Brian Fagioli

Unfortunately, 2017 was not the much-fabled year of the Linux desktop. Hell, that might not ever happen. With Windows 10 being such a disappointment for many, however, it is definitely a possibility. Maybe 2018 will be the year...

One such desktop operating system that consistently delights users is Linux Mint. Today, we get some information about the upcoming version 19. The biggest news is that it will be called "Tara." If you aren’t aware, the operating system is always named after a woman.

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Curved televisions are gimmicky and an overall bad idea. I bought a curved 4K TV a couple years ago, and while I do like it overall, it has a big negative -- it shows a lot of glare when the sun comes through the windows. Ultimately, the curved aspect doesn't seem to provide much (if any) value over a flat set when sitting on my couch.

Where curved displays are wonderful, however, is for computer monitors. When you are sitting closer to a display, such as at a desk, it provides a more immersive experience -- it is great. Today, Samsung unveils what it claims is the world's first curved Thunderbolt 3 QLED display. The 34-inch "CJ791," as it is called, features a 3440x1440 resolution, wide 21:9 aspect ratio, and four milliseconds response time.

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About 16 years ago, a for-pay Linux distribution caused quite a stir all because of its name -- Lindows. Yes, someone actually thought kicking the billion dollar hornets nest that is Microsoft by playing off of the "Windows" name was a good idea. To be honest, from a marketing perspective, it was brilliant -- it got tons of free press. Microsoft eventually killed the Lindows name by use of money and the legal system, however. Ultimately, the Linux distro was renamed "Linspire." Comically, there was a Lindows Insiders program way before Windows Insiders!

After losing the Lindows name, the operating system largely fell out of the spotlight, and its 15 minutes of fame ended. After all, without the gimmicky name, it was hard to compete with free Linux distros. Not to mention, Richard Stallman famously denounced the OS for its non-free ways. The company eventually created a free version of its OS called Freespire, but by 2008, both projects were shut down by its then-owner, Xandros. Today, however, a new Linspire owner emerges -- PC/OpenSystems LLC. And yes, Lindows is rising from the grave -- as Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0!

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It’s 2018, and there will likely be a lot of new hardware to excite and delight computer builders this year. In 2017, we saw solid state drives continue their climb in popularity -- a trend that will absolutely continue in the new year.

Today, Plextor launches a new solid state drive with a focus on gaming. The M9Pe series, as it is called, is an M.2 NVMe SSD drive that will be sold in capacities up to 1TB. It uses 64-layer 3D NAND Toshiba flash and the Marvell 88ss1093 controller.

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As someone who was born in the 1980s, I experienced the golden age of video games. While the graphics were archaic by today's standards, the games were much more fun than the ones of today. People tend to forget that fun is the most important aspect of video games -- sound and graphics be damned. You bought a completed game and there were no updates, DLC or loot crates to be had. It was an amazing time.

Luckily, enjoying these classic games of yesteryear is very easy thanks to emulators. While the legality is a bit sketchy, you can download thousands of retro games (ROMs) and play them on your PC with near-flawless results. To make things even more convenient, the Kodi media center can now be used to play these ROMs. If you want to try this for yourself, I am happy to say you can do so immediately. The folks over at TVAddons have created a very useful guide.

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Today is the big day -- New Year's Eve! Tonight, many people will celebrate ringing in the new year at midnight. They will drink champagne, dance, and generally have a fun time.

If you are a nerd like me, however, you won't be leaving the house. Instead, you will probably be watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest while eating low-quality frozen hors d'oeuvres -- there is no shame in that, though. This year, there is actually something very fun you can do while sitting on your couch -- install a Linux distribution! You see, Manjaro Linux 17.1.0 is now ready for download. Hell, installing an Arch-based Linux distro is better than going to a party, right?

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Microsoft's Windows Phone was actually pretty terrible. While it had some redeeming qualities, the now-failed platform was quite deficient compared to iOS and Android. Only the absolute biggest Microsoft loyalists truly embraced it, and even they have mostly moved on. Yeah, other consumers bought Windows Phone devices, but likely just because some of the models were so damn inexpensive -- it was like purchasing a feature-phone. Hell, the NYPD famously regretted choosing Microsoft's mobile OS.

That's why it is surprising that The New York Times -- one of the most important news outlets in history -- is still supporting a Windows Phone app. Well, I should say it was supporting it. You see, in a rather unceremonious announcement, the company says it is ending support for that app.

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USB flash drives are becoming less popular thanks to the cloud. If you need to access a file on the go, using a cloud-based storage service like Dropbox is extremely convenient. Unlike a flash drive, you don’t have to worry about losing it.

These diminutive drives definitely still have a place, though. For instance, I use them regularly for installing Linux distributions and Windows 10. Not to mention, they are wonderful when an internet connection is not available. Today, ADATA unveils two new models. Both use USB Type-A for connectivity, but one uses USB 3.1, while the other uses the slower USB 2.0.

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There is a lot of software in the world, and much of it is terrible. It is rare that a truly great program comes along that actually disrupts things. When that software is open source, it is even more remarkable. That is why Kodi is such an impressive program. The open source project has impacted the way much of the world consumes music, movies, TV and more -- both legitimately obtained media and pirated content.

Earlier this year, we shared with you that a pre-release version of Kodi 18 "Leia" 64-bit for Windows was available. There was a big catch, however -- it was not up to par with its 32-bit brother. And so, many people just stuck with the 32-bit version, because, well... why not? It is finally time to make the jump to the 64-bit variant, however, as according to the Kodi team, it is now identical to the 32-bit version from a feature perspective.

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iOS is the best mobile operating system on the planet. End of story. Android is a solid choice too, but fragmentation and a lack of device updates makes it a non-starter for many. Pixel and Nexus devices aside, many users of Google's operating system get stranded on phones and tablets with known exploits. It is a mess.

I say all of this to highlight how great a job Apple does with supporting older devices. The company could easily stop issuing OS updates to a device after a couple of years, but instead, it chooses to reward its customers with very long support -- the iPad 2, for instance, was supported for five years. That's why today's Apple apology seems out of place. You see, the company is apologizing for slowing down older iPhone devices in an effort to make aging batteries last longer. The thing is, we shouldn't be forgiving Apple for this -- we should be thanking them!

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There have been many RAM kits being touted as the world's fastest lately. It almost feels like an "arms race" where memory-makers are looking to outdo each other. For instance, both G.SKILL and Corsair recently claimed to have the fastest 32GB DDR4 SO-DIMM kit in the world. While both kits shared the same clock speed, the former beat the latter thanks to lower CAS latency.

Today, G.SKILL continues to brag about being the world's fastest, but this time, it is regarding its all-new 64GB DDR4 SO-DIMM kit. The 4x16GB kit runs at an impressive 3,466MHz with CL17-17-17-37 timings using 1.35V. Like the aforementioned 32GB SO-DIMM kit, these sticks are not designed for typical all-in-one computers or laptops, but instead, some desktops using the Intel X299 chipset.

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Wearables haven’t exactly lit the world on fire. Quite frankly, devices such as Apple Watch and Android Wear watches have been disapointments for some. Yeah, Apple’s offering has seen respectable sales — for the “watch” category at least — but it’s hardly on the same level as the iPhone or iPad from a disruption standpoint. Not to mention, having to charge it daily is a definite pain-point.

Where wearables seem to shine, however, is for fitness. Fitness-focused devices have more of a purpose — they aren’t just glorified wrist-worn alert annoyances like Apple Watch. Today, Garmin unveils it’s latest fitness wearable and it looks quite nice. Called “vívofit 4,” it has an always-on color display and get this — the battery lasts more than a year. Wait, what?!

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Opera may not be the most popular web browser, but it is certainly one of the most feature-full offerings. Quite frankly, it is actually quite good, and if you haven't tried it recently, you should. Not to mention, it is very much a cross-platform affair, offering versions for Windows, macOS, Linux desktop, Android, iOS, and more.

The upcoming version 50 of the Opera web browser is particularly intriguing. Why? Well, it will offer a really cool integrated anti-Bitcoin mining feature. Besides Bitcoin, it will also block the mining of other cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin and Ethereum. If you aren't aware, some websites are hijacking user computers to mine for cryptocurrencies. This is not only a potential violation of trust, but it can negatively impact the computer's performance too. Mining is also a huge waste of electricity. Opera 50 will offer an optional setting that, when enabled, blocks this nonsense.

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Christmas is almost here, and I don't know about y'all, but I am thrilled. While I am looking forward to spending time with family and thinking about the birth of Jesus, I am not ashamed to say I am excited about presents too!

Today, Christmas comes a bit early thanks to a new LibreELEC (Krypton) release. Version 8.2.2 of the Kodi-focused Linux-based operating system is being called a minor release, but it is still a very special gift for users of the media center. After all, version 8.2.1 was previously called the final Krypton version, but as we now know, it wasn't.

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Surfing the web on your television is hardly new. In fact, WebTV (later renamed MSNTV) launched over 20 years ago. If you don't remember that device, it was essentially a box that connected to a television and let people surf the web and access email. It was marketed towards those that were averse to buying or using a full-fledged computer, such as grandma and pop-pop. Over time, its popularity decreased, and ultimately, the service was shutdown by its eventual owner -- Microsoft.

Accessing a web browser on a TV-connected device remains an easy affair, but starting today, it may be even easier. You see, the Firefox web browser is now available for the low-cost Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. In other words, if you know someone who doesn't want a computer but could benefit from occasional web browsing, Amazon's media box may be a great option. I guess you could say that Firefox for Amazon Fire TV is sort of the new WebTV!

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