Linux

The infrastructure and tools required to make Linux a green operating system are now in place, according to Linus Torvalds, who was in Melbourne this week attending Australia's largest Linux conference.

In an interview at the Linux.conf.au conference today, Torvalds admitted that Linux was lagging behind on power management and energy diagnosis tools.

"It is an area we were pretty weak a few years ago and just building up the infrastructure took a long time but now we are at a point where we have most of it done.

The prevailing wisdom about Linux on the desktop runs something like this: "I'll believe Linux is ready for the desktop as soon as you can give me a Linux distribution that even my grandmother can run."

One of the main reasons people move from Windows to Linux is the promise of greater security from malware on the Internet. Everyone knows you need to add extra security to try to keep a Windows desktop safe, but what do you have to do to accomplish the same thing on Linux? To answer that question, we asked a number of well-known Linux kernel hackers and a security expert for their thoughts on the matter.

If there is a defining feature in Apple's Leopard, it's Time Machine. As cool as it may be, the fact is that we, as Linux users, are obviously not going to see much benefit from this is pitiful. So it's a good thing that open source developers have taken it upon themselves to create something similar, be it not a 'pretty' alternative.

OpenMoko is upgrading its Linux-based mobile phone with a faster processor, WiFi networking, and better graphics abilities, the company said Thursday.

The Neo FreeRunner has a faster 500MHz processor, compared to 266MHz for the Compared to the Neo 1973 introduced last July.

It's also got built-in hardware for 2D and 3D graphics along with new motion sensors that can trigger automated behavior. The wireless networking supports the 802.11b/g standards.

With new releases of the kernel coming every two to three months, Linux continues to test the limits of the open-source development process. Moving forward, the roadmap for the open-source operating system indicates a constant drive to add features, while maintaining quality and stability.
To get some perspective on what lies ahead in 2008, we caught up with Linus Torvalds via email. His responses touched on the Linux development process, upcoming features, and whether he's concerned about potential patent litigation.

The creator of Linux is excited about solid-state drives, expects progress in graphics and wireless networking, and says the operating system is strong in virtualization despite his personal lack of interest in the area.

Of the abundance of Linux distributions available, quite a few have sprung up whose stated goal is to give you the most Linux in the least amount of space. They run in low memory, require relatively little disk space to install, and at the same time are immediately useful and powerful: you can boot and get right to work in seconds, not minutes or hours.

Most Linux users would be appalled by the idea of using any Microsoft product, especially Internet Explorer. However, many websites don't render properly using regular Linux browsers, such as Firefox or Konqueror. Other sites either require ActiveX controls or are designed to work only with Internet Explorer. Also, how can you test your new Web design and JavaScript for IE if you're an Apache and Linux maven?

Linux has proven amazingly flexible: after nearly 10 years of use, I'm still impressed by how the Linux operating system does exactly what I want on any type of hardware. Desktop customization is no exception; from the ultra-modern KDE and GNOME window managers to with the likes of Fluxbox and AfterStep, there's a Linux desktop to suit everyone.