As a geek and longtime tech reporter, there are few things I love writing about more than cool new technological innovations. It never ceases to amaze me what we humans can come up with, particularly when some good technology is fueling the effort.
HP's ill-fated TouchPad may be a hot commodity now that it's being offered at fire-sale prices, but those lucky enough to get their hands on one could soon find themselves with more choices than they ever imagined.
With the possible exception of GNOME 3, few recent innovations in the Linux world have proven as controversial as the Unity desktop included in Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal."
The Linux Foundation's annual LinuxCon North America event kicks off today in Vancouver, B.C., and its primary focus this year is the 20th anniversary of the free and open source operating system.
After all the controversy that followed the release of Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal," it's hard not to anticipate with at least some anxiety the upcoming debut of version 11.10, also known as "Oneiric Ocelot."
Between Unity and GNOME 3, there seems to be no end to the controversy surrounding Linux desktop environments this year.
With all the hundreds of Linux distributions already available for practically every niche and purpose, users of the open source operating system are accustomed to having a wealth of choices. Recently, however, the set of options got even bigger thanks to a brand-new, security-focused Linux distribution from none other than the U.S. Department of Defense.
Linux-based plug computers such as the Sheevaplug have been drawing fresh attention for some time already, but on Monday MimoMonitors launched the new MimoPlug, a tiny, cube-shaped contender that's designed as a desktop PC alternative for cloud computing applications.
Fans of Linux, Microsoft and Macs used to be able to search for information about those topics on Google using specialized search tools that narrowed the results to a focused set of highly relevant Web sites.
Microsoft's proud proclamations that Windows 8 won't require users to buy a new PC speaks volumes about the company's longtime business model. After all, each new generation of the company's resource-hungry operating system has traditionally required new hardware as well as software, thus benefiting both Microsoft and its hardware partners.
It was just about a year ago that IBM, Samsung, ARM and others formed Linaro, the not-for-profit organization that aims to make it easier for developers to use Linux on ARM-based devices, and over the past few weeks the group has made several announcements that reveal some of the fruits of its labors.
It's not every week that sees the launch of a major release from one of the most popular Linux distributions. This week, however, we've had the benefit of not just one but two such landmark debuts.
When Microsoft announced its purchase of Skype earlier this month, it took great pains to affirm its commitment to continuing support for the technology on platforms other than Windows.
As the U.S. arrival date approaches for the first Chromebooks from Samsung and Acer, hardware maker Xi3 on Friday announced its own entrant in the form of a desktop PC running Chrome OS.
Last week provided a significant boost to open source software in the form of survey results suggesting that such technologies have now become a norm in the business world. Now, in what's perhaps an even bigger blow to proprietary vendors, none other than the Department of Defense has weighed in with its own support for open technology.