Articles about Linux

When I first encountered computers in the 1990s, they were all large grey boxes that took up enormous amounts of space. In fact, when you added in a large CRT monitor and printer, many families had to dedicate an entire room in their home to the PC. Seriously, folks, a "computer room" was actually a thing.

Nowadays, thanks to inexpensive laptops and tablets, many families no longer need dedicated rooms for a PC -- a kitchen table can be sufficient. Even if you prefer a desktop, they no longer have to be monstrous either. There are many small desktops on the market these days, including the excellent Apple Mac mini.

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If you aren't using an online cloud-based password manager to both create and store your various passwords, you are doing yourself a great disservice. True, storing your passwords in the cloud seems counter-intuitive, but in reality, it is far more secure than re-using passwords or writing them down. Of course, you should make sure you are also using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) whenever possible too.

On the desktop, there are many password managers for Windows and Mac, but on Linux, things are far more limited. For instance, 1Password is arguably the best password manager in the world, yet despite a decade of requests for it to come to Linux, it never did. Sure, Linux users could use the 1Password X browser plugin, but there was no native Linux version. Well, folks, the time has finally arrived. Following a lengthy Beta period, today, developer Agilebits finally releases a stable 1Password for all modern Linux distributions!

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deepin Linux is developed in China, true, but that doesn't mean it can't be trusted. Look, many products are manufactured in that country, including electronics and computer components we use every day. It is almost impossible for a consumer to avoid Chinese-made products entirely. Plus, let's not forget, people in China are humans just like everyone else. Please stop the xenophobia, y'all.

With all of that said, there is a new version of that Linux-based operating system available -- deepin 20.2.1. Even though it is just a "point" release, it is chock full of changes and fixes. Most notably, it is now based on Debian 10.9. And yes, like previous versions of this distribution, deepin 20.2.1 will make an excellent replacement for Windows 10, which seems to be riddled with bugs lately.

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System76 makes and sells excellent computers running Linux-based operating systems. The company's laptops and desktops can be had with your choice of the popular Ubuntu or the company's own Ubuntu-based Pop!_OS. For many years now, System76 has been a huge proponent of both the Linux and open source communities. Quite frankly, Linux users all over the world are very lucky to have System76 computers as an option.

And now, PC manufacturer System76 is becoming an accessory maker too. You see, after teasing the product for months, today, the company officially unveils its newest product -- the "Launch Configurable Keyboard." Yes, folks, it is a mechanical keyboard made in the USA with a focus on open source. The Launch has both open source firmware and hardware. Even the configuration software -- which runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS -- is open source.

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Microsoft has launched a new project which has the aim of bringing Linux kernel tool eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) to Windows.

The company insists that the move to get the technology working in Windows does not represent creating a fork of eBPF. Instead, it will use existing projects, including the IOVisor uBPF project and the PREVAIL verifier, to run eBPF programs and APIs on top of its own operating systems -- specifically Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 or above.

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There are way too many Linux distributions nowadays. Some of them are unique, but for the most part, they are largely repetitive and don't all need to exist. One Linux-based operating system that manages to stand out, however, is Bodhi, which uses the Moksha desktop environment (a fork of Enlightenment).

If you aren't familiar with Bodhi, please know it is a lightweight operating system that is based on the great Ubuntu. Today, Bodhi 6.0 becomes available. This release comes nearly three years after version 5.0 became available. This is the first release of Bodhi Linux to be based on Ubuntu 20.04.

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When you live in the USA, you get used to buying things that are made in other countries. It is just very common to see things stamped with "Made in China" or "Made in Mexico." Some Americans take issue with this, actively trying to buy products made in the USA, but this can be quite hard. Even American car companies, like Ford, outsource labor to foreign counties, such as Mexico.

System76 is a company that sells computers preloaded with Linux-based operating systems, including laptops and desktops. While its laptops are not yet manufactured in the USA, its beautiful Thelio desktops are handcrafted here. And now, in an interesting twist, System76 has begun shipping its computers to customers in Mexico.

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Back in the day, getting a laptop with Linux pre-installed was almost unheard of. For the most part, you had to buy a computer with Windows and then install Linux yourself. This wasn't bad necessarily, but it did mean that the price of the computer usually included a Windows license you maybe didn't want. In other words, Microsoft was profiting off of Linux users -- just because the consumer bought a Windows PC.

In 2021, however, there are many computers to be had with Linux pre-installed -- thanks to pioneers like System76. Of course, nowadays, big companies like Dell and Lenovo are selling Linux machines too. Today, yet another such laptop hits the market -- the Star Labs StarBook Mk V. This 14-inch notebook can be had your choice of several quality Linux distributions pre-installed, such as Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and Manjaro to name a few. And yes, Windows 10 is an option too.

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When Microsoft first announced it was bringing Edge to Linux, I was less than enthusiastic about it. In fact, I declared that I would never install the web browser on my own Linux computer. To this day, I have yet to install Edge for Linux, although my stance is softening a bit. Mozilla Firefox is feeling stagnant, while I am troubled by the FLoC situation with Google Chrome. Could Microsoft Edge for Linux be in my future?

Well, Microsoft's web browser just got one step closer to a stable release, so I might have to give it a try. You see, as of today, Edge has achieved Beta status! This means its development has progressed quite swimmingly, and the Chromium-based web browser should be totally fine to use daily. And yes, you can install Edge Beta for Linux right now.

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Microsoft's love affair with Linux has been developing in recent years, and has now reached the stage of being a serious relationship. Such is Microsoft's commitment that the company is now actively involved in contributing to the Linux kernel.

One of the latest updates sees the company shifting its focus slightly when it comes to Hyper-V. Its virtualization tool has thus far been largely fixated with x86_64, but now there is a move towards "running Linux as ARM64 Hyper-V guest".

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Ubuntu 21.10 won't get a stable release until October of 2021. In fact, we know the exact date the Linux-based operating system should be made available -- October 14. In addition to that date, we also know what the distribution's codename is -- Impish Indri.

Unfortunately, we only just entered the month of May, meaning Ubuntu 21.10 won't be available to download -- in stable form, at least -- for about five more months. According to the release schedule, the beta of Impish Indri won't even be released until September at the earliest. Sigh. What is an Ubuntu enthusiast supposed to do?

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Why don’t more desktop computer users run Linux-based operating systems? Well, software compatibility aside, there is fear of change and the unknown. For a user to switch from Windows, it need to be a fairly simple affair. For years, just installing a Linux distribution was a daunting task. These days, it can be faster and easier than installing Windows 10 -- depending on the distro, of course.

For beginners, once installed, their chosen Linux distro should be easy to use with an intuitive desktop environment. I'm a big fan of GNOME, but understandably, not all folks like it -- especially Linux novices. One particular Linux-based desktop operating system has been focusing on accessibility to all -- elementary OS. This distribution is polished and focuses on being easy to use. It is a good choice for both experts and beginners alike. And now, elementary OS 6, code-named "Odin," has officially achieved Beta status.

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The release of M1-powered systems was warmly welcomed by the Mac community, thanks largely to the huge performance boost Apple silicon brings. For macOS purists, the move to M1 chips makes a great deal of sense, but for anyone used to running other operating system on their Macs, there were questions.

Running Windows 10 on M1 systems is possible thanks to the latest version of Parallels for Mac, but this is far from being the only virtualization software available -- people have been asking for some time what to expect from VMware Fusion. Now the company has revealed details of what to come; and while it's great news for Linux fans, it's not so great for Windows users.

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Linux distributions and silly names go together like peanut butter and jelly. For whatever reason, the maintainers of these operating systems seem to enjoy having fun with what they call them -- some argue it is childish. Hell, even Google -- a multi-billion dollar company -- once used sugary dessert names for the Linux-based Android operating system. I am glad the search giant stopped that nonsense.

One of the most well-known desktop Linux distributions to use funny names is Ubuntu. It famously uses the convention of an adjective and a lesser-known animal, each starting with the same letter. The letter is chosen sequentially by alphabet. For example, Ubuntu 21.04 uses the letter "H" -- "Hirsute Hippo".

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Linux is one of the most sought-after skills in the IT industry, with jobs involving Linux being increasingly in demand. Linux is by far the most popular operating system deployed in both public and private clouds; it is the processing power behind the majority of IoT and embedded devices. Do you use a mobile device that runs on Android? Even Android is a Linux distribution.

This Linux book is a practical guide that lets you explore the power of the Linux command-line interface. Starting with the history of Linux, you'll quickly progress to the Linux filesystem hierarchy and learn a variety of basic Linux commands.You'll then understand how to make use of the extensive Linux documentation and help tools.

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