When Linux users hear about a new application, the last thing they want is to endure an exhaustive search and painful download process. They want the app, and they want it now! That’s the thinking behind Linux2order.com, THE source for the widest selection of downloadable Linux programs on the Internet. More than 6,500 titles are available – right there, right now. All can be downloaded for free, or they can be ordered on a customized CD-ROM for $12.95, plus shipping costs. On track to surpass 8,000 titles by the end of the year, the Linux users’ “dream site” is set up in three primary sections: “Learn,” where users can develop their own Custom Application Suite; and “Build,” where they can browse all the software titles, read reviews, compare applications and assemble a custom application suite. Finally, they can visit the “Deliver” section to choose from a free download or purchase the CD-ROM.
Linux2order.com hosts the open source programs on its own servers so it can offer customized programs with dramatically faster downloads. Titles can be found in the following categories: Business and Finance; Internet Applications; Communications; Databases; Multimedia; Networking; Games; Spreadsheets and Utilities. Since its launch just a few months ago, Linux2order.com has received rave reviews from the most important audience of all – the open source community. Here’s what they’ve been saying in a sampling of Internet postings we found: “This is a HUGE idea.” – Wolfrider “I agree, this is a huge idea. I’ve done several downloads and have been impressed with the easy download format.” – Jared “Nifty site with a bunch of great apps and distributions. Very user-friendly – allows all the files to be downloaded at once.” – Dave “I found all the Linux titles I needed on this site. Two thumbs up!! – Anthony But don’t just take our word for it. Check it out yourself and see how Linux2order.com can finally put an end to your frustrations and delays: Linux2order.com.
LinuxNOW!- The MOST Complete Linux Reference
So, you have seen the new design, and I am sure everyone is wondering why things seem a little “funky” right now. Well, to answer your question, we are in the process of a full re-launch.
You may find things are not working as usual, but our promise is to have everything up as soon as we possibly can. In the several weeks ahead, we will be re-launching each section of the site to better assist with your Linux needs.
We have posted a new and improved Forum. You will find there are several changes on the new Forum, first of which is that you need to be “logged in” in order to read existing posts. In addition, you will find several “toys” which you can find explanation as to what they are and how to use them in the Forum FAQ. Furthermore, there is now a Forum Search! It allows you to search through the forum to see if that question you have has already been answered. We plan to have the “Site Search” sync with the Forum search in order supply more robust search results.
Please, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or complaints, please email me!
I will keep you updated as to what other changes have been made.
Corel Linux Roadshow Highlights
Corel has been in the applications market for over ten years now, porting their products (and newly acquired products) to as many platforms as their technical capabilities would allow. Those capabilities have increased dramatically, allowing them to not only port their famous word processing program, Word Perfect, but create their own distribution of Linux as well.
All right, article-writer-guy, we know all about this…Why have you decided that this should be on the front page of my favorite Linux site? Quite simply, I was actually impressed. Read on, article-reader.
Corel Linux has been around for a little while now and is gaining popularity among the newbie/desktop market. I thought, quite frankly, ‘why should I care, I’m already running (put the distribution of your choice here and you’d probably be right) and I don’t need no poser, Linux-come-lately Gates-friendly distro on my box’…and I know others felt the same way…but I’ve seen the Corel Linux light, and it’s as blinding as the dual headlights of my ’53 Pontiac Custom.
It installs easy, gets up’n’running first – allowing you to configure later. Dialog boxes for that dreaded video card set-up. Co-exists with that near-useless GatesOS for those scared momma’s-boy sys-admins not ready to take the Linux plunge. Co-exists with other distros, earning it the ‘plays nicely with others’ gold star. Comes ready with USB support (so you can buy that digital camera you want) and printer support (so that dusty HP-deskjet can be put to use again) right out of the box. No need to go to the site for drivers before being productive. Cool, huh? I knew you’d think so.
Okay. The groundwork has been set, now comes the drum-roll, fanfare, streamers and hula-dancers (almost got carried away, but then remembered that this was a family show)…The Corel applications kick serious ass.
Word Perfect is a great word processing program. But, within the context of the Perfect Office Suite, it’s even better. All the applications (database, spreadsheet, presentation, etc…) have intuitive interfaces and cross-compatibility allowing drag’n’drop interaction. There is so much more than that. Simply put, I was impressed. That’s hard for me to say, but it’s true.
Alright kids…as you read this article, keep in mind that someone from our own community needs to take on the dirty and unpopular job of playing devil’s advocate atleast occasionally. It might as well be me. I wave my Tux banner as high as I can, proclaiming the good news from the book of Linus, standing, shouting from atop my stack of O’Reilly books. The corner where Red Hat Avenue and Slackware Drive intersect has never been the same. Maybe writing this will knock me and my Linux-love down to size…or put it back into proportion with my my other interests, etc… Welcome to this week’s journey.
Red Hat sold stock at first. We cheered them on. It plummeted. We cried. And now, here we are waiting and watching. Caldera just went public. Cool. A round of applause from every Open Linux user and those of us who remember them from way-back-when. Stock went up and down in just a few days. Waiting and watching. Corel launched its Linux division. It’s big-company-that-feels-small way of doing things has made it a popular choice for software enthusiasts more so than stock buyers. What’s going on here?
Everybody and their pet goldfish knows that Linux is forging its way into the big-boy world of high technology and is demanding respect from some very big names in the industry. Linux is available free. Who’s making money? And, what does Linux going mainstream mean to us?
The money question is easy to answer. Very few, and the ones least deserving. I heard a rumor recently from an ‘insider’ that these companies are nearly giving away their boxed versions to national retail chains. The chains are making the money. Guess I’ll be buying direct from now on.
I’d rather support Red Hat, SuSe, Debian, etc…(even LinuxMall supports the community)…than CompUSA, etc… Okay, in all fairness, this could be a pile of steaming Microsoft. Regardless, money is going outside the perimeter of our community, into the hands of corporations that don’t care about us, Linux, Linus, or Lacey Chabert for that matter. (Sorry, got a little off track there for a second – but,don’t worry Lacey, I’ll always care.)
Linux going mainstream has some serious far-reaching implications. Yes, it could mean better paying jobs for all of us with any Linux knowledge or experience at all. It could mean seeing great applications ported to our favorite platform just like with many gaming companies for casinos (nettikasinot in Finnish, of which information can be found here and here) like Casino Gorilla with games like Starburst and Viking Runecraft do. It could mean increasingly rapid kernel development and the implementation of features we haven’t even dreamed of yet. It could also mean Linux going to the otherside…the place we dread…Is it really a good idea for Linux to be the next (gulp!) popular platform?
Will Linux Eclipse Its Big Brother?
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘Itanium’?
Just weeks ago, I thought of nothing at the mention of the word; now it means my world is about to increase beyond my wildest dreams. Linux, my daily companion and friend, will soon run the world. And, finally, when I tell people about Linux, they’ll actually care, having heard the word someplace before.
Itanium is the spankin’ new 64-bit Intel processor. Where proprietary systems once ruled, you, Linux, your cousin Rosie, and I will stomp our way to the top, and far from the desktop where we rule our little kingdoms now. Our Linux knowledge will be profitable for us. We’ll have incomes that rival those of that kid Frank from the neighborhood that Mother always used to compare us to. We’ll be valued for our expertise beyond Sega, Star Trek, Casumo and Nabisco snack treats. Girls will look at us like never before, this time for the right reasons. The fly is up and the cowlick in place, I just checked.
Will Web Pads Conquer the World?
Okay…Not everyone knows what a Web Pad is or gives a flying Gates about tiny computers that will fit in your lunchbox next to your Thermos of high-octane liquid-energy cafe-du-jour…but, in interest of understanding the future of Linux, we need to look at this. Money is being poured into this technology, and Linus himself is at the forefront of the development.
The new breed of portable Internet/Email only products are being developed to run a limited version of Linux. The Web Pad ‘internet appliance’ is basically a screen and a touch pad. Soon you’ll have no reason to not write Aunt Gertie-Flo-Roberta once she gets her wrinkled little hands on one of these puppies when shopping online. Still better than one of those way-too-sloppy kisses and those vice grip cheek pinches.
What makes this Linux-Lite (no, it’s not called that) so damn cool? Low power consumption. Its ability to run x86 software. Its wide spread use will open the otherwise closed eyes of ‘computer professionals’ everywhere who only thought of Linux within the confines of a Great Pumpkin story.
For more info, here’s the hubbub, Bub…
Web Pads, The future of Linux-based mobile computing, and Linus’ new project.
The site named for the mobile computing chip that runs Linux but seems identical to the link above.
By the way, Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. We only use the word in the most careful and loving way. Our only interest is to support and propel the Linux OS, never intending disrespect to Linus or users/developers/enthusiasts of this great OS of ours. Linus is the man, and we love him more than our own mothers.
Open Source Initiative: It’s your friend, Polly-Jean.
Trademarks ain’t no laughin’ matter, no matter how you slice it. The public identifies a name with quality and particular standards that a company (that’s the owner of the trademark, to you, Fred.) has worked long and hard to enforce. Maytag, Xerox, O’Reilly, Nestle’s, Etc…you get the idea. You know these names mean ‘quality products’ (especially O’Reilly. Right, Terry?) and services.
Okay, okay. I get it. So what, mister article writer?
Read on, pal.
The phrase that we all love- ‘open source’ -has come to mean a lot of things to different people in our community. Freedom, creativity, enjoyment, sleepless nights, an immediate thrust into singledom. You get the idea. It’s a great thing that we’ve embraced. You say it with pride. Just like quitting smoking. Open source. It feels good rolling off the tongue, don’t it?
Well, well, well. The only problem is that you can’t trademark it. It’s too specific and it’s not owned by anyone just like binary option robot reviews. Can you enforce standards in a consistently developing technological field? The answer, thanks to OSI is ‘yes’. Got that, Polly-Jean?
OSI is giving the open source world a recognizable brand name, an attempt to reestablish that quality-backed-by-a-name virtue that we constantly seek. Their new certification mark ‘OSI Certified’ can be found on open source software products that meet or exceed their standards of quality. The details will be available on OSI’s web site soon.
There’s no way to ensure quality anymore…but this should give some of you a shotglass full of piece of mind when trying out something gnu.
Check it out fo’ yourself, pal.
Up-to-date Open Source Info
By the way, Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. We only use the word in the most careful and loving way. Our only interest is to support and propel the Linux OS, never intending disrespect to Linus or users/developers/enthusiasts of this great OS of ours. Linus is the man, and we love him more than our own mothers.
WE’VE CONQUERED LAPTOPS!
Sure, pal, you can go ahead and do it yourself, or attempt to, (give it up, Uncle Ernie, pleeeeese) like you’ve been doing for years, but, if you ain’t got the time – but you got the dough – there is finally commercial laptop support for linux users out there. Dell, for instance, is offering laptops (the Inspirion 7000) with linux pre-installed. Do a site search for ‘linux’, and you’ll find more that you would’ve expected. (It was just a matter of time before we ruled the world!) IBM offers a Red Hat Certified Thinkpad 700. It don’t get any easier than that, pal. If doin’ it yourself is really what you’re lookin’ for, you’ll want to check out the resource we have for you listed below. Our Disclaimer: There are other resources out there! Never rely on just one.