We're just about to get started on issue 153 of Linux Format, and it'll be my last working full-time on the magazine. It's been an amazing journey since I joined back in 2005, when we were working on issue 70 (with Debian 3.1 on the cover!). So much has changed in the world of Linux, and the sheer amount of talent in the free software community continues to astound me. Great days lie ahead.
We've had many wild and wondrous things posted to us here at Linux Format Towers. One chap sent an unlabelled SD card in an envelope, which contained pictures of viking battle clothing. Then some random department of government pen-pushers inadvertently sent us a warning that our office was violating RoHS directives. (Or perhaps they were just referring to Effy's lunch.) But today we received the coolest thing of all from Paul Williams (aka Heiowge), and here it is...
There's a lot of talk about Firefox's ever-increasing version number, and it made me wonder: what piece of software has the biggest version number of all? A brief scan of my Xubuntu 11.04 box suggests than XTerm, at version 268, has the lead, although I'm sure there's something bigger out there. And in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter - how good the software is, and for how long it is supported, is a bigger issue.
We've had a complicated relationship. In the early days it was great - you made the web better, and you brought about games and videos that couldn't be done in any other way. Well, I spent some time hanging out with RealPlayer, which was pretty good when I had dialup and I could listen to foreign radio stations. Those were good days. But RealPlayer gained weight and became annoying.
Remember the days when Paul used to post reports here of his holidays? Yes, I miss them too. So much, in fact, that I've decided to have a natter about my escapades in central/eastern Europe (depending on your definition). So, pull up a chair, grab yourself a nice warm bowl of Halušky and enjoy.
As we've just posted over on TuxRadar, we're looking to revive the "Anatomy of a Geek Desktop" section in the magazine. The idea is simple: you send a decent photo of your real, physical desktop (not a screenshot!) at 1600x1200 pixels, and 4MB or less please, to me. Also send some text describing your computer, the distro, your workspace and other bits 'n pieces. If it's awesome, we'll print it in the magazine and you'll be famous for the rest of your life. We look forward to seeing them!
Regular listeners to the TuxRadar podcast will know that I switched to Firefox 4 a few weeks ago, after a couple of happy years with Google Chrome. Initially I was very happy with Firefox's performance, and really wanted to like it, but... Well, read on.
Well, it looks like this Twitter thing is starting to take off, so I'd better put down my Z80 assembly language manual and get into the modern age. We've created a new Twitter account especially for the magazine, which we'll use to keep you in the loop with updates from Team LXF - when new issues go on sale, when subscribers get early access to PDFs, and so forth.
Follow us on @linuxformat now!
A few weeks ago we ran an Open Ballot on our sister site, TuxRadar, asking to hear your success stories in converting people to Linux. We planned to read out some of the best stories on our podcast (and we did), but there were so many awesome responses - so much positive news - that we've made it a permanent feature on the site, linked in the top bar.
Click here to view the messages, and please add your own success stories!
Hello! We've had thousands of threads on our Help forum with so many different solutions to common problems, and we're really grateful to our forum regulars for the help they provide. Well, Khakilang just came up with an awesome idea: a hints and tips forum. We've created a new place where you can share Linux knowledge you've gained - how to get a certain piece of hardware working, for instance, or how to install a particular program.
Click here to access the new forum and share your Linux wisdom with the world. Thanks!
