Category: Linux

The best collection of Linux educational software for all ages that I know of is the openSUSE-Edu Li-f-e (Linux for Education) Live DVD. You can get it at http://en.opensuse.org/Education/Live#Download. There are some screen shots here. This is a Live DVD - you simply place the DVD in the computer's DVD drive and reboot the machine from it. When the machine comes up, you will be running ...

XBMC is a cross-platform, open-source media center app that can play almost any file format and makes a perfect companion for your home theater system. On top of its other attractive features -- it's compatible with all sorts of remote controls, and can even be installed on the original XBOX! -- the latest version of XBMC includes a sweet-looking new default skin. The new look, Confluence, ...

VLC is a cross-platform media player that can handle all sorts of audio and video files. It's open source, free, and available for Mac, Linux, and Windows, which makes it all sorts of awesome. There's even a portable version that you can run from a USB flash drive. And that's why it's pretty exciting that the some of the folks who brought us VLC are now working on a cross-platform video editor ...

The Windows version of Songbird, an open-source music app, just hit version 1.4.1 and introduced some very attractive new features. Foremost among Songbird's latest batch of goodies is support for external storage devices. You can sync songs (and playlists) on some devices using the MSC (Mass Storage Class) add-on, and there's even an iPod Device Support extension that makes your iPod show up in ...

Those of you using a Linux or Mac system who want a no-fuss way to enjoy YouTube videos should check out Minitube - a standalone desktop player which doesn't even require Adobe Flash Player. The interface is clean and simple. You're greeted with a simple search box upon first launching Minitube. Enter your query, and results are displayed in a column. They'll automatically play one after ...

Boxee is a media viewer that allows you to simply and elegantly browse videos, music and photos on the web or on your hard drive. The alpha version of the app has been around for a while, but the new closed beta kicks things up quite a few notches. An improved interface and some new content partners - still no Hulu without a workaround, though - make Boxee an excellent choice for all your ...

Mind maps have become a pretty mainstream way to brainstorm. Children as young as grade one are being taught how to create mind maps on paper as a brainstorming technique. If you've been interested in using mind mapping, but have been turned off by the surprisingly high cost of the commercial mind mapping products, you might want to check out XMind. XMind is a free and open-source desktop mind ...

Do not adjust your computer screen: what you see here is a piece of genius. A labor of love spanning two years, two hemispheres, two countries and over 3000 images... I give to you, the All-Sky Milky Way Panorama -- version 2! And, you'll be glad to hear, it was stitched together with open-source software. Well, not just open-source software: he needed a lot of processing power too, though ...

While Chrome OS has been getting the lion's share of netbook/smartbook buzz of late, Tariq Krim and company have been steadfastly plugging away at Jolicloud. Today, the Jolicloud pre-beta has been released and it's ready for the general public to install on their Windows netbooks. Jolicloud's Wubi-derived installer make the process dead-simple. Download the 600Mb .exe [or the torrent] from ...

Dig up a post on just about any blog about antivirus programs for Windows, and you'll probably come across at least one comment from a Linux or Mac flexing about how impervious his or her OS is. Which is true, to a point, but your defenses are only as good as the people using them. Careless Mac downloaders have been blindsided by several trojans injected into torrent downloads this year. Over ...

Boxee is a media center application for Mac, Linux and Windows that gives your PC a more TV-like interface for interacting with music, movies and pictures. Of course, that's what Apple Front Row, Windows Media Center, and Linux apps like MythTV do as well, but Boxee has a heavy emphasis on web content and it's kind of like an all-in-one jukebox for internet video, music, and podcasts. Boxee ...

Google's all about speeding up the web these days, and a recent 20% project has led to a very useful Domain Name Server benchmarking tool called NameBench. DNS servers are directories that your computer uses to look up the IP address of a site when you type in or click on a link for a domain name. The time it takes your DNS server to return the IP address your computer should access appreciably ...

Tweetdeck's latest update brings support for Twitter's most recent new features, including lists and geotagging. In fact, if you're gaga over Twitter lists, I'd venture to say that Tweetdeck is probably the client for you. Tweetdeck's groups feature, which has been one of its biggest selling points since it started, has been rolled into lists. Your old groups will still be there, but new groups ...

Watch out Chrome OS, Jolicloud means business. The cloud-based netbook operating system is feeling the heat and stepping it up, announcing their pre-beta release late last week. So, why is Jolicloud worth a look? Compatibility with "almost every netbook" is a good first step. In addition, the developers are touting a really fresh and updated UI and an entirely cloud-based structure. The ...

Handbrake, the insanely great multi-platform video transcoder - or "dvd ripper," if you're really being honest - just got its first update in almost a year. The biggest new change is 64-bit support, which means a 10% jump in encoding speed. According to our sister site, TUAW, Mac users don't even need to be running Snow Leopard to get the 64-bit advantage: it also works on OS X 10.5 on 64-bit ...