linux

Most of us have our own unique methods for managing our files. Some of us love careful, hierarchical folder structures, while others prefer to stick with memory and search functions to keep track of documents. All too often, though, we need to find a file based on little more than a memory of accessing it last just before school started or just after the kickoff of some big project. Nemo is a file utility that uses a calendar structure to help you keep track of your documents more easily. Here's how to get started:

An Android app called RemoteDroid allows Android smartphones to become wireless computer touch pads and keyboards. It's a great solution for people using computers as their entertainment hub. Here's how get it up and running:

RemoteDroid requires a client application to be installed on your Android phone and the server to be application installed on your computer. In order to use RemoteDroid, you'll need to make sure Java is installed on your computer. You'll also need a Wi-Fi network. Once these two requirements have been met, you're ready to install RemoteDroid.

Step 1: … Read more

Step aside, Google Docs, there's a new JavaScript tour de force in town.

I'm talking about the latest project from programmer Fabrice Bellard, a JavaScript program that emulates an x86 processor fast enough to run Linux in a Web browser.

The JavaScript PC Emulator can do the work of an Intel 486 chip from the 1990s, but doesn't have a built-in floating point unit for numeric processing, Bellard said. Happily, Linux itself can emulate that, and a version of the operating system's core--2.6.20--runs on the foundation.

Bellard published a technical description of the JavaScript PC Emulator … Read more

A British nonprofit has a novel idea for getting kids interested in computer programming--a computer that fits in a pocket and costs less than the latest video game.

It's called Raspberry Pi, and the prototype isn't pretty--it looks like a leftover scrap from electronics recycling day. But it's a working computer that game developer David Braben and his Cambridge-connected colleagues expect to make available for only $25 for a fully configured system.

Don't expect to see Raspberry Pi on store shelves anytime soon--although I think it'd do pretty well in the check-out line in between the tabloid mags and packs of Trident--because the rough prototype still needs some refining and the Raspberry Pi Foundation's goal is to get the systems into the hands of children in both the developed and developing world.… Read more

A Texas jury has ruled against Google in a suit that alleged some of its use of open-source Linux code amounted to patent infringement, something that could have big implications for other companies using Linux technology and other open-source systems. In the verdict, delivered last week, the jury decided that Google should pay $5 million for the infringement.

The suit was filed in June 2009 by a firm called Bedrock Computer Technologies, which also named the likes of Yahoo, MySpace, Amazon, PayPal, Match.com, and AOL as defendants in the suit. Bedrock, as was reported when the suit was filed, … Read more

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Linux Operating System, the nonprofit Linux Foundation has produced an infographic and video that reminds us how much of an impact the open source operating system has had on the world.

In case you've been living under a rock for the last two decades, Linux is part of pretty much every technology ecosystem--mobile (Android), Web (Google), consumer (TiVo), and powers a huge amount of the Internet itself. And it continues to grow, both as an enabler of new services in the cloud and as the operating system that powers huge corporate … Read more

Malware has been found in the wild that masquerades as harmless Linux/Unix-like software for routers, but is in fact an IRC backdoor.

The malware, which poses as a .elf file, has infected machines in Latin America, security company Trend Micro said in a blog post yesterday. Trend Micro has called the exploit ELF_TSUNAMI.R., and says it can also compromise D-Link DWL-900AP+ access points.

An infected machine connects to a botnet on internet relay chat (IRC) servers, Trend Micro said. The exploit may perform brute-force attacks on router username password pairs. At the time of writing, Trend Micro was … Read more

It's nothing new that Intel-powered Macs have been running Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux for some time using Apple's Boot Camp. But one of the best utilities on the market for switching between operating systems lets you switch without a reboot.

Parallels Desktop allows you to switch seamlessly between operating systems without the need to reboot your Mac. Even better, regardless of which system you're running at the time, when you open a file type that's for another operating system, Parallels automatically recognizes the file type and makes the switch for you. Added support for … Read more

Novell will soon cease to exist as its own company.

Shareholders of the former network-software giant voted in favor of Attachment's intent to acquire the company to the tune of $2.2 billion.

At a special investor meeting held yesterday, almost 99 percent of the shares voting approved the takeover, representing a majority of about 66 percent of all of Novell's outstanding stock. Once the merger is completed, Novell shareholders will be able to receive $6.10 in cash for each share of Novell common stock owned.

But the deal is not quite done. Novell said the merger … Read more