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Linux Archive Managers Compared: Ark vs. File Roller
Archive managers may seem pretty simple at first glance, but they could potentially offer a lot more than you think. I compared the two default archive managers for Linux, File Roller and Ark, based on their interface, ease of use, functionality, and the amount of supported archive types.
Custom Budget Gaming PC Build and Giveaway
How hard is it to get a decent gaming PC without breaking the bank? If you go out and buy yourself a pre-assembled name-brand computer, chances are, it won't be powerful enough to be a viable gaming computer, or you'll spend a lot more than you would prefer. Essentially, neither of these two possibilities are ideal, and it seems like you have no other options. Maybe if you put it in a little labor into building your own computer, you might be able to find a middle ground where you get decent gaming performance at the right price. We'll be giving away this custom gaming PC, so there's no reason not to continue reading right until the end then join the giveaway!
Which Linux File Browser Is More Productive: Nautilus or Dolphin?
Wsers of competing desktop environments will notice that they're using different file managers -- an important part of desktop productivity. Surprisingly, there are a lot of things that can go right or wrong with a file manager, so these applications do a lot more than simply show where your files are. I compared Nautilus, Gnome's default file manager, with Dolphin, KDE's default file manager, to see which one is the easiest to use and which one is the best for productivity.
Brasero vs. K3b: Top 2 Linux Disc Burning Utilities
Although discs are slowly becoming obsolete and being replaced by simple transfers or downloads over the Internet, there are still plenty of reasons for burning or copying some discs. In some cases, your Internet connection may not be sufficient enough to download the files you want. In any case, you need a trusty burning utility to do the job, and Brasero and K3b are your top choices.
LinCity-NG for Linux vs. SimCity: Is Free Always Better?
I've always loved simulation games for as long as I can remember. They can involve so many different aspects of the topic in question and can keep you entertained for hours. However, a common downside to any great simulation game is the price to purchase it. Thankfully, there are open source equivalents which aim to replace their costly proprietary cousins -- examples include FlightGear and LinCity-NG as alternatives to Microsoft's Flight Simulator series and SimCity games respectively.
Vizio E320i-A0 32-inch Smart TV Review and Giveaway
To test out whether a TV can be feature-filled yet affordable, I bought myself a Vizio E320i-A0 32-inch 720p 60Hz LED Smart HDTV, which came in at $288 ($290 at retail price). I tested it out based on its design and features for the price to see whether I felt it was a good pick, even as a budget TV. At the end of this review, you'll be able to enter for a chance to win one for yourself!
Compiz vs. KWin: Which Window Manager Is Better?
If you have never messed around with a Linux system, but have seen a YouTube video about it, there's a high chance that you've seen someone show off their fancy desktop effects, most notably the "wobbly windows" effect. These effects are possible due to the window manager software like Compiz and KWin.
Advanced Linux Text Editors Compared: kate vs gedit
Any Linux user will tell you that a good text editor is a vital component of a computer system, no matter if you're a new user or a seasoned pro. While using a Terminal text editor (like nano or vim) is equally important, you might as well make use of your graphical desktop environment whenever it's available to you.
How To Enable LTE on The Nexus 4 (It Can Be Done)
Did you know that the Nexus 4 actually has LTE functionality? The absolute truth is that yes, it does in fact have LTE, no matter what Google or anyone else may try to tell you. There are plenty of reasons as to why Google doesn't advertise the LTE functionality and why they try to make it harder for you to enable it. I'll tell you all of this as well as how to get LTE enabled, how to go back to a stock, non-LTE configuration, and any other important information that you need to be aware of at any point of the process.
Arch Linux: Letting You Build Your Linux System From Scratch
For Linux power users, it's highly desirable to be able to completely customize your system. Sometimes, that can be best achieved from the start -- by piecing together the components that you'd like to include on your system. This way, as there are usually multiple programs that achieve the same result in different manners, you can pick those applications which you're most fond of. Most common desktop distributions don't make this high level of customization very possible (as it's not ideal and more difficult), but Arch Linux isn't like most distributions.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop: Better Than Red Hat?
Recently, I took a closer look at Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or "RHEL", to see how good of an enterprise desktop operating system it really is. However, Red Hat isn't the only company in the Linux enterprise desktop market -- there's also SUSE. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, or "SLED" costs $120 for a one-year subscription, and offers different technologies and software to get the job done. But just what can SLED offer, and how is it different to Red Hat's offering?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux: A Rock Solid Desktop Distribution For Companies
Not too long ago, I covered CentOS, a free operating system that is rebuilt from packages of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or "RHEL". While CentOS may be a nice way to get enterprise-quality software on your systems without spending a dime, it may still be worth a look at the real deal. So what features does Red Hat Enterprise Linux (which costs $299 per year) include that make it worthwhile to use on enterprise desktops, and is it ultimately the best enterprise desktop solution?
KMyMoney vs. GnuCash: The Battle Of Linux Desktop Money Management Apps
It's really important to keep track of your financial position. Online banking can keep you up to date about your account activity and balance, but not every bank offers more tools than that in order to better track your finances. Although there are online tools such as Mint.com, the service isn't available worldwide and it requires that you trust a third-party with your sensitive financial data while you use their online service.
ownCloud: A Cross-Platform, Self-Hosted Alternative to Dropbox & Google Calendar
The NSA and PRISM scares demonstrated that governments can and will access the various popular online cloud services. This means that now is one of the best times to consider creating your own cloud solution. With your own cloud, you can get the same benefits of accessing various services such as file storage and calendars that you find with commercial solutions, but instead, all of that data is under your control.
Don't Want To Pay For Red Hat Linux? Try CentOS Instead
In case you don't know already, most of the web is powered by Linux -- Facebook, Twitter, Google, and a vast majority of other major Internet sites use Linux for their servers. While server administrators can choose between multiple distributions for their enterprise or server setups, the primary leader of these distributions is Red Hat. However, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or RHEL for short, costs a lot of money in support fees. If RHEL interests you but money is an issue, then it's almost a given to try CentOS.
Logitech Solar Keyboards K750 and K760 Review and Giveaway
Wireless keyboards and mice have been historically undervalued because of unreliability in their wireless communications and constant need for replacement batteries. But I took one step further and got solar keyboards to see if they could entirely replace the need to exchange batteries. Therefore, I reviewed the Logitech K750 and K760. At the end of this review, you have a chance to win to win one of the keyboards!
Using An Old Computer? Give It New Life With LXDE
As Linux is arguably the most customizeable operating system between it, Windows, and Mac OS X; there's plenty of room to change just about whatever you please. Proper customizing can potentially lead to massive performance improvements, giving even the oldest hardware a new leash on life. I previously reviewed Xfce quite a while back as a great choice for resource-conscious users, but apparently there's a new kid on the block that is even more lightweight and great for the crappiest hardware imaginable.
Tired of VLC? Try MPlayer - A Unique, Modular Alternative for Linux
Ask just about any Linux user, and they'll more than likely recommend VLC Player as the best choice for playing any media format you can think of. But it only offers one implementation -- a complete media playing package that uses its own technologies as well as its own GUI. In the spirit of Linux, you may wish to use something that's a bit more modular. This way, you can use a single media decoder and then customize everything else about it.
ASUS USB-N66 Dual-Band Wireless-N900 USB Network Adapter Review and Giveaway
You may not be able to control the type and make of router you use or where it's placed, but you can always control what wireless receiver you use. There are a handful of different wireless adapters that claim to boost your signal and speed, so we've decided to test this by picking up an ASUS USB-N66 Dual-Band Wireless-N900 USB network adapter. At the end of this review, you'll be able to enter the competition for a chance to win a unit for yourself!
Relax and Play (Legal) Poker with the Cross-Platform PokerTH
If you happen to enjoy playing cards on your computer and are tired of Solitaire and other card games, there are plenty of other options available. Playing Poker on your computer tends to be risky business because most time-worthy poker games are online and actually involve gambling, making its legality uncertain from country to country. If you're worried or even affected by this, don't think that you'll have to forget about playing poker on your computer. Instead, you can try out PokerTH, a fun and complete poker game that's cross-platform and free.