Finally, Google released early developer versions of their highly regarded Chrome web browser for Linux and Mac. It means that you can now run Chrome natively on these two platforms but with insufficient features and software instability.

As KDE 4.2.4 was just released I became really eager to try it out. MEPIS is still based on 3.5 by default. There is a fork known as DanumLinux that provides 4.2, though.

In my younger days I had an official motto: "You're never too old to try something new; computers are a heck of a lot of fun; and anyone can learn to do anything."

The original plan for my spiffy new Eee PC netbook was to dump my email archives on it, but the bundled email client for most Ubuntu-based Linux distributions is Evolution, an app I’ve never tried before.

Netbook shipments are up "in the triple-digit percentiles" over a year ago, said Brian Davis, vice-president of client systems for Tech Data. But he said Tech Data has seen "almost no" demand for Linux netbooks.

A few growing pains aside, a Linux deployment in a Santa Rosa, CA elementary school district is maturing robustly, letting teachers and students stand apart from their previous dependence on Microsoft Windows while they try on new open software attitudes.

"Listen all! This is the truth of it. Fighting leads to killing, and killing gets to warring. And that was damn near the death of us all. Look at us now! Busted up, and everyone talking about hard rain! But we've learned, by the dust of them all... Bartertown learned. Now, when OSes get to fighting, it happens here! And it finishes here! Two OSes enter; one OS leaves."

I'd been waiting for Chrome on Linux since Chrome first showed up. Chrome, if you haven't tried it, is the speed-demon of Web browsers. I love it. But, until now, there really wasn't a version that would run natively on Linux.