Practical Technology

for practical people.

June 8, 2020
by sjvn01
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Best cloud storage services in 2020: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more

In 2007, Drew Houston, Dropbox’s CEO, got sick and tired of misplacing his USB drive, so he created the first personal and small business cloud storage service. It was a radical idea in its time, and everyone loved it. Today, there are dozens of cheap or free cloud storage services. But — beyond giving you storage — they’re very different.

How do you choose which one is right for you? You could just pick on the basis of how much free storage space you get from them. That’s simple, but it only tells part of the story. The real value from a cloud storage service comes from how well it works for you or your business. As you’ll see, some work much better with some operating systems and business plans than others.

Let’s start, shall we?

Best cloud storage services in 2020: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more More>

June 5, 2020
by sjvn01
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Linux Mint dumps Ubuntu Snap

Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux distributions, and it’s my favorite. In part because, while it’s based on Debian Linux and Ubuntu, it goes its own way. For example, its developers created their own excellent desktop interface, Cinnamon. Now, Mint’s programmers, led by lead developer, Clement “Clem” Lefebvre, has dropped support for Ubuntu’s Snap software packing system.

Linux Mint dumps Ubuntu Snap More>

June 4, 2020
by sjvn01
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NextCloud gets bigger and better with Nextcloud Hub 19

I’ve used Nextcloud, a great open-source Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud, for years on both my own on-premise and shared servers. It works well, it’s simple to set up, and it does the main job of replacing public cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and DropBox flawlessly. With this latest edition, Nextcloud Hub 19 is also adding improvements to its built-in, office Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) programs.

NextCloud gets bigger and better with Nextcloud Hub 19 More>

June 3, 2020
by sjvn01
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Lenovo believes in the Linux desktop

In the 2000s, if you wanted Linux on a laptop, your best choice without a doubt was an IBM. Later, Lenovo ThinkPad. Then, in 2008, Lenovo decided to no longer officially support Linux on the desktop. There’s been a lot of technological changes since, including that Lenovo went back to fully supporting the Linux desktop. There were some hitches, too. Lenovo blew it with Linux on its 2016 Signature Edition PCs. But now Lenovo wants to be desktop Linux’s best friend again.

Lenovo believes in the Linux desktop More>

June 3, 2020
by sjvn01
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The Linux Foundation introduces Cloud Engineer Bootcamp for cloud job seekers

Back when I was going to tech shows every few weeks, no matter what the show was about — Linux, networking, open-source software development — I could always count on one thing: Every, and I mean every, company was looking for cloud-savvy people to hire. Indeed.com found that between October 2015 and October 2019, cloud computing jobs increased by 55%. By 2022, Gartner predicts the public cloud services market alone will be three times bigger than overall IT services. But there isn’t anything like enough cloud experts to meet the demand. That’s where the Linux Foundation‘s new Cloud Engineer Bootcamp comes in.

The Linux Foundation introduces Cloud Engineer Bootcamp for cloud job seekers More>

June 3, 2020
by sjvn01
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From Earth to orbit with Linux and SpaceX

In a terrible year, it was a great moment. On May 30, SpaceX‘s Crew Dragon, the first private-manned spacecraft ever and the first US-manned spaceflight in nine years, successfully delivered NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into orbit. Taking them was SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9, powered by rocket fuel and Linux.

Like supercomputers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and many mission-critical devices, the Falcon 9 flies with Linux. SpaceX’s software engineers explained several years ago how the Falcon 9 programming works.

From Earth to orbit with Linux and SpaceX More>