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Issue 129 (March 2010) - The future of Linux

Click here to get the DVD via BitTorrent

Desktop Linux makes first contact: try the incredible new apps now!

We make kernel patching so easy that anyone can contribute

Twitter clients on test - find the best microblogging client

On the 4GB DVD: Linux Mint 8 - Ubuntu's little brother has joined the big leagues. Plus: FreeBSD 8, Inkscape 0.47, Thunderbird 3, podcasts, games and more

Tutorials on Dolphin, Python, Android coding, cloud computing...

 Features

The future of Linux

Our soothsayer casts the runes of Linux fate and finds a lot to get excited about in the months to come... (Graham Morrison)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

DisplayLink

If you've always wanted to plug a mini USB monitor into your Linux box and use it as an info display, we have the goods you've been waiting for. (Koen Vervloesem)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Subsonic

Listen to your music wherever you are - we show you how using a free web-based media streamer. (Shashank Sharma)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Your kernel needs you!

You don't need a PhD in computer science to hack the kernel - everyone can help to make it better. We show you how. (Greg Kroah-Hartman)

 Click here to read!

Dr Brown's Administeria

All change for upstart: how Ubuntu 9.10's boot process has changed and its documentation improved. Plus: the life of a datagram. (Chris Brown)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Interview: Stormy Peters

We tracked down the executive director of the Gnome Foundation to ask her views on KDE 4, marketing, and, of course, Gnome 3... (Paul Hudson)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.



 Coverdisc

Linux Mint 8

Move over Ubuntu - your little brother has joined the big leagues. Plus: FreeBSD 8, Tiny Core 2.7, Inkscape 0.47, OpenShot 1.0, Thunderbird 3, podcasts, games and more. (Mike Saunders)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

HotPicks

DFX2Papercraft, Usermin, Komparator 4, MP3 Diags, Evince, Amahi, Tremulous, Performous, Fotoxx, Terraform (Nick Veitch)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.



 Tutorials

Dolphin: Manage your files

Andy swims with the cetaceans and explores the data-wrangling power of the default KDE file manager. Plus: editing config files. (Andy Channelle)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Orca: Read text aloud

Whether you need help interfacing with your computer because of a visual impairment or you simply want to boss it about, we show you how. (Bob Moss)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Elgg: DIY social networking

It wouldn't make you millions, but a personalised social network could still be useful. Here's how to customise and deploy one. (Mayank Sharma)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Python: Clutter animations

Our evil code master gets his head in a spin with the help of a news feed and some clever clutter animations. (Nick Veitch)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Android: Run with the robots

Android is an open source OS for smartphones, which makes it easy to write and publish software for it, as we will now demonstrate. (Juliet Kemp)

 Click here to read!

UEC: Run your own cloud

Do you want to run a private compute cloud on your own hardware? We think you do, so read on and expand your mind... (Koen Vervloesem)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.



 Reviews

Thunderbird 3

Do standalone email apps still have a place when we have the cloud and webmail? We think so, and examine a popular option. (Neil Bothwick)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Linux Mint 8

We take Helena, the latest version of this popular green Ubuntu-based distro for a spin. The verdict? She's a breath of fresh air. (Graham Morrison)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Fluendo DVD Player

An excited Nick dims the lights, draws the curtains and plays DVDs. (Nick Veitch)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Loomer Aspect

Graham finally finds something productive to do in his lunch hour - twisting audio inputs and outputs into timbre and rhythm. (Graham Morrison)

 Click here to read!

Inkscape 0.47

Inkscape takes vector graphics on Linux to a whole new level. (Andy Channelle)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Twitter clients

On test: Spaz, Destroy Twitter, Twitux, Gwibber, Choqok, Tweetdeck, Mitter, Mixero (Nick Veitch)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.



 More

News: Nexus One heralds new Android generation

Google phone unveils a host of new features for version 2.1 of its mobile OS. Plus: Google Docs adds cloud file storage; new features for Amarok; rebirth of the netbook at CES; Sony releases open source shader, Linux.com jobs area. (Andy Channelle)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Distrowatch: Linux Mint 8

Small incremental changes to this smart Ubuntu derivative ensure system stability. Plus: SimplyMepis and PLD betas, Puppy-based distros, who uses Ubuntu stats. (Susan Linton)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

What on Earth: SPDY

We purrsuade spead freak Marko to slow down long enough to tell us how Google is going to rewrite the web to make Lolcats even faster. (Marco Fioretti)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.