Jim Lynch

Its a tough thing when youre doing a review of a distribution that you want to like but end up having to pan it. The latest version of Ubuntu Linux is called Feisty Fawn, and about all I can see it being good for is venison. We found it to be a real stinker in […]

Whats New in 5.0 Linspire began life as Lindows, which was aimed squarely at converting Windows users. But legal issues with Microsoft cast a cloud on what was otherwise a useful approach to getting users to try Linux. Now Linspire 5.0 is out, and its taking a bit of inspiration from another commercial operating system—Mac […]

Its been a while since I went to Linux World, but since it was in Boston this year, I couldnt resist the lure of bonding with my fellow geeks. Im still getting through this years round of bronchitis though so I didnt spend quite as much time at the show as I did back in […]

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) is one of the most important things we cover at ET. But DIY is not limited to just building computers. For example, you can build an online community yourself. The key to having a community, rather than just a web site, is to engage people in discussion. If you run your own site, […]

Ive always wanted a Mac. There, I said it. Im out of my Mac closet. Ive secretly longed for one but could never really justify buying one. OS 9 and its predecessors held no real interest for me. But when OS X—really a version of Unix under the hood—came out, suddenly the idea of buying […]

The Sum of the Parts We frequently get the same question from our readers in the ExtremeTech forum: I want to get rid of Windows, so which Linux distribution should I try? Now we have a definite answer: Get Xandros. With the release of version 3, the Xandros folks have finally come up with a […]

In the 80s and most of the 90s, Novell ruled the roost for PC network operating systems. In fact, a term was coined, NOS (network operating system) to describe Novells flagship product. But the Redmond juggernaut eventually overcame Novells efforts. Novell shops still exist, but theyre getting to be few and far between. As Microsoft […]

Firefox is taking the world by storm. Its preview release has already chalked up more than 5,000,000 downloads. And its even begun (albeit in a small way) to have an impact on the market share of Microsofts Internet Explorer browser. Firefox is clearly off to a great start and it certainly should be—its a great […]

Tired of paying for long distance phone calls? Most of us try to avoid such charges like the plague. Sure, cell phones are a popular alternative, but as I learned the hard way, they may not get the job done as a landline replacement. Now, thanks to SIPphone, consumers have an alternative to traditional long […]

Microsoft Office Under Linux One of the more common questions experienced Linux users get asked by those considering migrating from Windows to Linux is, “Will my Windows applications run under Linux?” Thanks to the folks at CodeWeavers, the answer to that is yes–for some applications, anyway. The companys CrossOver Office lets you run many important […]

In our previous “Taste of Linux” feature, we looked at some “Live” Linux versions that allow you to run a full-blown Linux OS right off the CD, with no installation required and without affecting your existing operating system. In this follow-up, we look at three live versions from major Linux distributors SUSE, Lindows and Mandrake. […]

In yet another stunning display of complete disregard for individual rights, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston has now ruled that DVD X Copy violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This software provides an easy way to back up your DVDs. We all knew this was going to happen eventually, didnt we? No good deed goes […]