How do you replace Microsoft Outlook? Do you go for Evolution or Kontact? Can a combination of Mozilla Thunderbird and Lighting do the trick? Do you split the features and are there any compromises to ...
For years now, I have been clinging to `xdm` as my display manager; years ago, I spent several days tweaking the configuration files of `xbanner` and `xdm` to get it to look "just so", and I didn't wa ...
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" goes the old saying. What looks great to me, might not be very appealing to you. Most GNU/Linux distributions pick default images that are bland, inoffensive, an ...
In my last article, I talked about using the powerful gedit text editor. But no program is perfect, mainly because too many features imply too much bloat. That's where gedit's plugins come into play. ...
Gimp is universally used for image manipulation. However, with a bit of creativity and a couple of tricks, it can also be used as an audio filter! Here is how...
It is grey a dull, overcast day here in downtown Amsterdam. The weather is rather oppressive, summer’s smile long gone and my wine cellar miraculously has grown to quiet emptiness. However, I know a n ...
Most computer users spend their entire life looking for the Holy Grail. In other words, they spend all their life searching for the perfect editor that supports all their languages, is free as in spee ...
They say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and if you want to make a good impression with computer lovers with artistic pretensions, a fancy wallpaper is a pretty good pla ...
I have a podcast—The Beer Crate, since you asked—which is written and produced using free software, and released under the CC by-nc-nd license. It's a fun little hobby that keeps me off the street, an ...
I don't know when I was last so excited about a Christmas present, but when this little laptop arrived on my doorstep on Christmas Eve I was drooling with anticipation--even if I had bought it myself. ...
I want to take a detailed look at turbo-charging the Firefox browser with an elite selection of Google utilities. Firefox has its critics and its failings, but it has now been downloaded in excess of ...
Before you start shouting at me, I know. Nestcape Navigator will soon be no more. After many years of faithful service, and before Firefox and Flock were a mere twinkle in a web developer's glinting e ...
Jabber is the only mainstream free (as in speech) instant messaging protocol. Unfortunately, most Jabber clients for GNU/Linux only provide options for messaging and group chats, overlooking the audio ...
Anyone who runs more than one operating system has had to deal with GNU GRUB (the **GR**and **U**nified **B**ootloader). Grub is the tool that allows you to pick which operating system to book when yo ...
When Julius Casear said, as reported by Seutonius and Plutarch, _Veni, Vidi, Vici,_ (I came, I saw, I conquered) he was, depending on your historical interpretation, either referring to the Roman vict ...
I just saw my first Christmas lights a few days ago. Do you know what that means? I’m scrambling on my steep roof and putting up those “wonderful” icicles and decorating our ten foot high trees with l ...
Today, terminal-based programs have almost disappeared. GUIs are taking over, whether we like it or not. However, there is still a place for the old command line. Take the internet as an example: ever ...
My last post was about Mandriva 2008.0 and Ubuntu 7.10—and I let slip a little bit about trying drivers with them. Now, however, I have compiled enough data to (roll drums please) update the 3D driver ...
SSH tools, long used by UNIX gurus to perform complicated administrative tasks over the internet on machines miles away, are a very simple and user-friendly solution for more conventional purposes. Ub ...
For those of you that follow my blog, you must have noticed that I’m a Mandriva user. Recently though, I took an interest in Ubuntu: I installed version 7.04 on a laptop, and it did look interesting, ...