So why are you probably not running Linux on your computer? Why have you probably not even heard of Linux? What’s stopping Linux from being more high profile, being more widely adopted?

The Linux Desktop Myth

This is a long article for the web but one with plenty of wisdom. Getting Linux out into the mainstream requires understanding what the majority of computer users want. I had a response from a Linux user claiming to be an ‘ordinary user’ with a signature line boasting of trying around 7 different distributions of Linux. Ordinary users have Windows; if being part of the 90% or so of computer users isn’t ordinary, I don’t know what is.

There are so many great programs out there for Linux but people need to be told what and where they are in an easy to use fashion and the interface often needs to be made more friendly. It may not seem like fun adding in colourful icons and tool tips but it makes a huge difference.

Linux has so much to offer but it needs to be promoted in the right way.

Now that VMware Server and VMware Player are completely free programs, either of those two packages should be an essential part of your Linux desktop suite. With VMWare, you can run other Linux distros, virtual Linux clusters, and even Windows. This particular article, though, is going to go down a road less traveled. No, we’re not gonna run Solaris or Vista in VMWare. We’re gonna run DOS!

Linux Magazine

Maybe I’ll free myself from DOSBox

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Ultimate Virtual Appliance Challenge WinnersThe winners of the Ultimate Virtual Appliance Challenge are…

VMTN - Ultimate Virtual Appliance Challenge Winners

he ReactOS® project is dedicated to making Free Software available to everyone by providing a ground-up implementation of a Microsoft Windows® XP compatible operating system. ReactOS aims to achieve complete binary compatibility with both applications and device drivers meant for NT and XP operating systems, by using a similar architecture and providing a complete and equivalent public interface.

ReactOS Homepage - Frontpage

Why doesn’t Linux need defragmenting?It’s a question that crops up with depressing regularity: Why don’t Linux filesystems need to be defragmented?. Here’s my attempt at answering once and for all.Rather than simply stumble through lots of dry technical explanations, I’m opting to consider that an ASCII picture is worth a thousand words.

OneAndOneIs2 - Why doesn’t Linux need defragmenting?

Hardware is only as old as the software it runs. RULE wants to make modern Free Software useable even on 5 or more years old machines, on which current Linux distributions won’t install or run too slowly.

[RULE Project]

Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc). Using Wink you can capture screenshots, add explanations boxes, buttons, titles etc and generate a highly effective tutorial for your users.

Wink - [Homepage]

The Linux Phrasebook , written by Scott Granneman, is one Linux book that will stay within easy reach of my desktop. If you’re fond of Linux, and you’re not a programmer or network administrator, chances are you’ll like this book. It can help you gain control over the appearance and performance of your Linux workstation without spending hours looking for answers online.

NewsForge | Linux Phrasebook: Lifesaver in the murky waters of CLI

An excellent idea. I often get confused between the commands on Windows and Linux, especially as I don’t get as much time with the latter as I would like.

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What if the entire OSS community were to collectively advocate for people to switch to only one OSS product? Since Linux is currently daunting to the lay person, what if every OSS advocate were to focus on getting people to switch to OpenOffice.org (for Windows)? I bet that a lot more progress would be made.

NewsForge | Promoting OSS: Baby steps

I like this idea; it makes Open Source more accessible to the masses. Getting Firefox or Thunderbird running on Windows is far easier than installing an entire new operating system. I’ve tried to push OpenOffice where I can, especially with people who have Works that was supplied with a new computer.

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