Linux

When I recently explained one of the many reasons why I prefer desktop Linux to Windows, even over my favorite desktop Windows, XP SP3, I got a lot of people telling me I was full of hooey because I barely even mentioned Mac OS X.

Good enough, here's my take on Apple's Mac OS X.

It's IT Blogwatch: in which we take a headgear-flavored gander at Fedora 9. Not to mention why we hate smug, self-satisfied Apple Macintosh users...

Todd R. Weiss reports:

Has it only been 6 months since Fedora 8's debut? This new version promises a host of cool new features, including much easier deployment on USB thumb drives.

Dear me. Just because I recently talked about Windows XP SP3's virtues and vices, some people seem to think I've turned away from my beloved Linux systems. Nope, I'm still a rock-solid Linux desktop user.

Worried about the explosive growth of Linux on inexpensive, ultra-portable PCs like the Asus Eee PC, Microsoft has launched a campaign to offer Windows XP at steep discounts to makers of low-cost portables. Insider documents reveal that Microsoft is also trying to make sure those portables don't become so powerful that they cannibalize sales from higher-end Windows PCs.

Sometimes, no matter how much you try to protect your computer, you need to get down and dirty with the hardware. Sometimes it's the obvious. I never cease to be amazed at how many PC problems turn out to be loose cables or -- the shame of it all! -- an unplugged electrical cord. But, other times, ...

Oooh, it's IT Blogwatch: in which OpenOffice.org 3.0 breaks cover, to delight and frustrate in equal measure. Not to mention two new entries for the Uxbridge English Dictionary...

Peter Cohen reports:

We interrupt the regularly-scheduled Microhoo update to bring you the story of an obscure software vendor that seems to be proving that open-source and Windows are not like oil and water after all.

It's IT Blogwatch: in which Sun finally releases OpenSolaris, but with a surprising, cloud-computing twist, courtesy of Amazon EC2. Not to mention a joke for Photoshop users...

Heather Harreld Havenstein has, err, this: [Good grief -Ed.]

It's IT Blogwatch: in which Novell's countersuit against SCO has started, with bloggers highlighting hilarious, contradictory statements from SCO execs -- enjoy schadenfreude much? Not to mention the hidden Apple parody in Grand Theft Auto IV...

Taking a page out of Microsoft Corp.'s book, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) now wants to get its much-praised Sugar graphical interface created for its XO children's laptop onto as many PCs as possible, whether they are running the free Linux operating system or Windows.

It's IT Blogwatch: in which the One Laptop Per Child project is losing executive after executive, amidst rumors of disquiet and rancor. Not to mention an animated macro...

It's IT Blogwatch: in which Red Hat gives up on the consumer desktop Linux market. Not to mention some Chinese guys with too much time on their hands...

Mac acolytes might not like to hear this, but a just-released report from Forrester Research concludes that large businesses should upgrade to Vista as soon as possible, and forgo the Mac. Even Linux, the report concludes, is a no-go for big companies.

I'll admit that I'm not a Marvel Comics fan (color me Vertigo), but this one's got me genuinely stumped: Apparently Iron Man is now fighting the dark forces of Linux...