Tag Archive | "Linux"

Linux Desktop Breaks 1.02% for Personal Computers

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As a long time fan of the Linux desktop I was interested to see the the Linux desktop usage number for personal computers increase to over 1.02%. I suspect it’s partially fueled by the popularity of Linux netbooks from the Dell (who offers an Ubuntu option) and Asus (that’s uses a special version of Xandros Linux).

While there’s no one company behind Linux for personal computers, it’s significant that Linux just broke through to 1.02 percent market share for personal computers, the first time it has ever risen that high, according to data compiled by Net Applications. (Meanwhile, even in beta, Windows 7 continues its march, now hitting .25 percent market share.)

I spent a long time trying to convince myself and others that the future for the desktop was an option of Windows, Mac or Linux. I am less bullish then I once was and now I use both a Mac and a Linux laptop. I really like the Linux desktop for it’s stability and I like the virtual desktop environment afforded by windows managers for Linux and the flexibility to adapt the interface in general to your personal needs.

However, I think we will always struggle with Linux as a desktop operating system as long as application compatibility falters (I can’t open sophisticated Excel spreadsheets from colleagues) and hardware vendors don’t feel obligated to support Linux (My Verizon EVDO card takes extra configuration for it to work under Linux while it’s a snap to set-up on Mac OS X).

So why bother with a Linux desktop at all? Well I found when using my Asus N10 netbook that my battery life is much better under Linux and I feel like the operating system is much more responsive than when I run Windows XP (I downgraded from Vista to reduce the resource requirements improving speed and battery life).  My theory is that over time we will see the focus less on the desktop operating system and more on the avialability of hosted apps that run on them like Google Docs and Zoho. I think at that point the emphasis on the desktop operating system will be greatly diminished.

[Desktop Usage Numbers via Matt Asay]

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Twitter Clients for Linux

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I love Twitter but when I use my Linux laptop (Ubuntu running Hardy Heron) I don’t have many native options for Twitter clients. The preferred native client appears to be Twitux. Though the nascent client is a little primitive for me. Another popular choice is gTwitter though in my experience it’s only been marginally better.

On Mac OS X I prefer Twhirl which allows me to send tweets to separate accounts from individual windows. So I can send tweets for my @zenoss and @mrhinkle accounts. Twhirl is an Adobe Air application which now is available for Linux as an alpha. Thanks to Seth Yates I now have Twhirl running as an AIR application with Adobe Air running natively on Ubuntu. the only downside seems to be that the notification windows are a little “flutterly” I really don’t care for them anyhow so I turned them off and everything seems to run well.

twhirlonUbuntu

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Linux Desktop Links for 6-3-08

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Technology Links for 5-31-08

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OpenMicroServer: Tiny Footprint Linux Server

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OpenMicroServer

I saw an announcement that the OpenMicroServer (OMS) is now available in the U.S. It has been produced in Japan for some time but has just been made available domestically. What’s cool about it is that it is small  and can be powered from an Ethernet port. It reminded me of the BlackDog USB Server that made a splash a couple years back.The little OMS only measures 9” x 4” x 1.3′ It’s officially supported for Debian (Etch) and NetBSD. Plat’Home also maintains their own OS SSD/Linux which is a combination of Linux and BSD code. I love little gadgets like these and try to figure out some innovative ways to use them.

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About

Mark R. HinkleHello, my name is Mark Hinkle and I am technology enthusiast and executive for Zenoss Inc. the maker of the open source monitoring software, Zenoss Core. This is my personal blog and does not reflect the opinions of my employer. I am also on the advisory boards for open source collaboration software maker, MindTouch and SourceForge, the world's largest repository of open source software.  If you want to find out more you can read my bio

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