E-Commerce News: Applications

Notable Note Apps for Fastidious FOSS Freaks
March 17, 2010

The Linux OS offers users a variety of applications for taking notes and keeping information accessible in one place. Two popular choices, Tomboy Notes and Xpad, provide quick and easy ways to coral a stampede of wild notes and information. Note-taking apps have few features in common. That makes picking one a matter of personal preference.

Atol Delivers Flawless File Management With No Frills
March 10, 2010

Some system utilities do a variety of things well. They come with tools to give users lots of solutions in one package. Other system apps like the Atol File Manager perform a dedicated function flawlessly without adding other specialties. Atol took a while to grow on me, but now this app is one of my most-used Linux tools.

gFTP: The No-Hassle Way to Transfer Files
March 03, 2010

I am an avid user of open source software and a firm believer in the benefits of FOSS. I have a choice of operating systems at my disposal, but I now cringe whenever I have to work in the Microsoft world. I much prefer the vast array of Linux apps. Why? They are bloat-free problem solvers. Take, for example, the gFTP File Client.

Kate Puts Other Text Editors to Shame
February 24, 2010

As communication becomes more Web-centric, text editors become more essential writing tools. Blocks of text get tweaked with HTML codes to provide a more graphical appearance. So good text editors are those with many of the same features found in word processors, only without the added formatting and graphic components.

Linux and the Power of Virtual Mega-Machines
February 19, 2010

Cloud computing describes an Internet-based computing infrastructure that has abstracted users and user applications from the underlying computing resources that support them. In concept, cloud computing is functionally different from previous IT architectures in that users no longer need to own, have expertise in, or have control over the underlying technology.

NoteCase: Much More Than a Mindless Text Drone
February 17, 2010

To be really useful, a note-taking program needs more than the ability to simply put letters on the screen. It requires a database mentality with a quick and simple user interface. NoteCase Manager is designed with all the features needed to be a true digital note-processing system. I tend to be finicky when it comes to note taking programs.

Google Adds a Little Sparkle to Chrome for Linux
February 16, 2010

Google has updated the beta version of its Chrome for Linux with a variety of fixes designed to make the browser more reliable, the company announced Thursday. Version 5.0.307.7 of Chrome for Linux addresses several bugs that were problematic in the previous version.

Krusader Conquers Linux Files
February 10, 2010

Krusader is one of those must-have computing tools that turns difficult or tedious computing tasks into easy, point-and-click operations. It's an advanced twin-panel file manager that's loaded with features. When I made the switch from the Windows to the Linux operating system, I had a short list of program requirements. This list was a match to critical computing procedures I relied upon in Windows.

TweetCaster for Android Gets Almost Everything Right
February 05, 2010

Those who say there are no decent Twitter apps for Android simply haven't found the right one. When the Android Market first opened, you could sign in, watch the handful of new apps being uploaded every day, and generally know everything that was available on the platform. There really were only a couple of Twitter clients. Now there are plenty.

F-Spot: An Able-Bodied All-in-One Image Machine
February 03, 2010

Few, if any, photo viewing apps on any platform provide a perfect photo management experience. However, F-Spot Photo Management for Gnome gives Linux users a fairly complete set of photo tools. F-Spot ranks among the most well-known photo apps for Linux. In many ways it is similar to Google's repackaged Picasa Photo Organizer and the popular GIMP photo program.

Life After Microsoft: IT Utopia or 'Apocalyptic Tailspin'?
February 01, 2010

Well, the snow continues to fall here in the Linux blogosphere, and Linux Girl is beginning to wonder if it will ever end. Bread and milk are still in short supply at the local FOSS-y-Mart; children are getting cabin fever; and the snow drifts are getting taller than many netizens.

Screenlets: Eye Candy for Linux Users
January 27, 2010

Screenlets bring a collection of fun things and useful apps to add functional eye candy to the Linux desktop with little or no resource drain on the computer. Windows and Mac machines have their widgets. Linux has its Screenlets. So you can scratch one more reason from the list of why you shouldn't migrate to an open source operating system.

Sir Tim Unveils Slick UK Government Services Site
January 22, 2010

Move over Data.gov. The United Kingdom has unveiled its own version of an open source database for its citizens, and the U.S. version pales in comparison. The site, data.gov.uk, which has been running in beta since last September, opened to the public this week to much fanfare.

Geany's Almost Magical Text-Editing Capabilities
January 20, 2010

If you are looking for a superior text editor, your search might just begin and end with a nifty program called "Geany." One of my biggest concerns when I switched from Microsoft Windows to Linux was finding an adequate replacement for my favorite text editor. For years, I used a commercial program called "TextPad," but it was a Windows-only product.

MOSS Gives Medical Data-Sharing a Dose of Open Source
January 19, 2010

New software from Misys Open Source Solutions promises to provide what could be the world's first fully open source, standards-based platform for exchanging health information. The Misys Connect Exchange software was demonstrated and successfully tested last week in Chicago at IHE Connectathon, the healthcare industry's weeklong interoperability testing event.

Jaspersoft Builds Up Its BI Brawn
January 13, 2010

Jaspersoft on Tuesday released its latest offering aimed at helping businesses make sense of the piles of data they accumulate on a regular basis. The new Jaspersoft Enterprise Edition provides organizations with a package of business analytics and reporting functionalities. It announced the availability of an upgrade of its flagship BI product to Jaspersoft 3.7.