Articles by Jack M. Germain

Microsoft has opted to use its own version of a Linux operating system instead of Windows 10 to drive its new Azure Sphere solution for securely connecting Internet of Things devices. Microsoft introduced Azure Sphere last week at the RSA security conference in San Francisco.

NixOS is a modern and flexible GNU/Linux-based distribution that is both archaic to install and maddening to set up....

About 20 percent of the most popular Android Apps available through the Google Play Store contain open-source components with known security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers, according to a report Insignary will release next week The findings are the result of the company's recent comprehensive binary code scan of the 700 most popul...

Red Hat on Tuesday announced the general availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.5, which targets the needs of both Linux server and cloud deployment users. With the goal of providing a consistent foundation for hybrid cloud environments, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.5 includes enhanced security and compliance controls, tools to reduce storage c...

Using most any Arch Linux distro usually involves balancing the desire for hands-on control of the operating system from scratch against the attraction of convenient installation and maintenance processes. Bluestar Linux is one of the few Arch distros that gets the balancing act right....

Microsoft has released an open source tool that makes it easier for programmers and developers to run Linux on Windows 10 The new tool, released last week, also helps Linux distribution maintainers bring their distros to the Windows Store to run on Windows 10's Windows Subsystem for Linux. Microsoft developed the project for distribution maintainer...

ZevenOS' Neptune 5.0, released earlier this month, offers a refreshing take on a classic KDE-based Linux distro....

The Raspberry Pi Foundation on Wednesday launched the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ The new release comes two years after the introduction of its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.

The Pardus Linux distro offers an inviting computing experience with both old and new options. However, a dual development path narrows its user appeal.

Red Hat on Wednesday announced the addition of high-density storage capabilities to Red Hat JBoss Data Grid, its in-memory data management technology The company has expanded an alliance with Azul Systems to build on their prior collaboration to provide entitlements for Azul Zing with JBoss Data Grid subscriptions. The arrangement will help custome...

The Endless OS is a distro with its own adapted desktop environment based on Gnome 3, and with an even simpler and more streamlined user experience....

SentinelOne this week announced a partnership with Microsoft to bolster threat protection for mixed platform users, making computing safer for Linux machines in a multiplatform workplace SentinelOne will integrate its Endpoint Protection Platform with Microsoft's Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection service to cover Mac and Linux device plat...

Namib is an ideal Linux distro for anyone who wants to ease into the Arch approach to computing.

Most WiFi router vendors have not patched numerous firmware vulnerabilities discovered more than two years ago, according to a report Insignary released on Tuesday It notes that OEM firmware built into WiFi routers uses open-source components that contain numerous known security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit....

Open source led to a new software development and distribution model that offered an alternative to proprietary software. No single event takes the prize for starting the technology revolution. However, Feb. 3, 1998, is one of the more significant dates On that day, Christine Peterson, a futurist and lecturer in nanotechnology, coined the "open sou...

Canonical on Thursday announced the availability of Skype as a Snap file, the universal Linux app packaging format. The release means that Skype can deliver its communication service to a wider range of Linux users, not just those who run Canonical's Ubuntu Linux distribution Skype, a Microsoft product, is an application that lets users make video ...

SentinelOne this week released Blacksmith, a free Linux tool that can detect Meltdown vulnerability exploitation attempts, so system administrators can stop attacks before they take root. The company has been working on a similar tool to detect Spectre vulnerability attacks.

SolydXK is a Debian-based Linux distribution that comes with a choice of the Xfce (SolydX) or KDE (SolydK) desktop. The latest edition of SolydXK, released this month, provides a state-of-the-art Linux platform....

Barcelona city officials have voted to shut the door on Microsoft Windows in favor of the Linux operating system and open source technology The city hopes to save money from proprietary software license fees and to build a specialized library of open source applications targeting the needs of government workers. Its goal is to encourage specialized...

GeckoLinux offers both seasoned users and new distro adopters an easy way to try an openSuse-based spin that is loaded with features and an ample inventory of the leading Linux desktops The developer released a major update of GeckoLinux earlier this week. I enjoyed testing the beta version last fall, and I was even more pleased with the added embe...