operating systems

Work

TestDrive Virtualises Brand New Ubuntu Builds For Easy Testing

10:30PM Kevin Purdy | Ubuntu: Want to try out the latest build of the next Ubuntu release with almost no hassle at all? TestDrive is a one-shot tool that downloads, virtualises and keeps daily Ubuntu builds up to date. More »
Work

The Definitive Guide To Keeping Your PC Up To Date

4:15AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Keeping your computer — including its operating system and all the installed third-party software — up to date is extremely important, but it needn’t be a hassle or inconvenience. Here’s a look at three tools you can use regularly to keep your system current. More »
Work

Sunday Last Day For Windows 7 RC, But Upgrading Is Easy

7:30AM Adam Pash | This Sunday is the last day users still running Windows 7 RC will be able to go about their everyday computing before Windows starts with the nagging and auto-rebooting. The annoying part is less that the Windows 7 RC period is ending (it was a great run!), but more that there’s no upgrade path for going from Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 proper. More »
Work

Five Best Netbook Operating Systems

4:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Netbooks — the low-power and lightweight mini-notebooks that have surged in popularity — practically beg for some tweaking and customisation to increase the functionality of their diminutive screens and relatively wimpy processors. Find yourself the perfect netbook operating system from this fine selection. More »
Fix

Microsoft Eying Antipiracy Update For Windows 7

9:45AM Adam Pash | Microsoft is working on an update to Windows 7 that will close a number of the loopholes Win7 pirates are using to avoid activation, according to CNET. The update is slated for later this month and “closes more than 70 ‘activation hacks,’ according to Joe Williams, general manager of Microsoft’s Genuine Windows unit.” [CNET]
Work

Why Linux Mint Might Be A Better Beginner’s Linux Than Ubuntu

3:15AM Kevin Purdy | On nearly any post about Ubuntu, or Linux in general, the Ubuntu derivative Linux Mint is offered as an alternative, or comes up (multiple times) as a recommendation in the comments. What sets Mint apart? Blogger (and obvious Linux lover) Jeff Hoogland makes five cases for Mint over Ubuntu. More »
Work

Demo Offers A Peek At What A Chrome Tablet Might Look Like

3:30AM Adam Pash | Last week Apple announced their new tablet, the iPad, and whether or not you were keen on the device, you may still be interested in this concept demo of Google’s open-source Chromium OS, tablet-ised. More »
Work

Ubuntu’s Default Search Engine Switching To Yahoo

1:00AM Kevin Purdy | In a public mailing list announcement, the leader of the desktop team at Canonical, maker/sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, stated that the default search engine and home page bundled into Firefox will be switched from Google to Yahoo. More »
Work

Run Linux In EXT3 Rather Than EXT4 For Better Performance

9:30AM Whitson Gordon | According to the newest benchmarks provided by Linux-focused website Phoronix, the EXT4 filesystem for Linux has gained some improvements as far as data loss goes with the latest Linux kernel — but at a cost of a significant drop-off in performance. More »
Work

Boot Camp Updates To 3.1 With Windows 7 Compatibility

11:30AM Adam Pash | Mac OS X only: If you own Mac hardware, still like to get your Windows on from time to time, and virtual machines just won’t do, here’s some good news: Apple just released Boot Camp 3.1, adding support for Windows 7. More »