Linux Google Chrome Shines, Oct 05, 2009

The Google Chrome browser is still available as a stable build only for Windows, but it turns out that you can get a dev build for Linux and also for Mac OSX.

Asked last week about the fact that Linux has been getting increasingly slow over the past 10 years or so, Linux-daddy Linus Torvalds replied "We're getting bloated and huge. Yes, it's a problem."

Who'd have thought that a rather irritating little note-making C# application could threaten Linux and bring the mighty Debian to its knees? Almost no one. The application in question is called Tomboy, and this little faux Post-It Note utility uses Mono, an open source implementation of Microsoft's .Net framework, to run.

Development of new technologies on a commodity platform like Linux allows startup companies to enter the market with less capital and compete more effectively with their larger counterparts. In addition, using free open source applications and technologies encourages innovation and creation of new products for technology-hungry buyers. For smaller companies and startups, maintaining a high level of frugality is necessary for survival in any market environment.

If Walmart is looking for another product to add to its Great Value range, perhaps it should look no further than Linux.

Ah yes, there's that all too familiar sound of tightening budgets and the tossing aside of those things perceived as non-essential. Your dilemma is that you need to learn Linux but you have no money to buy training — what do you do — wait indefinitely for money to return to the coffers, download Linux and fumble through it on your own? Or, do you take the initiative and find some inexpensive or free learning resources?

Money can't buy you love; nor can it buy you happiness. But it just might bring you peace of mind. The Big 3 commercial Linux vendors; Canonical, Novell and Red Hat are ready to serve you through support subscription services for your Linux infrastructure.

How much you pay for your computer over a year's time, or the entire lifetime of the computer, depends greatly on your choice of operating system.

According to the latest numbers from IDC, Linux has moved into the fast lane. Linux server shipments grew at a respectable 15 percent annually four years ago, and now are growing at a rate of 40 percent.

One of the minor ironies of the Linux world is the slight disconnect between the mantra of "choice" the most ardent advocates use to make the case for a multitude of graphical interfaces

As the bigger guns in the enterprise Linux space move to commercialize their software as much as possible, the Debian project continues to provide a Linux distribution that offers organizations the sort of commodity infrastructure for which Linux was originally known.

First launched in 1993, the Debian project is run as a distributed democracy, electing project leaders and hammering out assorted issues via a wide array of mailing lists and strict adherence to the project's social contact, a statement of purpose designed to keep the fruits of its labors free and open.