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The day after Thanksgiving I always make turkey soup. There's something
about chopping carrots and potatoes, and making sure all that all the turkey goes
to good use that just feels right. This year, my six-year-old stood on a
chair in the kitchen at my side and helped dad chop, mix and stir, which
made the soup aroma that filled the house that much warmer - and made the soup
taste that much better. At Linspire, we've got a few leftovers as well that I would like to talk
about in this week's Minute:
Lookout Microsoft FrontPage - Nvu 1.0 Beta Now Available!
We're announcing the
availability of the beta version of Nvu 1.0 as a free download.
After AOL abandoned Netscape, we witnessed people start working on the
browser, turning it into the overnight sensation Firefox. Others have
been working on the email
program, which will be called Thunderbird. Unfortunately the Web
authoring program, called "Composer," was orphaned. We rebranded it
Nvu, which is a clever three-letter
domain that Linspire President Kevin Carmony registered more than 7
years
ago and was willing to donate to the cause.
Composer's biggest limitation was that there was no 'site manager' - so
users could easily create web pages, but they were on their own when it
came to actually getting the pages on the Web. Nvu adds an FTP-based
site manager, so not only can you create pages, but you can now load
them onto a web site with a single click, much like
FrontPage does. In addition to this capability, Nvu adds many more
features, like a tabbed
interface reminiscent of Firefox, which makes it a snap to manage
multiple pages of even a complex web site.
Linspire pays for the primary programming of Nvu, but it benefits many
more than just Linspire users. The community has really gotten behind this
project. It's now available for Linspire, Apple OS X, Microsoft Windows,
FreeBSD, various Linux versions, and even OS/2! According to log files
from Nvu.com, 38% of visitors to the Nvu site are already running
Firefox, meaning Firefox users are turning to Nvu for their HTML editing
needs. I hope if you have web editing needs you will give Nvu a try, and give us your feedback at Nvudev.org.
Notorious Hacker Kevin Mitnick Says Linspire Safest
Kevin Mitnick has long been famed as the
most notorious U.S. hacker, but after several convictions and years in
a Federal prison he put his talents to good use. He partnered with a
security firm and USA Today to release a report this
week on the security of desktop PCs. They tested Microsoft, Apple
and Linspire. With its strong Linux foundation and a built-in firewall,
Linspire ranked as the safest operating system, receiving the fewest
attacks and never becoming compromised by attacks over the Internet.
Certain
Microsoft Windows computers were compromised just minutes after
connecting to the Internet - astonishingly poor security.
We often tout affordability as the best reason to switch to desktop Linux, but many organizations and individuals are pushed to
consider Linux for security reasons. They are fed up with the hassle
and costs of viruses and are looking toward Linux to escape the virus treadmill
and insecurity of a Microsoft platform. It's a relief being able to
ignore the weekly announcements about new virus attacks and operating
system updates that are critically important for Microsoft Windows
users. It takes a great deal of time and money for administration costs, which can
be avoided just by using Linux. I have 8 computers at my house and 3 in my
office. If they were running XP, I'd spend all of my time just trying to
keep them up to date and I would never get any work done!
Rob Glaser of Real Networks To Speak At Desktop Summit
We're pleased to announce that Rob Glaser, founder and CEO of RealNetworks,
will be giving a keynote address at this year's Desktop Summit, Feb 9-11th,
2005. Real has a compelling vision for the direction that media delivery
should move, and it revolves around their Helix project. Rob and other
visionaries, like Mitch Kapor, will be giving keynote addresses at
this year's event.
You might notice that we subtly dropped the "Linux" from the conference
name. I've never liked the name 'Desktop Linux Summit.' My tongue gets
twisted trying to say it, and I've always like shorter names rather than
longer ones. Besides, this year's event has significant portions dedicated
to programs that run equally well on Microsoft Windows, like
Firefox/Mozilla, OpenOffice.org and Real's Helix. So we've shortened the
name to Desktop Summit. Ahh... that's better. Plus the domain name was
available.
If you haven't registered yet, you will want to do it now by going here. With our expanded agenda, corporate backing, and our
ultra-low pre-registration price ($99 gets you to all 3 days plus
t-shirt and meals), we're expecting to quickly sell out the 1,000-seat
capacity. Don't be turned away - register early!
Michael's Minute Meter
To
make each Michael's Minutes more interactive and provide a way for
readers to share their feedback, we've added a new feature to each
week's minute called the Michael's Minute Meter. Think I've got a screw
loose? Agree with me whole-heartedly? Now you'll be able to vote with
your mouse and see what other people think about the topic of the week.
You'll find the meter at the bottom of each Michael's Minute on our web site. Those of you reading the Michael's Minute via email can
simply click on the meterlogo at the bottom of each email to be taken
to the Web and let your voice be heard. In addition to a quick vote
(agree, disagree, or mixed), you can also click the link below the meter
on the web site to discuss each week's topic in our forums with other
readers, myself, and other Linspire staff members.
-- Michael
The Michael's Minute Meter
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