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FOSS Force

In Search of a Linux iTunes Replacement

By Robert Glen Fogarty on July 21, 2016 |

Operating Systems and Software

In Search of a Linux iTunes ReplacementClementine

In this week’s installment, our resident Linux newb goes on the prowl with one thought in mind: To find the best-of-breed FOSS music player for GNU/Linux.

The Linux Gadabout

I’ve decided to take a break from swimming upstream. Sure, I enjoy the puzzles presented by limited RAM and weird popcorn sounds that happen when caging Ubuntu MATE in a rickety Sony Vaio laptop that’s more than a decade old. I love the creative solutions the FOSS Force community shares in a concerted effort to get me back in the saddle and on my way. But I think Christine Hall summed it up best when commenting on my last column via Facebook:

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SJVN Talks FOSS, Linux, Microsoft & More…SJVN Steven J. Vaughan Nichols

SJVN Talks FOSS, Linux, Microsoft & More…

By Robin "Roblimo" Miller on July 21, 2016 |

Interview, Media and Video

SJVN has been writing about Linux and FOSS since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and started writing about IT back when single-celled organisms and CP/M dominated the landscape.

The FOSS Force Video Interview

The official Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols LinkedIn page says, “I’ve written over 9,000 articles on business and technology subjects. Highlights include the first popular news story about the web and the first Linux benchmarks. My articles range from features to reviews to OpEd to news reporting.”

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

A large percentage of those articles have been about Linux and FOSS, so it was logical for us to ring up SJVN (as he is commonly known) and ask him what’s the biggest news about FOSS so far in 2016, and what we can expect in the rest of the year.

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Microsoft Isn’t Going Away Any Time SoonMicrosoft

Microsoft Isn’t Going Away Any Time Soon

By Christine Hall on July 20, 2016 |

Business and News

When Steve Ballmer left Microsoft, the company seemed to be losing its grip and many predicted the company would slowly slide into oblivion. The company’s latest financials show the company to be healthy, and not likely to quit being a thorn in FOSS’s side for the foreseeable future.

Common knowledge is a funny thing. It’s often wrong and based on wishes instead of reality. Take the supposition that shows up in the comments on FOSS Force whenever Microsoft pops up in the news. Among many GNU/Linux desktop users, Windows is now irrelevant and Microsoft is a dying company that’s all but on life support. This is pure wishful thinking based on a passionate dislike of all things Microsoft by many Linux users.

** If you're finding this article useful, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **
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Four Alternatives to Raspbian and Ubuntu MATEROCKOS Raspberry Pi screenshot

Four Alternatives to Raspbian and Ubuntu MATE

By Isaac Carter on July 20, 2016 |

Distros, Operating Systems and Reviews

While Raspbian and Ubuntu MATE remain the go-to distros for many Raspberry Pi users, our Pi guy reminds us that there are others, and offers us a look at four alternatives.

The Raspberry Pi Report

It seems like every article one reads about the Raspberry Pi always makes a reference to Raspbian. If not, then the writer will probably write about how wonderful Ubuntu MATE is on the Raspberry Pi. Which begs the question: Are there any other OS options for the Raspberry Pi? While there’s nothing wrong with either distro, we should remember that the main appeal of using Linux is the freedom and amount of choice that is offered to the user. With that being said, here are four other distros that offer a great user experience on the Raspberry Pi.

** If you're finding this article useful, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **
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Koha Integrated Library System Brings FOSS to LibrariesFloss Weekly Koha

Koha Integrated Library System Brings FOSS to Libraries

By Phil Shapiro on July 19, 2016 |

Community, Interview, Software and Video

The proprietary software used by most libraries is incredibly expensive, and comes with support costs that can be even higher. Projects like Koha bring the option of a free and open source solution into play.

The Video Screening Room

Randal Schwartz, from TWiT.tv’s “FLOSS Weekly,” interviews Nicole Engard and Brendan Gallagher, about the open source Koha Integrated Library System (ILS), which originated in New Zealand in 1999. Along with being a web developer, Nicole is a prolific blogger on Opensource.com and last year was recognized by Red Hat for her significant contributions to open source advocacy.

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **
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Respinning LinuxRespin Linux

Respinning Linux

By Ken Starks on July 19, 2016 |

Community, Distros and Interview

A talk with Randy Noseworthy, the man behind the Linux respins on the old computers that Reglue makes new again.

The Heart of Linux

It started back in 2009, the first year of Lynn Bender’s fantastic brainstorm “Linux Against Poverty.” Lynn’s idea and subsequent involvement with our organization, then named The HeliOS Project, would infuse our effort with an energy and inventory we still rely on today.

** If you value this kind of coverage, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

Respin LinuxBender contacted me early in 2009 and proposed we organize an event to bring the greater Austin community, the Austin Tech community and HeliOS under one roof. We would ask people to bring unused or broken computers to our event. Through Lynn’s network connections, a 6th Street bar owner gave up his bar for an entire Saturday. That, in turn, allowed over 50 Austin geeks to converge on 6th Street to set up stations and transform the broken computers coming in the front door into fully-functioning computers going out the back door and into our waiting truck.

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Ubuntu Hacked, Linux Journal Extremists & More…Bumblehive NSA

Ubuntu Hacked, Linux Journal Extremists & More…

By Christine Hall on July 15, 2016 |

Community, Distros, Operating Systems, Politics, Security and Software

Also included: Microsoft shows love of Linux with gift of Skype and Torvalds continues to be Torvalds.

FOSS Week in Review

The biggest Linux story this week by mainstream tech sites’ standards was Skype working to include Linux users in its installed base by releasing a new Linux client to replace obsolete software that hadn’t been updated in at least two years. According to many of the comments on FOSS Force’s coverage, Skype might consider itself a day late and a dollar short.

The big problem, of course, is Skype’s ownership by Microsoft, whose love of Linux is so far unrequited. Add to that the fact that Skype, like Microsoft, doesn’t have the monopoly it once had and the result is a less than enthusiastic response. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if Ubuntu doesn’t start installing the Skype client by default once it comes out of beta.

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **

Now on to some news that’s really newsworthy…

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How Open Source Is Becoming the Core of All SoftwareThe New Makers open source

How Open Source Is Becoming the Core of All Software

By Phil Shapiro on July 15, 2016 |

Business, Software and Video

The open source development model is taking over the enterprise. Two companies that were late coming to the OSS table but which now contribute much code are Cisco and Capital One.

The Video Screening Room

This panel discussion, recorded at this year’s OSCON in Austin, Texas, with two Cisco open source folks and a Capital One person is fascinating. Learn about how enterprises are acknowledging their use of OSS and taking greater responsibility for contributing back to it. Learn how people are more often using GitHub contributions as their resume. Learn how the open model allows companies to iterate faster in a rapidly changing world. If open source is becoming the default methodology, how is this changing mindsets within the enterprise?

** If our coverage matters to you, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **
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Ubuntu MATE, Pithos and the Sounds of PopcornPopcorn noises running Pithos in Linux?

Ubuntu MATE, Pithos and the Sounds of Popcorn

By Robert Glen Fogarty on July 14, 2016 |

Hardware

Our resident Linux newbie finds another hardware problem, akin to popcorn in the machine, in his quest to give new life to an old Sony Vaio by using Linux.

The Linux Gadabout

My trusty old Sony Vaio laptop has been saddled up with Ubuntu MATE for a little over a month now. For the most part, it’s running just as smoothly as it ever did on Windows XP — and definitely better than it ran with the lovingly installed bloatware that came included with it shiny and new from the factory.

** If you value this kind of coverage, please consider supporting our work through our FOSS Force Independence 2026 fundraiser. **
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David A. Wheeler: Working to Prevent the Next HeartbleedDavid A. Wheeler Core Infrastructure Initiative

David A. Wheeler: Working to Prevent the Next Heartbleed

By Robin "Roblimo" Miller on July 14, 2016 |

Community, Interview, Security and Software

The Heartbleed bug revealed that some important open source projects were so understaffed that they were unable to properly implement best security practices. The Linux Foundation’s Core Infrastructure Initiative , formed to help open source projects have the ability to adopt these practices, uses a lot of carrot and very little stick.

Continue readingDavid A. Wheeler: Working to Prevent the Next Heartbleed