As Mandriva prepares for its 2009 release, I've been updating Mandriva 2009 daily from their "cooker" (development) repository ever since I installed a beta version a few weeks ago. Last night's update was massive, with an update of over 350 packages.

Mandriva released the 2009 Beta 1 iso's on July 29th. I downloaded the i586 version then. Since then, hundreds of software updates, patches, and fixes have been placed into Mandriva's "Cooker" repositories, Cooker being Mandriva's name for it's development branch.

How are things shaping up for the Mandriva 2009 release? And how's KDE 4.1 working on this new release?

My daughter is getting married this Summer, and she purchased some weird Avery return address labels for invitees to RSVP whether they plan to attend. The labels have an Avery number of 18195. I have no MS-Windows workstations at home, and I couldn't find an Openoffice.org Writer template for this particular label stock. What to do?

I hate having to use Microsoft Tools. At work, however, we have a web page that we have to update each week--and, it only works with Internet Explorer.

Since I'm now running my work workstation full-time under Linux instead of Windows XP, I've need to get MS iexplore.exe running under wine. It was simple--here's how I did it.

Hardware is getting reasonably reliable if you are careful to buy components of decent quality. Recently, a bargain motherboard/CPU purchase at Fry's Electronics came back to bite me in the fanny.

I'm a confirmed PCLinuxOS and KDE user. But, I've given a brief trial on my test box of Kubuntu Gutsy-X86_64. Aside from the whole sudo vs su issue (I hate sudo), Kubuntu Gutsy doesn't totally reek. Actually it's usable. Either I have changed as a Linux user, or Kubuntu has gotten better.

I've been writing a Ruby computer programming textbook (the going is slow). Along with the book will be a series of instructional videos on CD showing video computer screen clips with audio narration.

Anyone else notice lately how good Wine is getting? No, of course I'm not talking about the beverage. Last year, Wine would only "sorta" work with the ClassXP software. This school year is a different story.

I come from a Mandriva/Mandrake/PCLinuxOS background. I'm a KDE guy who also installs gnome apps. I've not ever installed Debian, and I've used Debian derived distros very little. So, how does Sidux measure up for me?

I can recall when a new impending release from Mandrake/Mandriva was great cause for excitement. In the last few years, Mandriva has been on the decline. Could the upcoming 2008 release start to turn things around?

Everyone uses a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. What are the best choices of equipment for these?

Yes, it's heresy, and I have a lot of guilt over it. Installing MS-Windows on any of my home machines is an anathema to me.

The Intrepid Investigator

Ubuntu Cures Cancer
by reporter Ursula Upton
filed: 16 March 2007 at 13:52.

Yes, it's a genuine miracle. In a scientific study by reputable scientists Borg Benderle and Lamer DiDiot (both affiliated with Shuttlecock University), the study found that sniffing powdered Ubuntu CDs brings about a dramatic reduction in the size of cancer tumors.

I wonder if there is a survey that has information on how many different distros a typical Linux user has used over that last 5 years? Of course, I mean more than just an install trial where you experiment with a distro for a few days, then wipe or replace that distro.

For me, that number is a fairly conservative two. And one of those two distros is the (grown up) child of another.

Sabayon Linux is a Gentoo based distribution that is designed to be easy to install and configure. Savvy Linux users know that Gentoo is a "roll your own" distribution where you create your own distro from scratch--installing and compiling all your programs. They say you learn a lot of Linux by doing a Gentoo install, and that you end up with a very speedy system optimized to your specific needs.

What about those of us who want to try the Gentoo experience without taking several days to get it up and running?

Then Sabayon Linux is for you.