Practical Technology

for practical people.

April 30, 2012
by sjvn01
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Klouchebag: The un-social social network measurement tool

Like it or hate it, Klout, the self proclaimed, “Standard for Influence,” has become an increasingly important measurement of how much attention you get on social networks. As Wired recently reported, whether you get a job or not can depend on how high your Klout score is. A lot of people hate this. For these people, there’s now a new standard for measuring one’s “asshattery online:” Klouchebag.

Tom Scott, Klouchebag’s creator and a UK-based developer, speaker, and self-confessed Gadget Geek, explained that Klouchebag is the standard for measuring asshattery online. A bit more seriously, he explained, “I got annoyed with the fuss around Klout, the horrible social-game that assigns you a score based on how “influential” you are online. This is the result.”

Klouchebag: The un-social social network measurement tool. More >

April 30, 2012
by sjvn01
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Oracle vs. Google: Dead lawsuit walking

The Oracle vs. Google lawsuit is ending its first phase. On April 30th, Oracle and Google will make their closing arguments. Then, within a week or two, we should get a verdict from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, and… it will all begin again when Oracle appeals its inevitable defeat.

Oh, it’s possible that the jury will award Oracle something, but in the end Oracle will lose in this court and any other court they try to take their case to. I can say that without any fear of doubt because, just as with the SCO case in its early days, anyone with a real clue about the issues already knows that neither SCO then, nor Oracle now, has a leg to stand on.

There are several reasons why the case continues to get so much attention. First is is Oracle going after Google over the most popular of all the mobile operating systems, Android. The other reason is that, frankly a lot of the coverage of the trial and the events leading up to it has made it seem like Oracle actually had a case. They didn’t. They don’t.

Oracle vs. Google: Dead lawsuit walking. More >

April 26, 2012
by sjvn01
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Ubuntu 12.04 arrives and it’s great

The wait is over. The final version of Canonical’s Ubuntu 12.04, Precise Pangolin is out. To download your copy of this popular Linux distribution head to the Ubuntu download page. If you’re already using the last version, Ubuntu 11.10 you can now upgrade automatically upgrade to 12.04 with Update Manager. If you need more help with your upgrade see the Upgrade from Ubuntu 11.10 to 12.04 LTS page.

LTS, you ask? That stands for long term support. This is the Ubuntu version that will be supported for five years, through April 2017. If you have a business, and you’ve been thinking about using Ubuntu on your desktops or servers, this is the version you want.

Ubuntu 12.04 arrives and it’s great. More >

April 25, 2012
by sjvn01
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Red Hat and SUSE join IBM in new Linux system, Canonical opts out

Over a year in the making IBM has just unveiled its new IBM PowerLinux Systems and Solutions. This new series of Linux-specific POWER7 processor-based hardware comes with a choice of either Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server . It’s designed for analyzing Big Data, managing industry-specific applications and delivering open source infrastructure services for the mid market and above. Canonical, Ubuntu’s parent company, opted out of offering its Linux on this new server family though.

Red Hat and SUSE join IBM in new Linux system, Canonical opts out. More >

April 25, 2012
by sjvn01
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The 16 Linux Shell Commands Every Desktop Linux User Should Know

Some people still have a silly notion that to use Linux you must know Linux shell commands and syntax like the back of your hand. What nonsense! With any modern Linux desktop distribution, you no more need to use Linux commands like ps, grep, or ls than you need to use DOS commands in Windows today.

Except, of course, just as in Windows, every now and then it is helpful to use the good, old ASCII command-line instructions.

Mind you, 99% of the time desktop Linux users are fine with Linux desktops such as Cinnamon, GNOME, Unity, or KDE. For system administrators, it’s a bit different. Linux sysadmins use shell commands all the time.

But, once every blue moon, its handy to know some Linux command basics, so here’s what you need to know.

The 16 Linux Shell Commands Every Desktop Linux User Should Know. More >