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Issue 164 (December 2012) - Linux at CERN

Yes, CERN!

The hunt for the Higgs boson, the so-called God Particle that so angered Ewan McGregor, generates an enormous amount of data. And what kind of OS do think runs the machines that wrangle this data? It's not a trick question: the answer is Linux, because it's powerful, it's open, it's hackable, extensible, scalable and lots of other things that you can read about in this issue.

Also in this, the most amazing magazine ever committed to paper/electrons, we have an EXCLUSIVE chat with Red Hat's man inside the US government, who tells us why Linux on US Navy drones isn't such a big deal after all; play with Razor-qt, a low-calorie version of the KDE desktop; and take an EXCLUSIVE look back at the philosophers of old to find out why we feel so smug every time we boot into Debian.

All this, plus Android, Python and our EXCLUSIVE Code Concepts tutorials, and the corpse of a Spectrum ZX81 being desecrated with a Raspberry Pi. It can only be Linux Format!

On the DVD: 4 distros - OpenSUSE 12.2, Zorin Core, SolusOS and SnowLinux.

 Features

The power behing CERN

Find out how Linux is helping the hunt for the Higgs Boson (Adam Oxford)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

The philosophy of free software

We consider Linux's place in the wider ethical, economic and religious world. (Jonathan Roberts)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Razor-qt

The LXF team take a look at a lightweight KDE alternative. (Mike Saunders)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Sysadmin

Entropy, Mondo and part four of our guide on how to be a sysadmin. (Chris Brown)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Interview: Gunnar Hellekson

What do the FBI, the weather, and US unemployment figures have in common? Find out from Red Hat's chief strategist for the US Public Sector. (Andrew Gregory)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

 Coverdisc

DVD Pages

OpenSUSE, Zorin 6, SolusOS, Liberte and more. (Ben Everard)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Hotpicks

GLMixer, Knotter, Parted Magic, Emergent, Bacula, Powertop, VirtualBox, Ultimate Stunts, 0AD, Profanity and Din (Nick Veitch)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

 Tutorials

Multi-seat

We show you how one computer can keep two users happy at the same time. (Leo Maxwell)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

PacketFence

Control access to your network using an appropriately named Network access control system. (Shashank Sharma)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Raspberry Pi

We relive our misspent youth by emulating 1980s computer games. (David Hayward)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Syslog

Take a peek inside your computer's private diary. (Neil Bothwick)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

ZFS

We shoe-horn the 'last word in filesystems' onto our Linux machines. (Koen Vervloesem)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

 Coding Academy

Android: Taking pictures

Make yourself a camera app. (Juliet Kemp)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Back to basics: Files and modules

Expand your library of functions and grab external data. (Graham Morrison)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Python: Write Blender scripts

Take your python skills into three dimensions. (Nick Veitch)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

 Reviews

Amarok 2.6

We rediscover a once loved music player. (Mayank Sharma)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Cocktail Audio X10

Could this be the ultimate Linux music machine? (John Lane)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

OpenSUSE 12.2

The latest green version of KDE comes under the LXF microscope. (Graham Morrison)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Qubes 1

A new distro promises ultimate security, but is it too good to be true? (Ben Everard)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Distros for kids

Linux isn't just for grown-ups. We find the best distros for the wee ones. (Mike Saunders)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

 More

News: The latest news from the Linux world

Ubuntu seeks cash from Amazon ads, Swiss pirates take over, Mistrial likely in Apple case, Ubuntu releases new enterprise offering, Welsh Raspberry Pi, Viridis released, Twitter joins the Linux Foundation, 64-bit hits Debian landmark. (Andrew Gregory)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

Distrowatch: This month's roundup of news from the vaults of Linux distro development

Mint 13 gets extra flavours, Manjaro is born, and PCLinuxOS hits troubled waters. (Susan Linton)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.

What on Earth: Gnome OS

Linux's most controversial desktop environment gets a bit more controversial. (Mike Saunders)

Available as a PDF to subscribers.