Our friends over at Ostatic have posed a good question, one I’ve thought about in the past. They are looking at the feasibility of Android-based netbooks, something we’ve covered here, and give a good case for open source netbooks. The problem they point out is that such netbooks, often running some flavor of Linux, usually have lesser hardware components than Windows-based netbooks.

"Timothy Normand Miller of the Open Graphics Project is looking for help with their effort to design hardware -- particularly wireless and graphics cards -- with fully published design documents [...] It's a big project and there are many different ways to help, but the immediate need is for someone to clean up the text on their wiki, both to improve the organization of the information there and t

In keeping with our theme of free stuff (see Embedded Technology Journal, January 27, 2009) we proudly chronicle the newest free alternative for embedded developers: a free Linux-compatible microprocessor. Never has so much been offered to so many for so little. Or something like that.

When the GNU/Linux revolution started reaching the masses, around 2000, I predicted that by 2010 there would be full vendor support for the free operating system. Well, it’s 2009, and I have to admit it — I am feeling nervous....

Harald Welte shares his interesting opinnion about why hardware manufacturers do not like and want to share their products's specfifications.

"25 years after Stallman first set the GNU project in motion, what have these ideals achieved, and what can we do to ensure the future of free software? Linux Format spoke to him to find out..."

Buying new computers, particularly laptops, can be a bit of a challenge for Linux users. Sure, you can just go buy any random computer, but you are not guaranteed compatibility. Yes, all the essential parts will almost certainly work, but you never know for sure without doing some research.

Dear Microsoft: I'm writing in regard to your recent FREE LAPTOP COMPUTER giveaway program for members of the industry media/analyst community. It is my understanding that authors and pundits who are "friends" of Microsoft -– i.e.