The Four-eyed Journal » Linux

The Story of Linux: 20 years of software freedom that changed the world forever

jhay — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:41:03 +0000

This month, I join the Linux Foundation and the thousands and thousands of fellow Linux users in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the iconic open-source OS that changed the world forever.

No matter which distro you use, no matter if you’re a free and open source supporter purist or not, we all share in this historic moment wherein we mark an important milestone in the history of computing, free and open-source software and technology; the two-decade milestone that Linux has reached.

To kick start the celebrations, the Linux Foundation has come out with a video that tells the story of how it all began and what Linux has achieved in the last twenty years:

Windows may still be the most used OS on PCs and notebooks, however Linux in its various distros or flavors has in turn pervaded almost all aspects of our contemporary history. Every where you go and almost anything you do, a machine or computer running on Linux has a part in it. That’s an achievement Microsoft and Apple would have a very tough time to surpass.

As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, the Linux Foundation has lined up some great events, like the LinuxCon North America 2011 happening in Vancouver, Canada. A t-shirt design contest to commemorate the 20th anniversary and the Stories of Linux series which would showcase interesting stories about Linux from the last twenty years, including some pieces of analysis from Linux experts.

One of the most exciting event is the Linux Foundation Video Contest where the community is invited to create a one-minute video to celebrate the past, present and future of Linux with no less than its creator Linus Torvalds himself being the judge of the said contest.

I’d be sure to save up for that winning t-shirt and own a piece of Linux history. Maybe I’d even contribute my own Linux-inspired story. Are you a Linux user too? What distribution are you using? Happy 20th anniversary to all of us Linux users!

Neo FreeRunner – iPhone for Linux fans

jhay — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:50:47 +0000

Despite the negative feedback, qualms and criticisms on the iPhone 3G from its price and cut-throat contract to its technical specs, I’ve read that some experts say that it will perform well and rake in more money for Apple. Why so? It’s from Apple, it’s an iPhone. Somehow, Apple has managed to imbued it with a tiny parcel of Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field that it makes consumers shell out huge wads of money and surrender their souls to the devil, as some would say.

Love it or hate it, the iPhone is here to stay and make its huge mark in our times. It already has.

Fortunately, there are lots of other alternatives to the iPhone, from the well-known mobile giants like Nokia, Sony Ericsson and others. Each has their own loyal fan base and so far, the principles of the free market economy are keeping things from being a complete anarchy.

But here’s one particular iPhone alternative that would appeal to a special fan base. The Linux zealots.

Enter OpenMoko’s open-source smartphone: Neo FreeRunner

The FreeRunner is based on a GNU/Linux, and it will initially ship with basic software to make calls, send and receive SMS, and manage contacts. But the company is encouraging users to write and install their own applications. (InformationWeek)

It’s technical specs are:

Size and Weight

4.75 x 2.44 x 0.73 inches
6.5 ounces (185 grams)

Display

Touch Screen
2.8″ VGA (480×640) VGA Screen

Speed

ARM9 @ 400 MHz
2D/3D Graphics Acceleration

GSM

Tri band 850/1800/1900 MHz
Tri band 900/1800/1900 MHz

Power

Removable 1200 mAh battery

Memory

128MB SDRAM
256MB NAND Flash
microSD Slot

Input and Output

Input and Output
2.5 mm audio jack
GPS external connector

Hardware Highlights

Wi-Fi (802.1 1b/g)
AGPS
GPRS (2.5G not EDGE)
Bluetooth 2.0
3axis Motion Sensors (2)

Software Highlights

Openmoko GNU/Linux-based
100% FOSS on CPU
GNU/Linux development tools

For now, it’s only available, or will work in US networks and is selling at $399 unlocked. It’s basically a smartphone platform for Linux fans and the open-source community to play around on or seriously develop applications that would further create tons of potential for the mobile platform and even the Linux desktop as well.

I wonder though, if and when would this be available here in the Philippines? I’m sure local Linux fanboys would love to tinker with this new phone.

My Ubuntu CDs have arrived

jhay — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:09:26 +0000

I’ve been down with the colds and school work, the usual culprit as to why this blog has been rather idle this past few days.

Also, this blog sports a new custom with lots of nifty features of which I’ll be talking about more in a later post. So please bear with me if the front page looks a bit pale and untidy.

Last night when I got home, my mother told me a package has arrived for me. Curious I was because I wasn’t expecting anything to come through the mail, though I’ve been anxious about my TLA check for October. It’s almost the end of November and it usually should have arrived last week. Hopefully, it wasn’t lost or worse, stolen.

Moving on, the package I’m talking about as mentioned by this post’s title is my 10 CDs of Ubuntu Linux ver 7.10. I requested for them almost two weeks ago and I’m quite surprised it arrived so soon. This is compared to my other requests of Ubuntu CDs before which took almost two months before arriving at my doorstep. Many many thanks to Canonical and the Ubuntu community!

The package contained the usual open-source goodness. Ten CDs of Ubuntu 7.10 and two sticker sets to spread and leave my Ubuntu mark. It was very tempting to jump right in and install Gutsy Gibbon but it was already very late in the night and I really need to recover lots of sleep and rest so I postponed this geek-fest until this Saturday. Why not tomorrow when it’s a holiday? Tomorrow is the birthday anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, and to commemorate his great memory and deeds, I’ll be attending a forum organized by Anakbayan tomorrow at Philippin Christian University – Dasmariñas. More about this after the event itself of course.

Going back, I also plan to install Ubuntu 7.10 on a separate hard drive so as to improve my PCs performance and for it to act as secondary drive to store or archive my precious data. We all know that with Windows, you’re always one BSoD away from disaster.

So right now, I’ll scour the net for good and reliable tutorials on how to dual-boot a system using XP and Ubuntu on separate physical hard drives. Though I have a rough and general idea on how to achieve this, based on my previous practice of dual-booting XP + Ubuntu on a single drive. Still, one can never be too careful. I’m confident that the ever-warm and loving Ubuntu community forums will be of great help.

Does anyone know of a good tutorial or how-to on how to do this? Do drop me a line in the comments below. Of course, I’ll document the entire process this coming Saturday. But first, I need to get a new hard drive, which is another story for another time.

Woot! Just ordered a Linux T-shirt!

jhay — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:55:01 +0000

One of the coolest things I could do thanks to blogging and the extra money it has earned me besides helping with the school expenses is to order things over the web. It’s a kind of ego-boost knowing that something that was once reserved for the elite would be accessible to commoner like my self, and at that I wish that every one else could do just the same.

Going back on topic, I’m talking about the second online purchase I made in my entire life, the first one was a set of small Moleskine notebooks, it is a “Linux User Ako Shirt” by tekingnoypi.com

Check it out,

Is it not one of the coolest things you could ever own?! I just confirmed my order and I’ll pay for it this weekend.

Wish though they had an Ubuntu Linux-flavored shirt that would be even cooler. Still, it’s open-source, and it’s Linux!

Can’t wait for it to arrive at my doorsteps!