Linux Reviews

Linux : Reviews : LTSP brings Linux to X Window desktops
Posted: ( Mon 2nd Jul 2001 07:33:29[PM] UTC )
Linux Terminal Server Project 2.08 is a stable open-source offering that converts virtually all major distributions of Linux into an X Window terminal server for thin clients. In eWeek Labs' tests, LTSP 2.08 was straightforward to set up and manage and could be a good way to advance Linux to desktop PCs at companies of all sizes.

Linux : Reviews : Journalling filesystems for Linux
Posted: ( Mon 2nd Jul 2001 07:13:40[PM] UTC )
This article looks at how to implement ext3, XFS and ReiserFS on your Linux box. Also included are benchmarks of disk operations across these three journaling filesystems.

Linux : Reviews : Honey, I shrunk the Linux system!
Posted: ( Sun 1st Jul 2001 07:10:14[PM] UTC )
"The CerfCube is basically a miniature Linux "box" consisting of a StrongARM-based SBC (called a CerfBoard) enclosed in a cast aluminum cube, three inches on a side. Do the math: with a CerfCube, you can fit a complete (networked) Linux system in just 0.015 cubic foot!"

Linux : Reviews : Pentium 4 gone budget?
Posted: ( Sun 1st Jul 2001 07:01:03[PM] UTC )
"Most of the major media outlets were predicting the Pentium 4 to be in that upper-bracket of pricing, that is, the $2500 range. Pogo has recently come along and shattered some of those early predictions with one much lower than that -- try $999."

Linux : Reviews : Tools of the trade: Part 1
Posted: ( Wed 27th Jun 2001 11:53:51[PM] UTC )
In this short series of articles, Carl Constantine will delve deeper into Linux security and discuss protective measures such as VPN systems and tripwire. Although he's aware of the many different security analysis tools out there, he will be covering the tools that have been successful for him. And he keeps adding new tools all the time.

Linux : Reviews : Moneydance Personal Finance Manager review
Posted: ( Wed 27th Jun 2001 11:11:43[PM] UTC )
Stew Benedict reviews Moneydance, a personal finance manager package, much like Quicken, but written in Java which allows it to run on a number of platforms, including Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, Windows and MacOS. "All in all, if Quicken is what has been keeping you locked into that other OS, I think you may be able to reclaim a disk partition if you switch over to Moneydance," he concludes.

Linux : Reviews : NeTraverse Win4Lin 3.0
Posted: ( Mon 25th Jun 2001 07:29:04[PM] UTC )
Frederik Dannemare reviews the recently updated Win4Lin. "Win4Lin 3.0 is truly a great product. It has the ability to connect to Exchange Servers using Outlook along with the ability to use VPN from within Win4Lin and is very stable. Speed is great too, pretty much indistinguishable from running native Windows. My only complaint is the lack of support for Debian (and Debian-based distributions) out-of-the-box. Although it is not impossible to install Win4Lin on Debian, it would be nice to see official support for Debian," he writes.

Linux : Reviews : Linksys Instant Gigadrive
Posted: ( Mon 25th Jun 2001 12:07:14[AM] UTC )
Here's a review of the Linksys Instant Gigadrive, which is a network attached storage device built for Windows networks. But at its core, it's a Linux box running Samba. "The most interesting aspect of the GigaDrive is the way that Linux enabled this device's very existence. Compared to the options of writing all of the firmware from scratch or embedding a proprietary OS, Linux offered several clear wins for Linksys: low cost, high reliability, and terrific interoperability," says Ken Treis.

Linux : Reviews : More than a Gigabuck: Estimating GNU/Linux's size
Posted: ( Thu 21st Jun 2001 11:28:10[PM] UTC )
The article examines Red Hat Linux 7.1's source code as a representative GNU/Linux distribution. It found that it would cost over $1 billion (a Gigabuck) to develop, that it includes over 30 million physical source lines of code (SLOC), and that it would have required about 8,000 person-years to develop. Red Hat Linux 7.1 represents over a 60% increase in size, effort, and traditional development costs over Red Hat Linux 6.2 (which was released about one year earlier). Its predominant software license is the GNU GPL.

Linux : Reviews : GeForce3 & Linux Review
Posted: ( Tue 19th Jun 2001 09:41:34[PM] UTC )
evil3d has posted the results of the VisionTek GeForce3 review under Linux. The review includes Quake3 benchmarks at different resolutions/color depths, FSAA sampling, and a Linux vs. Windows comparison. As an added bonus, scores from overclocking are available as well.

Linux : Reviews : Engarde Secure Linux
Posted: ( Mon 18th Jun 2001 08:52:45[PM] UTC )
Jeff Field reviews Engarde Secure Linux, a distribution from Guardian Digital that was created with security in mind and concludes, "with minimal system access allowed and every precaution taken, Engarde Secure Linux just might be the best distribution for Web/mail servers yet. With tight security and everything you need to configure a server out of the box built into it, Engarde Linux is something you should consider if building a secure Website for commerce or any other purpose, or just needing a reliable mail server."

Linux : Reviews : MindRover for Linux
Posted: ( Wed 13th Jun 2001 10:23:56[PM] UTC )
Once in awhile, there comes a game that will actually take the gaming world by its horns, jerk it around a little, and then promptly set it down for a good talking-to. There are also games that simply sit out, and watch the rest of the gaming world do its thing. The former is the case with Loki's latest port, MindRover. Check out Woody Hughes' (the former Senior Editor of Maximum Linux Magazine) take as he sits down with his keyboard and trackball for the ultimate brainiac funfest.

Linux : Reviews : AMD Duron 850 review
Posted: ( Tue 12th Jun 2001 10:40:36[PM] UTC )
The AMD Duron 850 is compared to an Athlon 850 its found to be completely capable under Linux. While the smaller L2 cache certainly hurt it in some areas, the difference wasn't that large. The cost difference was pretty big though, and with the Duron being so overclockable, it certainly proves to be a great value for those who don't need the fastest box on the street. As a Linux user, you really can't go wrong either way. However, if you are a developer or like to compile many things from source, the Duron may not be the best choice.

Linux : Reviews : Volution product review
Posted: ( Sun 10th Jun 2001 08:56:29[PM] UTC )
Joshua Drake of Linux Journal reviews Caldera's system management tool, Volution, and says that even though it's uneven and clearly a young product, it has some merit and shows promise. "As the next two releases come out, we should see a well-rounded and diversified product. Volution has the core facilities built to provide solid distributed management of multiple servers. It is a product that Linux needs to be viable in the enterprise, and one the Open Source community has yet to implement," says Drake.

Linux : Reviews : Linux-Mandrake 8.0
Posted: ( Sun 3rd Jun 2001 07:23:12[PM] UTC )
No other distribution beats the polished user experience offered by Linux-Mandrake 8.0. If you're currently running release 7.2, version 8.0 provides a seamless upgrade. And if you've never tried Linux-Mandrake, version 8.0's amazing level of automation and its decked-out installation GUI provide the perfect Linux launching point. Featuring a GUI face-lift and the latest versions of the kernel, Xfree86, GNOME and KDE, Linux-Mandrake 8.0 sits squarely at the forefront of powerful yet easy-to-use distributions.