Latest in Linux

Fellow reader Dado asked us, "How can I run multiple operating systems from a single USB?" This becomes practical if the different operating systems are Live CDs, i.e. designed to access a PC from outside of the computer's own operating system. This can be handy if the native operating system is corrupted through misuse, poor maintenance, or worse, malware. There are several tools that can help you create your multiboot USB stick. We tested three of them: XBoot, MultiBootUSB, and YUMI.
Keep Reading »

On April 25th, the newest version of one of the most popular Linux distributions was released -- Ubuntu 13.04, codenamed "Raring Ringtail". Unlike previous releases of Ubuntu, 13.04 doesn't bring extraordinary new visual features which may make some people even more skeptical about this release than others. So what exactly is new, and should you really upgrade?
Keep Reading »

Linux gaming rigs? Yup, they’re happening. With Valve’s Steam on Linux and a forthcoming Valve Steambox using Steam to run Linux games, the future is looking up for gaming on Linux. You can even install Ubuntu and Steam on a computer today, plugging it into your TV and using the big picture mode interface. The missing piece of the hardware puzzle is a controller. Luckily, Microsoft’s ubiquitous Xbox 360 controller functions well with Linux.
Keep Reading »

There are plenty of features that make Linux special, but one of them that makes it so secure is its permissions system. You can have fine-grain control over all the files in your system and assign permissions to users, groups, and everyone else. The terminal utility "chmod" helps you control all the permissions on your system, so it's vital to know how chmod works in order to get the most use out of this feature, especially if you're planning on building your own Linux server.
Keep Reading »

It's increasingly rare, but still occasionally true: sometimes you just don't have Internet access. Whether you're on a plane or your grandparent's place in the country, life occasionally brings all of us to places WiFi and 4G can't reach. With a little preparation, however, you can have the data you need on your hard drive, waiting for you.
Keep Reading »

Bloated operating systems bogging your system down? Is waiting for software to load on an older computer ruining your entire freaking life? Try something lightweight. Crunchbang is a minimalist OS built on Debian Linux, but don't worry if you don't know what any of those words mean – it's also easy to use and runs well even on older computers.
Keep Reading »

Waste your time the right way - shoot bubbles at similarly colored bubbles, in the hope of freeing the entire board of bubbles just long enough for more bubbles to show up. It's called Frozen Bubble, and it's more than a game. Actually, it's not more than a game. It's a game, and for a long time it was one of the best put together games for Linux. That's not been true for a while – the platform has grown leaps and bounds for gamers since then.
Keep Reading »

Do you really know what your hard drive does whenever you read a file from it or write one to it? Our hard drives can now store massive amounts of data, and that massive space requires a high level of organization in order to prevent issues and maintain performance. Hard drives can be well organized through the use of file systems.
Keep Reading »

No matter whether it was your fault or not, things can happen to the data stored on your devices. Hard drives, solid state drives, and removable media can all potentially "lose" files because of numerous different causes. Additionally, sometimes you may delete a file - no matter if on purpose or by accident - and then determine later on that you actually need it.
Keep Reading »

Linux desktops offer many of the same web browsers you can use Windows and Mac, with Chrome, Firefox, and Opera all available for Linux. We’ll take a look at the best browsers you can use on a Linux system, including some lesser-known browsers that aren't available on Windows or Mac. We've covered the best browsers for Windows before, and much of comparison holds true on Linux, too.
Keep Reading »

A great amount of productivity comes from writing tasks, whether it be for school assignments, articles for your blog, or much more. While full-featured office applications tend to be the norm for such tasks, it may sometimes be a good idea to go in the opposite direction and use some simpler or specialized tools, depending on what you’re working on. Often, this can either help you focus more on the work that's ahead.
Keep Reading »

It's a shame that Google Reader is being retired soon, but it's also a good time to realize that there are (and always have been) some incredibly viable alternatives to the service. I'd be lying if I said that I thought Google Reader was not the best web-based RSS reader available, but there are throngs of standalone RSS applications out there for your desktop or laptop. If you're being forced to look for a new solution to reading your RSS feeds, consider one of these.
Keep Reading »

Many people have feared that Windows 8 would be an entirely new experience, and that our traditional workflow would be disrupted. Some people have even claimed that Windows 8 may cause them to abandon the operating system family and switch to Linux so that they can run up to date code without upgrading Windows. However, is any of this really the case?
Keep Reading »

The introduction of personal computers with Windows 8 preinstalled with them also introduced a controversial under-the-hood modification - Secure Boot. Secure Boot is a technology which is included in any new computer that has Windows 8 preinstalled and the official sticker. It is meant to check that you have a certified operating system installed on your computer before it tries to boot it.
Keep Reading »

Ubuntu is developing on a touch-focused interface for smartphones and tablets, with plans to ship Ubuntu smartphones in 2014. If you’re interested in trying it right now, there’s good news: You can install the preview release of Ubuntu Touch on a Nexus device (the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, or Nexus 10). Be aware though that this is an early version of Ubuntu Touch. It’s been called beta, but it’s actually alpha.
Keep Reading »