.0 days, and it was that connection which persuaded me to make my first (modest) cash donation to an Open Source project.Why did Zenwalk strike such a chord? Hard to say, but it was something about the spirit of the project and its determination to forge its own path which

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-87950960727165533412009-03-08T13:21:00.008Z2009-03-08T16:51:01.729Z

WHAT is a good age to introduce children to Linux/Free Open Source Software?My children are nine, and they regularly use FOSS without actually realising it or, I suspect, caring.All they care about is being to replicate the presentations they did on their school computers at home; the school uses Microsoft software, at home we use OpenOffice.org and they are able to save their presentations in a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-88384984754838991772009-03-07T18:08:00.006Z2009-03-07T18:16:58.887Z

A few posts back I mentioned that I was spending some time getting to know how best to use Inkscape, the Open Source vector graphics application.Well, just to prove it, I decided to post a few of the wallpapers I've produced using Inkscape and, to a lesser extent, the GIMP (image editing software).All of the artwork was designed for CrunchBang Linux, which I have installed on my main machine at

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-45832243860429547482009-03-02T10:29:00.005Z2009-03-02T10:35:06.261Z

WHAT are the chances that my love of Manchester United and my love of technology might coincide in such unusual - and joyful - circumstances?I was watching Manchester United play Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday. The game was 0-0 after extra time which meant we were heading for the dreaded penalty shootout to decide the winners of the first silverware of the English

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-37353233734632041572009-02-25T14:56:00.004Z2009-02-25T15:02:38.837Z

AS a regular user and supporter of Open Source software in its many guises, from Linux distributions to cross-platform applications and beyond, I'm heartened by the news that the UK government is keen to allow Open Source to compete on a level playing field with proprietary software in its many departments.The move is long overdue and the Labour administration is to be applauded for seeing the

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-3532422156569895402009-02-25T12:43:00.007Z2009-02-25T12:52:15.925Z

I AM a little conflicted about Mepis.It is part of the family of Debian-based Linux distributions which I tend to favour, and it is a distribution I used for quite a lengthy period in the past.Plus, there is much to like about version 8.0, released recently to coincide with the launch of its parent distribution, Debian 5.0 'Lenny'.Mepis (http://www.mepis.org/) uses the stable and vast Debian

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-76012877389937492402009-02-19T14:22:00.005Z2009-02-19T14:27:28.187Z

BEAR with me on this one, OK?There's your grandad. He's reliable, lovable, gently eccentric and not quite as quick on his feet as he used to be.He always turns up with his pockets full of interesting things - penknives, sticky caramel toffees, conkers - and a lifetime's worth of interesting stories and lame jokes.You love him to death and can't imagine a world without him, even though that world

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-16118896751622134072009-02-19T11:35:00.007Z2009-02-19T11:56:53.382Z

MY nine-year-old son bellowed: "This is awesome.. world class!"I was hooting with laughter. The source of this merriment? A game.There's nothing unusual in finding the Lawson males playing computer games, but what is unusual is for the boy child to be playing a Windows version and me to be playing a Linux version.. of the same game.The game in question is World of Goo, and it's brilliant.It's a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-70897326246942145672009-02-16T16:37:00.006Z2009-02-16T17:11:57.244Z

I've spent many a long hour scouring the internet, forums and man files for help in getting two Linux distributions to dual boot through the one GRUB menu.lst (the configuration file that tells GRUB what to do).It seems like there are almost as many suggestions on how to do it as there are Linux distributions, so I thought I'd add to the knowledge base with my own.Please bear in mind that I'm not

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-41853069593028175082009-02-12T10:13:00.003Z2009-02-12T10:24:44.331Z

This news item appeared on the Reuters website earlier today.All I will say is that I am surprised it has taken the Cubans so long to realise the many benefits of Linux and Free/Open Source Software, especially given their historical ties with the old Soviet Union/Russia, where the move toward Open Source has been under way for quite some time.From what I can gather, Cuban Nova Linux is based on

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-24531067130945113332009-02-12T09:38:00.004Z2009-02-12T09:48:21.239Z

One of the reasons I haven't been posting as many Linux reviews as usual so far in 2009 is because I have been spending a lot of what little free time I get learning how to use Inkscape.For those of you who have not heard about Inkscape, it's an Open Source vector graphics editor - and it's quite superb.I think I said on a forum somewhere that the only thing I can draw is breath, but with

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-27192229880780716472009-02-09T11:16:00.003Z2009-02-09T11:21:41.506Z

So, I finally took the plunge and signed up for Twitter - heck, why not, everyone else seems to be doing it.Though I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about the whole experience - I'm worried it will be like throwing a party and no one will turn up!If anyone's interested in getting in touch, I'm 'reddevil62'.While I'm hoping to keep 'on topic' as much as possible - Linux/Open Source/technology -

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-67321364147558426902009-02-07T23:52:00.005Z2009-02-08T00:02:33.456Z

THERE'S no shortage of quality music player/jukebox software available on the internet and in the past I've used iTunes, Amarok, Rhythmbox, Exaile, Audacious and several others.But Songbird is something quite different.Songbird is an audio player and music collection manager built using the same Mozilla XML user interface language (XUL) and Gecko rendering engine that power Firefox.It's a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-3778472889377437782009-02-04T11:31:00.004Z2009-02-04T11:37:52.061Z

ANYONE who has hung around the world of Linux/Free Open Source software for a few years will have heard about Knoppix.It's the Linux distribution created by Klaus Knopper which has its roots in Debian and a reputation for outstanding hardware detection.Knoppix is often used by IT troubleshooters to fix recalcitrant computers, be they Windows, Linux or whatever.It rightly earned the 'Swiss Army

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-19581587191637890612009-02-03T20:52:00.007Z2009-02-03T21:12:12.817Z

SABAYON Linux's live DVD provides one of the easiest ways of getting a Gentoo-based system installed on your PC, and its consistent top-10 Distrowatch listing is testament to its success.But two things have always kept me from delving deeper into Sabayon, and the first of those is that Gentoo heritage.Now, before Gentoo lovers start bombarding me with criticism, let me clarify; it simply comes

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-4248673243964176452009-01-26T20:22:00.004Z2009-01-26T20:36:29.788Z

NETBOOKS are ten a penny these days, so to stand out they really need to be good or have a unique selling point (USP).Sony took an interesting approach with their P Series by making them shockingly expensive - you can get a powerful desktop PC for less than the £800-odd quid the Sony will cost you.Dell and others seem to be leading the charge toward equipping their mini marvels with built-in 3G

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-11616835473302039422009-01-24T16:50:00.009Z2009-01-24T16:58:31.797Z

IS it OK to be superficial sometimes?The reason I ask is that I was drawn to Granular 1.0, a Linux distribution based on PCLinuxOS, by its snazzy little logo (see right), which made me think of the Far East and ninja throwing stars. Hey... I never said I was deep!The Granular project hails from India and the development team is led by Punjab-based computer engineering student Anurag Bhandari.An

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-64513306026906039042009-01-15T10:07:00.007Z2009-01-15T10:18:01.769Z

I HAVE been using Apple computers every day of my working life for nigh-on 20 years; my newspaper office hums with the heat from hundreds of Apple machines of every generation.It is this long relationship which means I seldom see Apple computers as anything other than tools for getting a job done.That attitude shifted slightly with the arrival of the super-slim but limited MacBook Air, but it

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-57124901248168763572009-01-10T16:55:00.007Z2009-01-13T11:11:55.078Z

MY name is Steven and I'm a gadgetaholic.There, I've confessed, and I'm feeling better already. And the current object of my unfathomable desire? The Palm Pre smartphone, unveiled last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.Who'da thunk it, eh? Palm, one-time kings of the PDA world coming out with what looks like being the first really serious contender to Apple's

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-27855549980913270122008-12-22T20:07:00.000Z2008-12-22T20:11:59.972Z

To everyone who has read my blog in 2008 I would just like to wish you all the very best for the festive season and to thank you for supporting my site, especially those of you who were kind enough to comment on my articles.May you all have a healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2009.I'll be back early in the New Year with lots more articles, but for now I'm taking a few days off from work and

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-26269808768287582202008-12-19T19:02:00.004Z2008-12-19T19:06:31.856Z

FOR someone who spends so much time online and so much time reading and talking about technology, I'm sometimes painfully, embarrassingly slow on the uptake.Take podcasts, for example. The rest of the civilised world has been downloading and listening to them in a multitude of ways for years.Me? Well, I knew about them, of course, but I had never really taken much interest in podcasts until I

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-34253946969477425862008-12-19T17:01:00.006Z2008-12-19T17:13:17.254Z

I WAS reluctant to write another article about an Ubuntu-derivative distribution so soon after my review of #!CrunchBang Linux, but eventually decided that PC/OS OD 2009 deserved a mention.The brainchild of America-based IT consultant Roberto J. Dohnert, PC/OS is another Ubuntu-plus Linux distribution, this time utilising the XFCE desktop environment.When I say 'Ubuntu-plus' I am, of course,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-89013365345272255172008-12-19T12:36:00.009Z2008-12-19T22:18:22.012Z

WHEN the BBC first launched its iPlayer software - on Microsoft platforms only - I was among those who welcomed it, but felt the exclusion of Linux and Mac users needed addressing urgently.'It's coming', said the BBC, 'just be patient'.Hmm, not my strongest point, patience - especially when I'm paying the same licence fee as the guy next door who's able to watch programmes via iPlayer on his

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-79428758885028730252008-12-17T09:52:00.007Z2008-12-17T10:18:59.436Z

HERE'S a free-to-view, TV-via-the-web service you might like to check out over the Christmas break - and the good news is it works with Windows, Mac AND Linux!Zattoo is currently available in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.To watch free-to-air digital channels like those available via Freeview in the UK, you do not need a TV adaptor plugged into your PC

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-47068341742988621672008-12-12T12:49:00.005Z2008-12-12T12:58:41.786Z

DON'T you just hate it when you're all set to post a review and the developer responsible for your subject posts a .x version update with bugfixes and extra features!This happened to me recently with Parted Magic 3.0, but I decided to plough ahead with my planned article, as their was little in the update which would change my overall opinion of this fabulous Open Source tool.Parted Magic is a 40

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-67366458916342517682008-12-12T11:18:00.011Z2008-12-12T11:56:29.321Z

AS regular readers of this blog will know, I like football analogies.So, I would like you to think of OpenSolaris 2008.11 thus: It's the new kid in the neighbourhood who's hanging around the edge of the football pitch, looking interested but too shy to join in uninvited.Then, you ask him if he wants to play for your side, he scores a perfect hat-trick (left-foot, right-foot, header!), saves a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-51905493978662830062008-12-09T09:54:00.005Z2008-12-09T10:02:14.212Z

I'M having more success with Beta 2 than I had with Beta 1 of Vector's latest distribution - I managed to get it to install, for starters!I have had two 'goes' at Beta 2 using the new graphical installer.The first was on a steam-driven (actually, it has a 700MHz AMD Duron processor and 512MB of RAM) Compaq Presario that has been gathering dust in the corner of my home office. Vector Linux is

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-21080586955883586692008-11-30T11:55:00.008Z2008-12-01T17:57:29.864Z

IT'S easy to ignore the tide of Linux distributions based on Ubuntu - there are just so many of them and you wonder what yet another could possibly be offering that is not already offered elsewhere.I almost fell into that trap with #!CrunchBang Linux 8.10.01, which henceforth shall be known as CB (otherwise this review will take me all weekend!).Thank goodness I didn't just walk on by.Why didn't

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-58098717730619188452008-11-29T18:39:00.005Z2008-11-29T18:59:30.020Z

I WAS honoured recently to be asked to help judge this year's Scottish Open Source Software Awards and, if I am being honest, more than a little daunted by the task.My fellow judges were Dan Shearer, a dynamic Australian now living and working in Scotland who was one of the original founders of the Samba project, and Greg Soper, managing director of SalesAgility.com, a company specialising in

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-31020631044571612682008-11-29T16:52:00.003Z2008-11-29T16:59:10.500Z

This is just the kind of thing that winds up the fans of Linux distributions other than the one with a rich South African benefactor...I suppose it's inevitable that most people start to associate Linux with whichever distribution happens to be the most popular at that particular time, but it doesn't half get under the skin of the rest.And what the hackers have actually done is get the Linux

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-47684241635607773702008-11-29T15:47:00.007Z2009-07-21T15:13:17.887Z

WHEN Fedora 10 was released a couple of days ago, some highly respected websites posted reviews which spoke in glowing terms about its improvements.The praise was well deserved - and I will come to my own assessment of Fedora 10 in due course - but first I have a bone to pick.The fact that the Fedora Project is getting such widespread positive publicity is welcome and just, but I am concerned

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-63339722979286879542008-11-28T10:10:00.006Z2008-11-28T10:27:18.412Z

I AM on record as being a big fan of Vector Linux, the Slackware derivative distribution with a worthy reputation for speed on older systems and great multimedia performance.But one of the things - possibly the only thing - which may have held this distribution back from a regular top 10 spot on the Distrowatch rankings might be its lack of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) installer.Until the

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-50796491776083149852008-11-18T11:51:00.005Z2008-11-18T19:16:40.843Z

YOU are being watched. I am being watched. We are all subjects of surveillance, every minute of every day, wherever we go.Do you doubt this?Then look around you at the proliferation of CCTV cameras which record your passing. Look at the number of people using mobile phones, the signals from which can be used to track your where-and-when-abouts.Think about how often you enter a shop and make a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-40290976357751231912008-11-18T09:34:00.006Z2008-11-26T09:23:09.928Z

USING a mobile phone to access the worldwide web has rarely been a pleasant experience.Things improved with the recent introduction of 3G networks and large-screen devices such as the Apple iPhone and Nokia N Series.But on standard phones the mobile internet is underwhelming: Pages load slowly, text is so small it is unreadable, modern websites are too heavily laden with graphics and Flash

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-4274969605849361482008-11-10T14:48:00.007Z2008-11-12T14:01:48.452Z

DELL'S entry into the PC netbook market, the Inspiron Mini 9, landed on my desk last week – and I have to say I quite liked it, but with one or two reservations.Competing with the likes of the Asus Eee and Acer Aspire One, my shiny black test unit ran Ubuntu Linux 8.04, which has been modified for netbook usage and offers both the normal Ubuntu menu plus a series of tabbed desktop shortcuts.This

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-58680188084830445302008-11-08T12:47:00.009Z2008-11-12T14:02:05.223Z

PROMPTED by my recent experiences of installing and running Ubuntu Linux on a USB flash memory stick, I decided to search for a more lightweight portable alternative.Puppy Linux (http://www.puppylinux.org/home) has always been on my radar and I have tried it on a couple of occasions, but have never really spent a long time getting to know this highly respected Linux/FOSS distribution.The reason I

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-30530124643489365782008-11-07T13:37:00.009Z2008-11-12T14:02:19.864Z

IT SEEMS like everyone else has had their say on this subject so why shouldn't I?To make it onto my list of most-useful add-ons, the extension has to be something I use pretty much every day when I launch my favourite web browser.There are almost as many Firefox extensions as there are Firefox users but some of those extensions seem a little esoteric to me: It is like someone has looked through

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-89613416904258785462008-11-03T14:15:00.006Z2008-12-10T11:02:45.520Z

ONE of the features of Ubuntu 8.10 I overlooked in my recent review was the utility included for creating a bootable version of Intrepid Ibex on a USB Flash memory stick.Personally I love the idea of having a whole operating system on a memory stick - it appeals to the geek in me and I love the look on a non-geek's face when you boot up their machine and your operating system comes up instead of

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-17726706938632297632008-11-03T11:02:00.003Z2008-11-03T11:17:35.096Z

ANDY Warhol's famous “15 minutes of fame” quote could have been designed for the YouTube generation. A bit like the Flip Mino, actually.The Flip Mino is a pocket-sized video camera that makes uploading your antics to the internet so simple, even a celebrity could do it – the device really took off in America after it was featured on the Oprah show.If you think in terms of an iPod-like camcorder,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-28407446889910778602008-10-31T16:52:00.014Z2008-10-31T18:05:57.864Z

I HAVE to admit to being baffled and not a little amused by the astonishing fervour which surrounds Ubuntu.Most people either love it or loathe it, with equal passion. (By the way, did you hear the latest news? It seems Ubuntu Fanboy Baiting is going to be a new Olympic sport for London 2012).Personally, I feel quite ambivalent toward Ubuntu. It is undoubtedly a good Linux distribution,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-14532673072337905392008-10-23T14:41:00.010Z2008-10-23T15:01:49.860Z

DO you remember After Eight mints?When I was a child, and once the Christmas dinner was cleared away, my mother always used to put out a box of the dark chocolate, wafer-thin treats with a sugary white, peppermint filling.Even though I was full-to-bursting with turkey and roast potatoes, mince pies and pudding, I always ate a handful of After Eights; I loved them, and still do.This self-indulgent

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-79043339398202412362008-10-16T19:14:00.011Z2008-10-17T09:30:36.637Z

WHAT does Microsoft do when someone says: No, sorry, we do not want to use your software any more. If that someone is a small business operating in an increasingly cut-throat world, a great deal of pressure can be brought to bear on them to fall into line.But what if that someone is a whole nation, and that whole nation happens to be a world superpower with the resources and will to forge its own

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-13987050244634696752008-10-05T12:30:00.010Z2008-10-05T22:01:05.270Z

AN interesting new Linux project was released last week. Omega 10 cuts through the old debate about free/proprietary software with a solution I am sure many will find appealing - and just as many will abhor.But first, some background. The Fedora project is well known for its uncompromising stance on software which is patent-encumbered or proprietary: if it fits either of those definitions, it

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-86639310984189302322008-10-04T10:08:00.002Z2008-10-04T10:10:47.834Z

WITHOUT much fanfare, Google has unveiled a software repository aimed at the Linux versions of its various products.The Google Linux Software Repository (http://www.google.com/linuxrepositories/index.html) currently only contains packages for Picasa for Linux 2.7 and Google Desktop Linux 1.2.It is not possible to download the packages directly from the website; rather, Google has provided

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-18537651732772837722008-10-03T12:53:00.008Z2008-10-03T13:04:01.982Z

EVERYONE seems to love using Google Earth.It is such a thrill to use, allowing you to zoom across oceans and continents at the click of a mouse button, or to look at your own home from the heavens (and, let's be honest here, your neighbour's/worst enemy's, too).Within seconds of my first install of Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/) some months ago, I was 'hovering' in the cloudless sky over

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-13307469412922818832008-10-03T09:09:00.007Z2008-10-03T09:15:45.608Z

IS it just me, or does the newly-announced logo for the confederation of telecoms organisations gathering under the Mobile Broadband banner bear a striking resemblance to the logo of a leading, Free/Open Source office suite..

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-590018344744808602008-10-03T08:24:00.004Z2008-10-03T08:30:50.128Z

I hope you will permit me a brief moment of immodesty when I report that Susan Linton, the highly-respected owner of the Tuxmachines.org Linux/FOSS website, has listed my humble blog in her Top 13 list of favourite sites (you will need to scroll down about half-way to find the article).I am hugely proud of this and would like to publicly thank Susan for her kind words.I would also like to

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-45336451836770994222008-09-30T13:26:00.012Z2008-10-03T21:32:33.493Z

This is just a bit of fun, blending my two great loves, Linux and football.I make no apology for the English Premiership-centric choices.Indeed, I'd welcome any other suggestions from around the globe...Debian = Petr Cech, ChelseaAnyone who knows anything about football knows that the great teams are built on the solid foundation of a great goalkeeper. Anyone who knows anything about Linux knows

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-9118449951172499322008-09-27T15:06:00.007Z2008-09-27T15:22:37.986Z

ALMOST a year has passed since I first reviewed Pardus, the Linux distribution developed by a team working from the Turkish National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology.The Pardus team have very lofty ambitions – indeed, their intention is to create an operating system which will be adopted widely throughout their nation.Thankfully, the rest of us can get in on the Pardus act, too,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-74806968279176400822008-09-21T15:41:00.005Z2008-09-21T22:31:52.460Z

THERE are those Linux distributions which will install in a coffee break, with little intervention required from the user.And there are those which demand plentiful reading beforehand, a thorough knowledge of one's hardware and a calm, clear mind.Arch Linux 2008 falls into the latter category – and I love it.I have been using Linux for more than a decade now but have only recently got around to

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-45788932123102249532008-09-19T12:28:00.002Z2008-09-19T12:46:30.991Z

I WALK my eight-year-old twins (a boy and a girl) to school every morning, now that their mother works from the wee small hours until midday.In recent weeks I have tried to encourage them to talk about all kinds of subjects, as well as those they cover in their classes, and to begin trying to treat them as inquisitive young adults-in-waiting.No subject is taboo and I have promised them that,

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-6070415201727265382008-09-15T09:17:00.009Z2008-09-15T09:31:03.543Z

CHOICE is good. Choice is healthy.But too much choice can be overwhelming – just ask the child standing in front of a sweetshop counter full of treats.Frugalware's latest distribution, codenamed 'Solaria' is like a Linux sweetshop and, like that small boy who does not know what to spend his pennies on, it left me feeling overwhelmed.Actually, it also left me feeling slightly underwhelmed, too, if

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-10855380688332015852008-09-09T16:02:00.012Z2008-09-11T12:56:33.150Z

IT has been a while since I used one of the BSD family of computer operating systems (read my review of DesktopBSD here) so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the latest version of PC-BSD, v 1.5.1.But before I describe my experiences with this OS, a brief history lesson.PC-BSD was founded by Kris Moore in 2005.It began as an independent project but since October 2006 PC-BSD has

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-9397594347726753482008-09-02T09:07:00.002Z2008-09-02T09:22:57.622Z

THIS article in Free Software Magazine really put a smile on my face.Firstly, I used to live in North Lincolnshire, so it is lovely to see a school from just down the coast from my old stamping ground (Skegness - town motto "It's So Bracing!") making the news for all the right reasons.And secondly, I strongly support this move toward Open Source solutions for education in the UK.It is something

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-62674506754342692442008-08-29T12:07:00.004Z2008-08-29T12:14:46.265Z

Huawei E220 3G/HSDPA USB Modem + antiX Mepis 7.5MOBILE broadband has been getting a huge marketing push in the UK - O2, 3, Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile all have high-profile deals at the moment, often involving 'free' laptops or netbooks.But all the operators say their products - from USB dongles to PCI Express adaptors - are only for Windows or Mac systems; or at least, they are the only

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-33734885021807698182008-08-26T10:28:00.003Z2008-08-26T10:42:40.006Z

JUST a few summer months have passed since I reviewed antiX 7.2, so I do not propose to cover those areas where things have not changed in this article.If you would like to know more about the history/install/configuration/packages etc of antiX, please read my earlier review here.Then, come back to this post, where I will tell you about what is new and improved in antiX Mepis 7.5 – which is quite

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-36749480211805011842008-08-22T15:15:00.002Z2008-08-22T15:19:51.905Z

FOR the past few weeks I have been trialling a new mobile email solution for mobile phones called Momail.It provides the kind of push-email service that BlackBerry users are used to, turning your ordinary mobile phone into a much more useful device.My own phone is a Sony Ericcsson K810i which already has the ability to handle push-email – yours may not so check first.But Momail's great selling

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-51689816581346135082008-08-17T18:30:00.002Z2008-08-17T18:35:53.090Z

MINI laptops are all the rage at the moment, largely due to the remarkable success of the Asus Eee.But PC World (www.pcworld.co.uk) stole a march on everyone by being the first UK retailer to sell the first netbook, as these mini marvels have become known, featuring Intel's new Atom processor.The 4211 is on sale for just £280 under PC World's own Advent brand name, but in truth it is simply a

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-24598902345579032702008-08-17T17:19:00.007Z2008-08-19T08:37:14.979Z

WHEN I decided to try the OpenGEU Linux distribution, I had little experience of its Enlightenment window manager.I had played around with Elive, the Debian-based live CD featuring Enlightenment, in the past but had never spent any time getting to know and understand this elegant-looking WM.OpenGEU, previously known as Geubuntu, was founded by Italian artist Luca De Marini (aka TheDarkMaster)

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-51531362144660195912008-08-06T12:08:00.012Z2008-08-06T12:27:37.488Z

GAEL Duval's acrimonious exit from the company he helped form, Mandrakesoft, is a well-documented episode in the history of Linux distributions.Both sides of the split managed to put the dispute behind them and have gone on to greater things.Mandrakesoft became Mandriva, one of the finest Linux distributions around (and, incidentally, the one in which this article was written).Gael Duval struck

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-45129819815458933732008-08-04T09:22:00.002Z2008-08-04T09:25:05.767Z

Priced £39.99-£59.99 from www.joytechstore.netNOW available in the UK, these are earphones for active sorts who would really rather not get knocked down by an unheard bus while out jogging or cycling.The idea is that they sit outside your ear canal, which is great if you hate the feeling of having your lugholes crammed with plastic.In fact, they are so far away from your ear canal they are

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-82709383903043219002008-08-03T10:01:00.004Z2008-08-03T10:15:23.142Z

All-in-one media centre PC£1,199, from Dell's UK websiteIF space is at a premium in your home, or you are lucky to have the converse situation and are looking for a media centre PC for your snug or home office, the XPS One should be atop your shopping list.The XPS One is sleek and stylish and its widescreen 20in display is both small enough not to stand out and big enough to watch DVDs on from

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-68145830345153379952008-08-02T10:33:00.003Z2008-08-02T10:42:10.860Z

LIKE many early Ubuntu users, I used Automatix to solve various plugin/codec problems, even though there were those in the Ubuntu community who felt it caused more problems than it solved.So, I found this feature, by Jeremy LaCroix of Linux.com, interesting.Some Ubuntu fans out there may remember Automatix, a tool for Ubuntu that allowed easy access to many popular non-free applications and

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-22161114291073389082008-07-31T14:24:00.006Z2008-07-31T17:18:58.714Z

INSTALLING Slackware is a Linux rite of passage.It is the computing equivalent of wandering off alone into the bush for a month armed with nothing more than a pointy stick and grim determination.That is to say, it is quite a testing experience that is not to be entered into lightly.It is also something you only want to have to do once, if at all possible.My own Slackware experience (v9.0, I think

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-55639408545463941232008-07-30T17:21:00.008Z2008-07-31T08:51:50.093Z

Epson Stylus DX6000 multi-function device + Linux Mint 5.0I HAVE only ever had Epson printers, going right back to my early Windows days.A while back I swapped a Stylus 1290 capable of lovely A3-sized prints for a Stylus DX6000 multi-function device.The decision was driven by cost – A3 prints really eat up ink – and desk space: The DX6000 prints snaps from 6x4s up to 10x8s (I'm old fashioned!),

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-66885985577849970752008-07-28T12:15:00.002Z2008-07-28T12:20:10.819Z

I received a message a few days ago asking me if I would like to register my blog on a new aggregator which concentrates on technology sites, but with a particular leaning toward Linux and Free/Open Source Software.It is called technoSNACK - there's a link to it in my sidebar - and, although still in its infacy, it is worth a look just to pick up on some of the great blogs being written.I

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-44270402907281535922008-07-26T15:32:00.006Z2008-07-26T15:43:23.303Z

The Rambling But Really Very Interesting Introduction..I have an odd relationship with ultra-lightweight, live CD/USB Flash-based Linux distributions.I love them in a proof-of-concept kind of way.It is an amazing feat of programming/developing skill to cram an entire computer operating system, plus programs, onto something so small as a USB flash drive.I particularly love the way their

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23735615.post-79770657264035349732008-07-20T20:48:00.004Z2008-07-30T11:34:38.848Z

Sitecom WL-113 Wireless Network USB Adaptor 54g + TinyMe 2008THIS is the first article in what I hope will become a regular blog feature on devices I have been able to get working with Linux distributions.My hope is that featuring such successful device/distribution combinations might prove useful to other Linux users.There are already websites which maintain databases of devices which can be

Steven Lawsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01020549385661823156noreply@blogger.com1