A Vista vs. Linux matchup, Jan 27, 2007

In this multi-part series, DesktopLinux.com columnist and operating system curmudgeon Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols pits Microsoft's latest wares -- Vista -- against Linux's fair haired boy -- Ubuntu -- to see how the pinnacle of commercial desktop operating systems stacks up against the free, community-developed Linux upstart.

The group's formation is an acknowledgement that Linux can't afford to divide its resources for funding, legal defense, and standards, since problems on any of those fronts could weaken the operating system's advancement.

The OSDL's Desktop Linux Working Group has published a detailed "state of the desktop" report that chronicles an impressive number of significant developments during 2006. The report was based in part on 2,600 responses to the OSDL's 2006 Linux Desktop Client Survey, the results of which are also now available.

The long-awaited next version of the Debian open-source operating system is most likely to be released in February, according to members of the Debian community.

Mustang Linux, a fork of Buffalo Linux and a newcomer to the "mini" Linux distribution field, achieved a v2.3.1 release earlier this month. The lightweight distro, which can run entirely from RAM, is based on a 2.6.16 kernel and offers a choice of desktops, the project team said.

Mini-ITX system integrator Mini-box.com has updated its Linux-compatible car PC, adding room for a slim ATAPI drive, and a pudgi

According to the error report, this made it possible, under certain circumstances, to log onto an account using any password.

Microsoft executives - having been unceremoniously dressed down for, among other things, plotting to cut off rival Netscape's supply of life-giving air - discussed bludgeoning Dell over the true-blue ally's embrace of Linux.

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