Getting Started With Scribus

January 3, 2013 Reviews

Scribus is a mature, multi-platform Desktop Publishing (DTP) application. The Scribus team are keen to say that it’s used by amateurs and professionals alike and, since its launch in 2003, Scribus has established itself as the premier Free and Open Source DTP package. Desktop Publishing software is aimed at producing magazines, leaflets, handouts, newspapers – [...]

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TLWIR 50: A Case Study on Line Printing from GNU/Linux to a Wifi Printer

December 27, 2012 TLWIR
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Summary: In The Linux Week in Review 49, I showed you how to reliably print to a printer connected to a Windows 7 computer. This article is for those who don’t want to depend on a Windows machine for printing. In TLWIR 50, I will show you how to print directly to a WiFi-enabled printer. [...]

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OpenOffice.org vs LibreOffice

December 19, 2012 Reviews

Although there are many others, OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice are the two 800lb gorrillas of the open source office suite world. One or other comes bundled with pretty much every Linux distro out there. Without OpenOffice.org, it’s fair to say that the OpenDocument format would never have stood a chance of becoming an open standard. Pretty [...]

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Linux Podcast Clients

November 30, 2012 Reviews
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Although the advent of anything-you-can-think-of-on-demand services like Netflix are eating into their market, podcasts are still big. They come into the their own when you want to listen to your favorite show on the move. WiMax and 4G might start to challenge that, but for now there are many situations where traditional podcasting is the [...]

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Looking Over OpenSUSE 12.2

November 28, 2012 Reviews

Better late than never, openSUSE 12.2 arrived in September 2012, having first been scheduled for July. It comes in both Gnome and KDE flavors with pretty much all the software you could want (the full DVD version weighs in at 4.7GB, with lighter weight CD-sized options for each of KDE and Gnome). SUSE has always [...]

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TLWIR 49: RELIABLY Printing From GNU/Linux to a Windows 7 Printer

November 22, 2012 TLWIR
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Summary I try to use GNU/Linux solutions whenever I can. However, one exception to this rule is the printing process in my home. I have one printer, and it is connected to my Windows 7 machine. As GNU/Linux becomes more popular in homes and businesses, it is becoming more common to see mixed GNU/Linux-Windows environments. [...]

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A Tour of Linux Gaming

November 16, 2012 Reviews

“Too slow. Restart needed all the time. Poor graphics. Slow to select pull-downs. Lost instrument panel. Not on list of “view” pull-down. Nothing was right. Worst sim ever!” This review was rated the “most helpful” for FlightGear, which is, we’re assured, a “free and highly sophisticated flight simulator”. That didn’t fill me with confidence on [...]

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TLWIR 48: Revealing the Hidden Biases Against Free Software

November 3, 2012 TLWIR
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Rex Djere is a Free Software advocate who preferentially supports Free Software-based solutions such as GNU/Linux, Android, and LibreOffice. Summary: Let’s face it: we all have biases. I readily admit that I have a very clear bias in favor of Free Software. There is no human being that is truly objective and neutral. However, in [...]

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Presidential Election TLWIR Special – Which Man Would Be Better for Free Software: President Barack Obama or Governor Mitt Romney?

November 1, 2012 TLWIR
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Summary: Most geeks that I have met tend to not hold a great deal of interest in politics. We generally would prefer to spend our time solving technical problems than debating presidential politics. However, if we compare the two men fighting to be the commander-in-chief of the United States for the next four years, one [...]

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TLWIR 46: Limerick Loves LibreOffice

October 10, 2012 TLWIR
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Summary: Limerick, Ireland has embraced Free Software in a move that demonstrates a continued global shift away from vendor lock-in. Writing a lot has forced me to learn how to write efficiently. Again, Free Software came to the rescue in the form of Gedit and Notepad++ tabs. Limerick Loves LibreOffice Limerick is the fourth largest [...]

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TLWIR 45: The European Union Has Great Intentions, But They Are Solving the Wrong Problem

September 20, 2012 TLWIR
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Summary: I applaud the European Union for trying to persuade Microsoft Corporation to allow more competition in Windows 8. However, they are trying to solve the wrong problem. In The Linux Week in Review 45, I will give my opinion as to what problem we should REALLY be trying to solve. The European Union Encourages [...]

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Book Review: Ubuntu Made Easy

September 10, 2012 Book Reviews
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Ubuntu Made Easy (No Starch Press, by Rickford Grant wtih Paul Bull) The task this book sets out to do is impossible and many who purchase the book will expect a great deal more. Everyone wants a one volume answer guide to the Ubuntu Desktop, it simply is not possible. The goal of the current [...]

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TLWIR 44: Waze Isn’t Free Software, But It’s Open Source In Spirit

September 4, 2012 TLWIR
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I’ve seen a very interesting trend recently: even people that do not embrace open source and free software are beginning to embrace a lot of the concepts. For example, Kickstarter has brought free software and collaborative concepts to the art of raising capital to fund great ideas. There are now several great ideas that have [...]

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TLWIR 43: You Know That the GNU/LInux Shift is Coming When the Eggheads Start Conspiring

August 5, 2012 TLWIR
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Summary: Wikipedia defines a cabal as a type of conspiracy where like-minded officials form an association to further the group’s shared cause. This is exactly what is happening: a group of software and hardware engineers have decided that GNU/Linux may be the road forward as Windows 8’s arrival looms. What is happening is inevitable: NOTHING [...]

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