Articles about Linux

If you want a laptop that comes with Linux pre-installed nowadays, there are actually a lot of options. While it used to be hard to get a computer without Windows on it, it is now a pretty easy task. You can choose from popular Linux-friendly computer sellers like System76 or Tuxedo Computers, but there is another company that sometimes gets overlooked -- Dell. Yes, one of the biggest manufacturers of Windows computers also sells "Developer Editions" of its computers that come with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed. The company has sold these Linux computers for several years.

One of the most celebrated laptops in recent years is Dell's wildly popular XPS 13. This is a thin and light notebook that offers both elegance and impressive performance. Newer models are famous for their super-thin bezels. And yes, Dell does offer a Developer Edition of the XPS 13. Believe it or not, even though Ubuntu 20.04 LTS came out in April, Dell has been shipping the laptop with the older (yet still supported) 18.04 LTS. Well, folks, as of today this changes. Dell is finally shipping the XPS 13 Developer Edition with Ubuntu Linux 20.04!

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Back in March, we told you about the upcoming Linux Mint 20. Code-named "Ulyana," it was a very controversial announcement as the developers decided to cancel the 32-bit version. After that bombshell, the devs further shocked the world by revealing their intention to remove Snapd starting with version 20 of the operating system. Don't forget, all of this follows the unpopular decision by the developers to pull both GIMP and VLC from Mint too.

And now, the BETA of Linux Mint 20 is officially here. The pre-release operating system comes with Linux kernel 5.4 and is based on Ubuntu 20.04. Linux Mint 20 even has official support until the year 2025! Best of all, you can choose among three desktop environments -- Cinnamon (4.6), MATE (1.24), and Xfce (4.14). What really has the developers hot and bothered, however, is a new program called "Warpinator."

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Windows 10 is undeniably a graphic-based operating system, but there have always been various text-driven command line options too. With Microsoft increasingly embracing Linux, the arrival of Windows Terminal was pleasing if unsurprising.

The utility provides access to the Command Prompt, PowerShell and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), and although version 1.0 has only just been released, Microsoft has already published it roadmap for Windows Terminal 2.0.

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The year 2020 undoubtedly belongs to AMD. After trailing Intel for years in some areas, the company has finally leapfrogged the Pentium-maker. Between its Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper processors, AMD owns the enthusiast desktop market. And that's not all -- the company's Ryzen 4000 Series Mobile Processors are impressing on laptops too. Hell, Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, is now using a computer powered by AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 3970X.

Linux computer maker/seller System76 has been offering AMD processors in its Thelio desktop computers, but believe it or not, the company has never offered an AMD-powered laptop -- until now, that is. You see, starting today, you can buy a "Serval WS" powered by AMD. No, System76 is not offering mobile Ryzen chips in this laptop, but instead, desktop-class processors! As you can expect, this 15-inch portable Linux workstation is quite chunky and heavy as a result. With that said, it is simply impossible to cram this much power into a thin and light notebook.

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It’s been a couple of weeks since Microsoft began rolling out the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, and it’s fair to say progress has been slow, with more issues coming to light.

Still, it’s full steam ahead on Windows 10 development as the software giant today releases a new build for Insiders on the Fast ring.

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Lenovo makes some great Enterprise computers — both its desktops and notebooks can be found in use by many businesses. With that said, the company’s Windows laptops and Chromebooks are used in many homes too. Unfortunately, Lenovo’s consumer PCs have varying degrees of quality — some models are good, while others are downright bad.

Today, Lenovo announces amazing news regarding some of its higher quality computers. You see, all of the company’s ThinkStation and ThinkPad P Series workstations are now certified for Linux, including Ubuntu LTS and RHEL. This is in addition to Lenovo’s previously announced plan to pre-install Fedora on some machines.

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A couple days ago, we told you about a new version of a wonderful Linux distribution called Linux Lite. As great as that operating system is -- especially for those switching from Windows -- it isn't the only Linux distribution that is lightweight and easy to use. In fact, the Linux community probably has too many distributions from which to choose, but I digress.

Today, yet another great Linux-based operating system gets updated to a new version, this time it is MX Linux 19.2. It uses the lightweight -- yet pretty -- Xfce 4.14 for its desktop environment and MESA 18.3.6. It comes loaded with some great software, such as LibreOffice 6.1.5, Thunderbird 68.6.1, Firefox 76, GIMP 2.10.12, VLC 3.0.10, and Clementine 1.3.1.

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Windows 7 and Windows 10 aren't bad operating systems. In fact, they are both quite good. With that said, the newest version of Windows 10 has many bugs. Unfortunately, since Windows 7 is no longer supported, some of its users are stuck in a conundrum. They have to decide whether to use an unsupported Windows 7 or upgrade to Windows 10 that is full of telemetry and other "spying" that passes their information to Microsoft's servers.

Thankfully, there is another option -- switch to Linux. Yes, modern Linux-based operating systems will be supported (unlike the now-obsolete Windows 7) and most will run great on aging hardware (unlike Windows 10). Linux Lite is one of the best Linux distributions for Windows-switchers, as it is lightweight, modern, and familiar.

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When the Raspberry Pi Foundation launched the Raspberry Pi 4 last year it described it as a "complete desktop computer", but the truth is it isn’t powerful enough to run many of the tasks you’d use a desktop computer for, even if you opted for the 4GB model.

Today however, the Raspberry Pi 4 gets an upgrade with a new 8GB version joining the ranks.

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I have long been an AMD "fanboy," usually choosing that company's processors for my PC builds. Why? I prefer value to just throwing cash at raw performance, and with AMD I have always gotten plenty of power for my money. Historically, on the higher-end, Intel used to beat AMD regularly, but nowadays, things have really changed. AMD often destroys the competition across the board, as Intel has grown quite stale. Are Intel chips bad now? Not at all, but the innovation is coming from AMD. Facts.

And so, I was quite delighted when Linus Sebastian of YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips (of whom I am a big fan) saw the light and began embracing AMD lately (despite his love for Intel). It was very neat to see AMD Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper processors being heralded by someone who is typically an Intel guy. Believe it or not, yet another Linus (no, not Linus van Pelt from Peanuts) is jumping to AMD, and this time it is probably a bigger deal than Sebastian's current change of allegiance. You see, Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, is no longer using an Intel CPU on his main computer. Woah.

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For around two decades now, hackers have exploited the design of the memory management system used by Linux programs in order to take control of a target's computer.

Now though researchers at Check Point have introduced a new security mechanism for Linux users called 'safe-linking' which means attackers will need more than one vulnerability in order to take over the program.

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The Linux-supporting capabilities of Windows 10 are going to develop even further as Microsoft continues to improve Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Later this month, with the release of Windows 10 May 2020 Update, Microsoft is launching WSL2 which sees the arrival of a full Linux kernel and more.

Talking at Build yesterday, Microsoft revealed the impending arrival of not only GPU hardware acceleration in WSL2, but also GUI app support.

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At its Build developer conference last year, Microsoft took the wraps off its Linux-inspired Windows Terminal. This lets users access the Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) in the one place.

Since then, Microsoft has been adding additional features, such as multiple panes and tab re-ordering, across a number of preview versions. Most recently the software giant added mouse support and duplicate panes. Today, at the virtual Build 2020, the company announces that Terminal has hit the 1.0 milestone.

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A growing number of Linux distributions no longer offer 32-bit versions, and that’s a trend that’s very much set to continue.

If you’re a Windows user running older hardware, then you’ll be pleased that Microsoft has yet to follow suit, but starting with the next version of Windows 10, the May 2020 Update (or 2004 if you prefer), the software developer is finally beginning the process of killing off support for non-64-bit systems.

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Video games may be more popular than ever these days, but the truth is, they simply aren’t as fun as they used to be. Sadly, game developers focus too heavily on graphics and in-game purchases than actual gameplay. And so, in 2020, a true gamer is better served by playing video game ROMs from yesteryear, from systems like NES, SNES, Genesis, and N64.

Thankfully, there’s no shortage of ways to play classic video game ROMs nowadays. You can even use inexpensive hardware like the Raspberry Pi line of computers to easily get them onto your TV screen. If you have the latest such device, the Raspberry Pi 4, I have some great news — you can finally use the Linux-based RetroPie for your classic gaming fun.

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