- Follow this blog:
- RSS
- Email Alert
Linux and Open Source
Selena Frye
TechRepublic Staff
Selena Frye

-
Linux Kernel 3.7 flexes its ARM muscles
With the Linux 3.7 kernel some major changes are in order. In particular, the support for ARM technology has arrived. Jack Wallen pontificates on what this could mean for the open source platform...
Posted by Jack Wallen | October 8, 2012, 7:15 AM PDT | Latest comment by alastair@...
-
Linux: The big misconceptions
There are two misconceptions about Linux that have plagued the open source platform from the very beginning. Jack Wallen tries to assuage the doubts of those hesitant to learn something new,...
Posted by Jack Wallen | October 3, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by jgm@...
-
Using wview to monitor the weather on your own weather station
Weather geeks will want to check out this free weather station software program called wview. Scott Reeves shows you how to get it and configure some of its features.
Posted by Scott Reeves | October 2, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by sebasgonky
-
Use Wireshark to inspect packets on your network
Scott Reeves illustrates how you can use Wireshark to inspect packets, looking specifically at various points in the OSI layer, to troubleshoot network issues.
Posted by Scott Reeves | September 25, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by 131313ontanez-24472904060645141771750399938085
-
Apple: The accuser becomes the accused
On the heels of the Apple/Samsung lawsuit, Apple drops IOS 6 on the public. Just like IOS 5, there are plenty of features stolen directly from Android, alleges Jack Wallen.
Posted by Jack Wallen | September 24, 2012, 9:06 AM PDT | Latest comment by blatanville
-
Ubuntu Unity: A beginner's walk-through
Jack Wallen has been proclaiming Ubuntu Unity the single most efficient desktop on the market. This time he decides to illustrate a simple task and how Ubuntu Unity's approach is easy and efficient.
Posted by Jack Wallen | September 17, 2012, 9:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by nwe
-
Marble, a great digital atlas for educators (and everybody else)
Marco Fioretti introduces a free and open virtual globe and atlas that is perfect for educators and anyone who wants to customize their own mapping software.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | September 17, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by tackat
-
A quick presentation of D-BUS-based automation
Marco Fioretti explains how to use D-Bus scripting to automate and simplify various tasks by reconfiguring applications with GUI interfaces.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | September 10, 2012, 5:25 PM PDT
-
GNOME is simply losing its grasp
The GNOME development team shot another bullet in their foot when they removed some beloved features from the Nautilus file manager. Read Jack Wallen's take on how this serves as the final blow to...
Posted by Jack Wallen | September 10, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Jaqui
-
Use jperf and Wireshark for troubleshooting network issues
Scott Reeves explains how to use jperf to simulate a TCP or UDP connection and then use Wireshark to analyze the traffic in order to help pinpoint network issues.
Posted by Scott Reeves | September 5, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by snichor
-
With the rise of the Linux desktop, will viruses follow?
The Linux desktop is growing in popularity and many believe a growth in viruses will follow. Jack Wallen thinks that logic is flawed and explains why.
Posted by Jack Wallen | September 4, 2012, 6:51 AM PDT | Latest comment by bobc4012@...
-
Surfing the World Wide Web, raw style
Marco Fioretti gets to the bottom of the "mysterious" Surfraw program and tells you what you can do with it to power-up your WWW research skills.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | August 30, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by homemade@...
-
The sitting duck that is open source
A jury irresponsibly awarded a huge victory to Apple over Samsung. This judgement could have a serious impact on not only the landscape of smartphones, but the whole of open source.
Posted by Jack Wallen | August 27, 2012, 7:55 AM PDT | Latest comment by bobc4012@...
-
A little known DigiKam tool: Print Assistant
Marco Fioretti shows three uses for DigiKam's Print Assistant feature and reviews some of the settings.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | August 24, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT
-
Ubuntu 12.10: New features, new levels of user-friendliness
Ubuntu 12.10 is less than two months away from release. One feature in particular stands out as an overwhelming favorite to launch Ubuntu into new reaches of user-friendliness. The future of...
Posted by Jack Wallen | August 20, 2012, 7:43 AM PDT | Latest comment by emenau
-
Quick introduction to SUID: What you need to know
Marco Fioretti explains the suid access right -- why you should understand what it is, why it can be dangerous, and workarounds if you have to use it.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | August 15, 2012, 7:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by mfioretti
-
Does Windows 8 help set the stage for mainstream Linux desktops?
Windows 8 will release soon and this could be the perfect storm the Linux desktop has needed. Couple that with a few missteps by Microsoft and Linux is looking at a big and bright future. Do you...
Posted by Jack Wallen | August 13, 2012, 8:22 AM PDT | Latest comment by Deadly Ernest
-
Really small in the age of big: 50 MB Linux OS gets a refresh
A super lightweight Linux distribution that checks in at just 50 MB might give old hardware new life. Check out the new update of Damn Small Linux.
Posted by Selena Frye | August 9, 2012, 1:29 PM PDT | Latest comment by hillelana
-
Microsoft dips back into the realm of evil with its trusty patent trolling
Microsoft has dusted off their tried and true patent portfolio and taken up Mafia-like bullying once again. The on again, off again love affair with open source is, seemingly, off again. Jack...
Posted by Jack Wallen | August 6, 2012, 7:18 AM PDT | Latest comment by apotheon
-
How to find IP addresses and use them in Linux
Marco Fioretti reviews some basics about IP addresses, tells how to find them, and gives an example of why they're important for some tasks in Linux.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | July 31, 2012, 10:25 AM PDT | Latest comment by pradhikshana
-
How to get Netflix streaming on Ubuntu 12.10
It's taken quite some time, but Netflix streaming video has finally arrived on the Ubuntu Linux desktop. In this easy, step-by-step, Jack Wallen shows you how.
Posted by Jack Wallen | December 10, 2012, 7:00 AM PST | Latest comment by balticbloand
-
How to install GNOME 3.8 on Ubuntu
If you want to try Ubuntu 13.04, but prefer a different desktop than Unity, Jack Wallen shows you how you can install the latest iteration of GNOME Shell (3.8) and why you should give it a try.
Posted by Jack Wallen | April 29, 2013, 8:13 AM PDT | Latest comment by kitico@...
-
How the Chromebook succeeds beyond all other Linux distributions
The Chromebook has taken off. It's a Linux-based device that has one key thing in its favor. Jack Wallen explains what he thinks it is.
Posted by Jack Wallen | May 13, 2013, 1:00 PM PDT | Latest comment by emenau
-
Linux 101: File permissions from the GUI point of view
For new users to Linux, there might be times when you need to change the permissions of a file. Jack Wallen shows you how this is done without having to touch the command line. With just your file...
Posted by Jack Wallen | April 22, 2013, 11:08 AM PDT | Latest comment by The_Real_BSAFH
-
Better than BackTrack? Kali Linux offers new brand of pen-testing tools
BackTrack Linux no more. The popular open source package of penetration testing tools now has a new platform and a new name.
Posted by Selena Frye | March 25, 2013, 2:22 PM PDT | Latest comment by nareshf
-
How Linux found its home in the enterprise
Linux is uniquely suited to meet the demands of large-scale, enterprise computing. Jack Wallen traces its evolution and impact on enterprise systems.
Posted by Jack Wallen | May 6, 2013, 8:52 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sagax-
-
Using smartctl to get SMART status information on your hard drives
Vincent Danen has some tips for using the smartmontools package to obtain important information about the health of your hard drives that could provide early warning signs of problems.
Posted by Vincent Danen | March 30, 2010, 5:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by jack6666
-
How to tag all your audio files in the fastest possible way
Marco Fioretti shows you his method for tagging MP3 files with as much automation as possible so that you can impose a little order on music or other audio collections.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | February 23, 2012, 9:00 AM PST | Latest comment by egamingpark
-
Seven great features of OpenOffice and Libre Office that you probably ignore
Free office suite tools like OpenOffice and Libre Office have more advanced features than you might expect. Here are seven that go beyond the common tasks.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | May 21, 2013, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Condemned
-
Chroot users with OpenSSH: An easier way to confine users to their home directories
With the release of OpenSSH 4.9p1, you no longer have to rely on third-party hacks or complicated chroot setups to confine users to their home directories or give them access to SFTP services....
Posted by Vincent Danen | June 24, 2008, 6:07 AM PDT | Latest comment by infam0us1
-
Linux 101: Easy VNC server setup
If you need to remote into your Linux server, VNC might be the best option. Jack Wallen walks you through the steps of setting up a VNC server on an rpm-based distribution.
Posted by Jack Wallen | March 18, 2013, 7:20 AM PDT | Latest comment by maszsam@...
-
Set up easy file sharing with NFS on Linux
Particularly for Windows-less environments where Samba is not needed, NFS is an easy and reliable way to share files between Linux and UNIX systems. Vincent Danen takes you through the setup.
Posted by Vincent Danen | October 26, 2010, 6:25 AM PDT | Latest comment by techrepublic@...
-
How to set up an OpenVPN server
Vincent Danen shows you how to set up OpenVPN and takes you through some of the tricky configuration steps to get you up and running quickly.
Posted by Vincent Danen | October 12, 2010, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by tsepty
-
How to set up a Linux OpenVPN client
Vincent Danen follows up his tip on setting up OpenVPN server with these steps to set up a Linux client on OpenVPN.
Posted by Vincent Danen | October 18, 2010, 5:00 AM PDT
-
Encrypting and decrypting files with GnuPG
GnuPG, the open replacement for PGP, is an excellent tool to manage cryptographic signatures to files or e-mails for validity and integrity, as well as a tool to encrypt and decrypt sensitive...
Posted by Vincent Danen | February 15, 2008, 12:00 AM PST | Latest comment by jack6666
-
Arch-based Manjaro Linux touts user-friendliness
Looking for a new Linux flavor to try? The Manjaro team targets newcomers and pros alike, promising ease-of-use and performance.
Posted by Selena Frye | May 15, 2013, 1:21 PM PDT | Latest comment by cvarin
-
Create your own yum repository
Vincent Danen explains how to create your own yum repository with the createrepo tool. One thing it allows you to do is to distribute specialized packages within an organization.
Posted by Vincent Danen | May 11, 2009, 1:30 PM PDT | Latest comment by gigi.mathew-1@...
-
Configure Apache to support multiple SSL sites on a single IP address
With Apache 2.2.12 and support for the SNI (Server Name Indication) extension to the SSL protocol, you can configure name-based HTTPS sites, just as you can name-based HTTP sites. Vincent Danen...
Posted by Vincent Danen | October 19, 2009, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Lunfa
-
How to join Ubuntu to a Windows Workgroup
Do you need to join your Linux workstation to a Windows Workgroup? Believe it or not, it isn't a challenging task. In this Open Source blog, Jack Wallen walks you through the steps so that your...
Posted by Jack Wallen | November 2, 2010, 5:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by BrightLibra@...
-
KeyBox makes controlling your servers easier
Convenient, browser-based management of remote servers is possible with a free open source tool called KeyBox. Marco Fioretti explains how to install and use it.
Posted by Marco Fioretti | April 19, 2013, 6:00 AM PDT

































