Brian Proffitt

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New Version of JavaScript Approved

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 7, 2009, 4:59 am
After more than half a year in draft state, version 5 of the ECMAScript standard for JavaScript has been approved by the Ecma industry association...
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2009 Linux Graphics Survey Results

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 6, 2009, 8:00 pm
For the month of November we ran the 2009 Linux Graphics Survey, which is a survey in regards to X.Org and the Linux graphics stack that we have been hosting annually for the past three years.
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Hands-on: Plasma, KWin Improve in KDE SC 4.4 Beta 1

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 6, 2009, 6:02 pm
KDE was created with the goal of building a desktop environment for the Linux platform. The modern KDE ecosystem, which spans multiple operating systems and includes a wide range of applications and d...
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Mozilla Lights Fire Under Thunderbird

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 5, 2009, 12:05 pm
Mozilla will step up the pace of on its Thunderbird mail and communications platform next year, to re-invigorate a "stagnant" email client scene.…...
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Mobile Gadgets for Linux Gearheads on the Go

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 4, 2009, 2:44 pm
There are more options than ever for mobile Internet, from ubiquitous wi-fi to purchasing your own personal MiFi to carrying all of Wikipedia with you. Paul Ferrill looks at some cool mobile gadgets f...
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'Ubuntu Needs a Longer Release Schedule!'

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 3, 2009, 2:40 pm
Every six-month Ubuntu release is greeted with a predictable barrage of praise, complaints, and solemn pundits calling for a slower release schedule. Jono Bacon, the Ubuntu Community Manager, reveals ...
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2.6.32 is Out! But a Word of Caution Around CFQ

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 3, 2009, 1:38 pm
Everyone loves a shiny new kernel. The latest one, 2.6.32, was released on Dec. 3 and there are some nice updates/fixes for file systems and IO in general. But there is a very important change for the...
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Is Eclipse an Open Source Community or Trade Association?

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 3, 2009, 12:54 pm
Is the Eclipse Foundation a true open source community or simply a trade association? That's the issue a former Eclipse Foundation bigwig raised recently before being slapped down by Eclipse Found...
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Extend OpenOffice.org with Toolbars

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 3, 2009, 12:10 pm
OpenOffice.org has risen to quite a place of prominence among office workers, home users, students, and just about every category in between. Why?
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Linux 2.6.32 Released

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 2, 2009, 11:47 pm
This release _feels_ long overdue due to two empty weeks for me (kernel summit and thanksgiving week vacation), but it's actually less than three months since 2.6.31, so I guess it's actually ...
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Mozilla Adds Extra Firefox 3.6 Beta, Still Plans to Ship Final in 2009

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 2, 2009, 9:37 am
Mozilla last week slipped in a fourth beta of its upcoming Firefox 3.6 browser, but said this week that it is still shooting to ship the final code by the end of the year.
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Open Source Tweeting

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 1, 2009, 4:51 pm
Can we liberate tweeting from Twitter? It's an open question. And it's one that Dave Winer hopes we can answer, in response to his post We need: An open source Twitter shell.
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Qt Gets Cuter: 4.6 Brings Expanded Platform Support

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 1, 2009, 3:22 pm
The Qt toolkit got a big update on Tuesday, with improved cross-platform compatibility.
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Linux Desktop Search Engines Compared

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 1, 2009, 1:34 pm
I have a large electronic library and was looking for a way to cope with this mass of information. I thought a local indexing service with a full-text search might solve my problem, but I could not fi...
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Got An App? Make It A PortableApp

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Dec 1, 2009, 5:46 am
Readers of this blog know I'm a fan of the PortableApps.com suite of open source programs.
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Video Skype Lives On Karmic

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 30, 2009, 10:37 am
Sadly, video Skype on Linux has been problematic since its introduction. Everything has finally came together with Karmic Koala 9.10. Video Skype indeed lives on Linux.
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GUADEC 2010 Moves to The Hague

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 30, 2009, 5:02 am
The GNOME Foundation has announced that GUADEC 2010 will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 24-30.
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Interstellar Overdrive--Linux and Astronomy

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 27, 2009, 9:00 am
Desktop astronomy has become more accessible over the last few years as hardware and software have come down in price.
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Mozilla Dishes Up Fourth Firefox 3.6 Beta Alongside Deep-Fried Turkey

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 26, 2009, 6:58 am
Praise be - Mozilla has spun out yet another beta for Firefox 3.6, the next iteration of the outfit's popular browser, just in time for Thanksgiving.…...
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Client-side JavaScript File Processing May Come via File API

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 25, 2009, 5:48 am
A new JavaScript API aims to facilitate limited local filesystem access in Web applications.
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Giving Up the GIMP is a Sign of Ubuntu's Mainstream Maturity

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 24, 2009, 2:35 pm
Canonical hosted its biannual Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) last week in Dallas, Texas. I was one of many open source software developers who attended the event and participated in the collaborative p...
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KOffice 2.1 Released

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 24, 2009, 1:17 pm
The KOffice team is very happy to announce version 2.1.0 of KOffice, 6 months after the platform release 2.0.0. This release brings a number of new features as well as general improvements in the matu...
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Create a Database and Data Entry Form in OpenOffice.org Base

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 24, 2009, 10:30 am
For many people the mere thought of having to create or use a database sends shivers down the spines of many users. But it doesn't have to. Creating a database and adding data to that database is ...
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Firefox Hopes to One-Up IE with Fast Graphics

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 24, 2009, 2:00 am
Windows 7 features called Direct2D and DirectWrite will speed up Internet Explorer 9 performance. But Firefox hopes it might retool for the same benefit first.
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Chrome Extensions Gallery Opened to Developers

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 24, 2009, 1:43 am
Google has announced that developers can now upload their extensions to Chrome's extension gallery...
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Ubuntu in Truffle Shuffle with Chrome OS

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 20, 2009, 2:13 am
Ubuntu’s commercial sponsor Canonical revealed late yesterday that it has been working with Google on its Chrome OS platform since before Mountain View announced its game-changing plans in July this...
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Linux 2.6.32-rc8 Released

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 19, 2009, 4:56 pm
Ok, the way things are going, this will likely be the last -rc. I wish we had more people looking at the regression list, but at some point I'm just going to have to say "ok, enough is enough..."
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Chrome OS Now Open Sourced, Gearing for 2010 Release

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 19, 2009, 1:56 pm
Though there was no formal Chrome OS release announcement made today by Google, the Mountain View, CA company did give media a sneak peek at the new Linux-based operating system while announcing that ...
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More Fun With Bash Quoting

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 19, 2009, 7:52 am
I've written about bash quoting before, and yes, it's about as exciting as watching paint dry or listening to the corn grow. It can also be extremely frustrating when it doesn't do what yo...
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Canonical Working on an iTunes-Like Music Store for Ubuntu?

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 18, 2009, 1:14 pm
One program people I know miss when they've tried to switch to Linux is iTunes.
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Google Chrome Operating System's First Appearance Scheduled

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 18, 2009, 10:53 am
No more rumors. This time, it's real. Chrome, Google's Linux-based desktop operating system is on its way.
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How The X Stack In Ubuntu 10.04 LTS May Look

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 18, 2009, 10:17 am
Canonical's Ubuntu Developer Summit for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (codenamed Lucid Lynx) is taking place this week in Texas, but happening right now on the Ubuntu-X mailing list is a discussion about what ...
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Impressive Lesser-Known Features of OpenOffice.org Impress

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 18, 2009, 7:57 am
If you've ever created a presentation you know how much can be done with these outstanding tools.  Of course many users only take advantage of a mere portion of the the features available. Why is...
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Introducing OpenShot

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 18, 2009, 5:56 am
As promised, I've continued to research and test desktop video editors for Linux. This week we'll look at OpenShot, a GTK-based project.
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Open Web Foundation Releases Open Specification Agreement

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 17, 2009, 11:51 pm
The OWF now provides an agreement for organisations to adopt which simplifies the process of releasing web specifications as open source...
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Mozilla Weave Goes Beta

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 16, 2009, 11:43 pm
Mozilla's syncing add-on and service has been released as a beta version, now with faster and smarter synchronising mechanisms...
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Google Chrome OS To Launch Within A Week

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 16, 2009, 8:00 am
Google's Chrome OS project, first announced in July, will become available for download within a week, we've heard from a reliable source. Google previously said to expect an early version of ...
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The Old vs. the New Linux Desktop

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 16, 2009, 5:56 am
What's funny about the Linux desktop of ten years ago is how much it looks like the Linux desktop of 2009.
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Microsoft's Psuedo sudo Patent Doesn't Really Cover sudo

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 16, 2009, 3:52 am
Righteous indignation erupted on the Internet last week following reports that Microsoft had patented sudo, a traditional command-line tool that is widely-used on Linux and some UNIX platforms for sel...
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Add formulas to your OpenOffice documents with Math

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 15, 2009, 6:57 am
What if I asked you to add the formula shown in Figure 1 into an OpenOffice document? How would you do that? Would you attempt to create it using OpenOffice Writer? If so how? Would you have to someho...
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Linux 2.6.32-rc7 Released

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 12, 2009, 6:57 pm
This time I held off the -rc for fear of an ugly-looking resume regression that Rafael had been looking at, but instead of being something nasty and fundamental, it turned out to be a trivial driver b...
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Lesser Used But Helpful Tips and Tricks for OpenOffice.org Calc

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 12, 2009, 9:10 am
For those users of Microsoft Office looking to migrate to a more cost-effective, less-limiting office suite, you have made the right choice. And for those users who actually want to take advantage of ...
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Mozilla Firefox 3.6 Beta 2 Contains More Than 190 Fixes

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 12, 2009, 8:35 am
Mozilla released Firefox 3.6 Beta 2, the next version of its popular Web browser, less than two weeks after the first Firefox 3.6 Beta.
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Firefox Addon Shortens Lengthy Browser Tasks

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 12, 2009, 5:20 am
Want to automate common Firefox browsing tasks, such as logging into your Web-based mail, or tracking a package online? Then you'll want to give the free DéjàClick a try. It's a simple-to-us...
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Linux Desktop Turns 10; World Yawns

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 12, 2009, 1:00 am
Sure, you could always use Linux as a desktop OS, but it wasn't until November 1999 that Corel introduced a Linux designed for ordinary users. It's been a long, strange trip since then.
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Python 3 Moratorium Now Official

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 11, 2009, 11:30 pm
The Python 3 language syntax has been frozen for two years to allow developers and alternative Python implementations to switch over to a more stable version...
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PHP Founder Takes Flight from Yahoo!

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 11, 2009, 12:09 pm
MS deal 'as lame as I feared'
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Is Mozilla's Contributions Program Working?

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 11, 2009, 2:00 am
A few months ago Mozilla gave add-on developers a tip jar as a way for them to get paid for their creations. But is anyone making any money off the program?
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Go: New Open Source Programming Language from Google

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 10, 2009, 1:00 pm
Every computer programmer has a copious pile of opinions about how their programming language of choice could be improved. Who doesn't want more syntactic sugar, better runtime performance, and fa...
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Atom SDK Now Available from Intel, and a Developer Challenge!

Brian Proffitt posted an article on - Nov 10, 2009, 9:40 am
At the Intel Developer Forum,  Intel announced an exciting new opportunity for developers to earn money by writing netbook applications via the Intel Atom Developer Program community, and selling the...
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About Me

I am the Community Manager for Linux.com, a site dedicated to all things Linux.

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