Articles by Jack M. Germain

Canonical is deploying a scalable Android-based operating system for mobile and desktop enterprise applications from the cloud The company on Tuesday announced its Anbox Cloud containerized workload platform. Anbox Cloud allows apps to be streamed to any operating system or form factor. Its uses include cloud gaming, enterprise workplace applicatio...

The current version of TROMjaro is as close as it gets to being a Manjaro clone. However, a much different philosophy gives users something more than the Manjaro distro itself offers....

After 10 years of fully supporting Windows 7, Microsoft ended its official support for the out-of-date Windows operating system on Tuesday The popular classic Windows 7 OS still runs on some 200 million PCs around the globe, according to industry estimates. Users include small business owners, some larger companies, and hordes of consumers holding ...

Arduino on Tuesday announced a new low-code Internet of Things application development platform at CES 2020 in Las Vegas. It also introduced the low-power Arduino Portenta H7 module, a new family of Portenta chips for a variety of hardware applications Arduino has achieved prominence as a go-to developer of an innovation platform for connecting IoT...

Feren OS now is built around Ubuntu Linux 18.04 and the KDE Plasma desktop instead of Linux Mint. The Cinnamon desktop version could retire later this year....

Samsung on Monday introduced a high-end Galaxy Chromebook at CES 2020 in Las Vegas. The new model could serve as an extension of the company's smartphone lineup and spawn a premium device demand in the category Samsung aims to position it as the company's flagship Chromebook to meet potential demand for a more useful and powerful multipurpose premi...

Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix arrived just in time for the holidays. Its first stable version, released on Dec. 4, is based on Ubuntu 19.10 Eoan Ermine It utilizes Linux Mint's Cinnamon desktop environment on top of Ubuntu Linux's codebase. Work on several release candidate and beta versions stretches back to 2013. The efforts stayed under the radar until ...

Google has stalled the rollout of its Chrome 79 Web browser for Android devices until it can find a way to neutralize a data-destroying bug. Affected users have been vilifying Google and app developers for failing to head off the problem The latest Chrome version contains two highly anticipated new features: phishing protection, and the ability to ...

Serving two masters, in theory, is nearly impossible. In practice, the Linux Lite distribution easily satisfies Linux newcomers and veteran penguin fans as well This distro is very beginner-friendly. That is, in large part, the result of a fine-tuned Xfce desktop interface that gives former Windows and macOS users a familiar base. More established ...

Researchers at the Swedish university ETH Zurichat have unveiled a method for mixing genetically encoded digital data into common manufacturing materials. They carried out the project in collaboration with an Israeli scientist The team succeeded in embedding artificial DNA in a small plastic 3D-printed plastic bunny, which would allow self-replicat...

Optimism about the future of open source is high among software developers worldwide. However, a growing number of devs worry that a lack of funding and corporate support threatens its sustainability That is one of the key takeaways from DigitalOcean's second annual open source survey, published in its "Currents, Open Source 2019," seasonal report...

Linux For All very well could be a unifying Linux distribution that provides a common computing platform LFA is a distro developed by Sweden-based software engineer Arne Exton of Exton Linux, the same developer who distributes ExTix Linux. The Swedish Linux Society hosts 16 Exton distributions....

While many retailers mull the takeaway from this year's Black Friday Cyber Monday shopping event, others may be more interested in the action that took place on Saturday. Online shoppers on Saturday spent US$3.6 billion dollars at both large and small retailers, reflecting 18 percent year-over-year growth and setting a new sales record for the day...

If you ever have considered investigating or working with elements of the geospatial world, check out the latest edition of OSGeoLive....

Slax Linux is a handy portable operating system that can be a useful alternative to bulky, more complicated Linux options that install to a hard drive....

GitHub wants to make sure its entire warehouse of open source code survives an apocalypse by burying it deep within an Arctic vault as one of several preservation strategies GitHub, which Microsoft purchased last year for US$7.5 billion, last week announced that it is creating the GitHub Arctic Code Vault as a data repository for the existing Arcti...

ALT Linux offers a buffet of Linux distributions that meet a variety of specialized needs. Its inviting selections could be a good source of alternative Linux OS solutions if you take the time to sort out the menus If you sample the wares, however, you might find navigating the poorly designed website a tedious chore. Still, persevering could get y...

New York's Department of Financial Services has initiated an investigation into a tech entrepreneur's complaint that credit limits for the new Apple Card are based on gender-biased algorithms  ...

The KaOS distro is an up-and-coming Linux operating system that provides one of the best integrations yet of a refreshed KDE-based computing platform....

Along with unveiling its new Edge browser logo, Microsoft on Monday announced the official launch date of its nearly finished Chromium-based Edge browser and made its Release Candidate available for download immediately The latest beta edition of the browser is stable enough for anyone to use, Microsoft said, and it will help IT admins prepare for ...