Practical Technology

Remember when Google first started Gmail and you had to have an invitation to get in? It’s going to be the same kind of deal with Google Voice.
Google Voice, if you haven’t heard of it yet, is a free Web-based application that lets you control all your various phone numbers — work, home, mobile, you [...]

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As I pointed out recently, open-source software in schools isn’t just a good idea, it’s becoming a financial necessity if we’re to keep enough teachers for our kids in classrooms. So, it’s particular good timing that Sugar Labs and openSUSE have released free Linux distributions expressly designed for education.
Sugar Labs, for those of you who [...]

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I was running Windows, and before it came along, MS-DOS, applications on Unix and Linux for ages. It was never especially easy, but experts could do it. With CodeWeavers’ latest CrossOver Linux 8, though, it’s become so easy that anyone should be able to do it.
Now, if all your desktop needs are already being met [...]

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I can talk until I’m blue in my space about the technical advantages of Linux and open-source software. Forget about that for now though. Let me give you a reason for your office to use them that may strike home: It can save jobs, including, just maybe, your job.
This simple fact was brought home to [...]

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Over the years, Adobe has become more Linux friendly. First, Adobe released an excellent version of its Flash Player for Linux, and, more recently, the company launched a version of AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) for Linux. Now, however, with Strobe, its just announced Flash framework, Adobe looks like it may be getting more open-source friendly [...]

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