Category Archives: Linux

HP begins offering Linux on enterprise desktops

HP just announced it will begin offering a desktop pre-loaded with a build of SUSE Linux. This joins the company’s other non-Windows offering, the previously announced (but not yet available) Mini 1000 netbook, which is equipped with its Ubuntu-based MIE. The new model — the Compaq dc5850 — is unfortunately aimed at the enterprise and education markets, so while we’re glad to see HP dipping its toes into open source waters, we’d be more enthused if the computer-maker followed in Dell’s footsteps and offered a wider range of options. The PC will be available on December 15th for $519, though it doesn’t appear that the average consumer will be able to buy it — at least not yet.

[Via Computerworld]

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HP begins offering Linux on enterprise desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:14:00 EST.

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LimeWire 5 Alpha Adds Private Peer-to-Peer File Sharing, Integrates with Gmail [Early Adopter Download]

Windows/Mac/Linux: Despite the rising popularity of BitTorrent, for many people there’s still just one name in file sharing: LimeWire.

The widely used LimeWire actually does support BitTorrent these days, and yesterday, LimeWire released an alpha version of the new and improved LimeWire 5, adding private file sharing features that will allow user to privately share folders with friends. As Wired is quick to point out, LimeWire 5 still supports the downloading from strangers features that made LimeWire popular, but the new default settings publicly shares only files you downloaded from the public network. You can specifically set permissions for all the rest, including which files you want to share and with whom you’d like to share them.

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Amarok 2 Released, Windows and Mac Versions in Beta [Featured Linux Download]

Linux only: Amarok 2, the open source media center we’d previously toured while it was in beta, is now available in a release version for Linux systems, and in pre-released beta for Windows and OS X.

There aren’t a ton of new features between the later beta release and this “final” (that will still get a lot of development focus), but a lot of interface and navigation quirks have been cleaned out. Amarok 2 has been pre-built for most major Linux distributions (with KDE dependencies), while the Windows installation (which ran pretty darned laggy on my XP desktop) can be had through the KDE on Windows installer.

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The Most Popular Linux Posts of 2008 [Best Of 2008]

Only around five percent of Lifehacker’s visitors are using the open-source Linux operating system when they stop by, according to our traffic charts, and only one of our editors (ahem) is regularly using it every day.

Having said that, when we get to write about great Linux-based tweaks or downloads, we get pretty excited—and, apparently, so do our readers and visitors linked in from across the web. Today we’re looking back at the Linux-related posts that got the most attention in 2008, so read on to see what you might have missed, and what the open-source crowd is down with.

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AutoLyrix Automatically Searches, Displays Lyrics and Album Art [Featured Download]

Windows/Mac/Linux: Free application AutoLyrix automatically fetches and displays album artwork and lyrics for the currently playing track in your music player of choice. AutoLyrix is an open-source alternative to previously mentioned EvilLyrics, and like EvilLyrics, it not only downloads lyrics but also advances lyrics karaoke-style with the music when possible. AutoLyrix could use some polish to the interface (though it does transparency and has a few other options), but functionally it’s been working really well. The app works with virtually every popular media player, including iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player, foobar2000, Last.fm, MediaMonkey, and more. AutoLyrix is a free download for all platforms, requires .NET 2.0 on Windows and Mono on OS X and Linux.


Battle of the Hardware-Boosting Hacks [Lifehacker Faceoff]


When like-minded hackers come together to unleash the true power of seemingly simple gear, it’s truly a beautiful thing. We’ve featured a good number of how-tos and hacks over the years that make expensive upgrades unnecessary and unleash seriously cool features in your gear, and 2008 was no exception. In the last year, our iPhones and iPod touches got jailbroken all over again, our wireless routers were graced with a new super-charged firmware, our Canon digi-cams gained pro-level powers, and we learned that our Nintendo Wiis were even neater than we’d thought. Today, however, we wanted to take a long view on the best hacks that unlock the best features in our standard hardware, and ask our readers: What’s the best one you’ve seen so far?

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Integrated Gmail Loads Any Google App Inside Gmail [Featured Firefox Extension]

Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Integrated Gmail creates collapsible groups in your Gmail account that integrate all of your favorite Google apps directly inside Gmail. That includes access to Google Reader, Calendar, Notebook, Maps, Groups, and Picasa. As if that wasn’t already good enough, Integrated Gmail can also embed custom pages and Google Gadgets. Granted, Google has started integrating gadgets into the Gmail sidebar if that’s up your alley, but if you want full access to different apps without leaving the comfort of Gmail, the Integrated Gmail extension does exactly that. Keep reading for a closer look at Integrated Gmail in action.

Google Calendar in Gmail

Google Reader in Gmail

Lifehacker in Gmail

As you can see, you can even embed a favorite site within Gmail.

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Five Best Media Center Applications [Hive Five]

The past ten years have completely changed the way we listen to music, watch movies and television, and take photos, and one thing is abundantly clear: The future of your media lies undeniably in the digital realm. Now you just need to find the perfect media center application to pull it all together. Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite media center applications, and today we’re back with the five most popular answers. Keep reading for a closer look at the favorites, then cast your vote for the media center app you count on to manage your digital media life.

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OpenXML Viewer Opens Word 2007 Docx Files in Your Browser [Featured Firefox Extension]

Windows/Linux only: Firefox extension OpenXML Viewer opens Microsoft Word 2007 DOCX files directly in your Firefox browser. Granted, Gmail and Google just started converting DOCX files to HTML for easy viewing, but if you don’t use Gmail or you stumble onto a lot of DOCX files linked elsewhere, this extension is a winner if all you want is a quick way to view a DOCX file. OpenXML Viewer is a free download, Windows and Linux with Firefox only. Be sure to check the README for instructions on how to enable OpenXML once it’s installed.


Puredyne Turns Any Computer into a Multimedia Powerhouse [Featured Download]

If you’re looking to get some more use out of an old machine, or just play around with multimedia programs but not interested in shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars, download Puredyne. Based on Debian Linux, the downloadable disk image fits on a standard CD-R and will boot on almost any machine — you can even run it on your current system without having to partition any drives or re-install your operating system. The distribution includes all the software a multimedia maker might need, including Kino and Cinelerra for video editing; Audacity and Pure Data for audio; and GIMP and Inkscape for images, along with other fantastic open-source tools ranging from software synthesizers and drum machines to BitTorrent clients and encoding tools.

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