Not all Linux distributions are made with the same components, which can make it difficult for software developers to write applications for multiple Linux distributions. That's where the Linux Standards Base (LSB) comes into play.

Solid state drives (SSD) have many advantages over traditional spinning-platter hard drives including no noise, low power and heat generation, good resistance to shock, and most importantly, extremely low seek times. To see just how much an SSD might improve performance, I used Bonnie++ to benchmark a contemporary SSD as it might be used in a laptop computer.

You don’t need expensive proprietary tools to practice the craft of computer forensics.

I had the opportunity to present at the Linux Symposium on Friday, and talked further about my hope that we can improve the coordination and cadence of the entire free software stack. I tried to present both the obvious benefits and the controversies the idea has thrown up.

Inevitably as Linux has gained traction it’s attracted more and more attention. From Dell selling Ubuntu PCs to ASUS choosing Xandros for the EeePC, it’s become almost trendy to add Tux to a product.

Today's big story seems to be a piece of code in a Foxconn motherboard that checks what the operating system is and, based on that information, uses a different piece of code for each OS. Unfortunately, the code for Linux seems to cause some major errors, due to an allegedly incorrect implementation of the ACPI standards, as best I understand it.

The EU-funded P2P Next project has been beta testing a new open source streaming solution since late last week, streaming both a live webcam transmission and an archived video from the BBC through its BitTorrent-based SwarmPlayer. I had a chance to check in with P2P Next’s scientific director, Johan Pouwelse, today about the progress of the test.

The biggest reason I still dual boot my Ubuntu with Windows XP is Gaming. In fact the Windows XP in my desktop is used for no purpose absolutely except occassionally playing games.