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Linux Laptop that cost $100

$100 laptop, sounds crazy, but it’s feasible to get one. Enter One Laptop per Child, non-profit association dedicated to research to develop a $100 laptop. It’s objective is to provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment, and express themselves.

Although at first glance, it seems like impossible to build a $100 laptop, the project persist on using readily available cheap materials and rationalised that laptops nowadays are bloated with redundant features.

The project has made significant achievement when its first generation prototype boots GNU/Linux complete with full working desktop. The second generation design is in plan and will use a more power-efficient integrated Geode-based AMD chip.

Here’s the hardware specification for building $100 laptop : Harware specifications

Kinda remind me of Steve Wozniak and his first Apple I computer.

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Introducing Debian From Scratch (DFS)

You may have heard about Linux From Scratch, a project dedicated for those who wants to build their own GNU/Linux operating system from scratch.

But now let’s hear from Debian From Scratch (DFS) , based on Debian GNU/Linux operating system. Though not exactly related to Linux From Scratch project, DFS is a full rescue CD capable of working with all major filesystems, LVM, software RAID, and even compiling a new kernel.

DFS has full recovery tools ranging from filesystem utilities for all major filesystems, partition editors, text editors, full networking support, CD/DVD burning tools and many more.

DFS also includes a set of tools that enable you to generate your own customised rescue CD based on DFS. Debian From Scratch is maintained by John Goerzen and can be downloaded from it’s official website : http://people.debian.org/~jgoerzen/dfs/html/dfs.html

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Microsoft recent steps to curb piracy is similiar to shareware concept

I read the recent Microsoft plan of tatooing illegal copies of Microsoft Windows XP at various places over the internet. From what I read, the process involved putting a pop-up dialog box that will appear on the Windows login screen, informing the user that his copy of the OS is counterfeit and that he should get a genuine copy.

Another message will permanently be affixed at the user’s desktop, “This copy of Windows is not genuine. You may be a victim of software counterfeiting”, the reminder can’t be removed (tattooed).

Finally, a ballon-style popup will appear randomly in system tray reminding you that you’re using an illegal copy of Microsoft Windows. The only way to stop the messages from appearing is to replace the OS with a genuine copy. Though some unofficial sources claimed, that there’s a crack to circumvent all the warnings.

These ‘nagulator’ (not my word), is somehow related to another business model, called shareware or nagware, which constantly reminds you to pay for the software you use randomly. IMHO, if Microsoft were to really discourage software piracy, it should impose a stricter way to prevent people from using illegal copies of it’s own products.

Instead, they create a specially crafted dialog box that is used in common nagware/shareware to deter “piracy”. Has Microsoft turned it’s own operating system to a shareware now?

[Source]

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Get Malaysian TV Listing Guide in RSS

Hello there, I’m just testing my skills on php, and suddenly I came out with an idea to create a simple website that allows you to view Malaysian TV Programme Listing at http://tv.mypapit.net. It’s kinda a simple and stupid website actually, but it allows you to subscribe the tv listing using any generic RSS reader for your convenience.

So don’t forget about the URL, it’s http://tv.mypapit.net. lol, I know, it’s a shameless promotion.

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Freespire – a community driven Linux distro from Linspire


Back few days ago, Linspire (formerly known as Lindows) has announced Freespire, a no-cost version of Linspire’s Linux distribution. According to them, Freespire will be a community-driven distribution, that will allow users to download a complete free and open source operating system, or the one that includes proprietary software.

However this is not the first time the idea of “Freespire” surfaced. Last year, a LiveCD called “Freespire” was distributed on the internet. That particular “Freespire” however was created by Andrew Betts based on source code from Linspire. These has created confusion among the users, and the project has changed it name to SquiggleOS before it went out of development recently.

The official beta release of Freespire from Linspire is scheduled to be available somewhere around August 2006. The screenshot of Freespire operating can be seen at the Freespire official website at http://freespire.org

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Multi Distro – Get 9 Different Linux distro in a CD

Having a GNU/Linux distro in DVD is nice, having one in business card cd is better. But having 9 different GNU/Linux distro in a single 700MB CD top it all!

Yes, you read it right, Multi Distro is a compilation of several live, bootable, distributions. It’s based on R.I.P. It uses GRUB, as bootloader. It goes in one, 700MB CD. GPL license.

Currently Multi Distro is made of Slax, GeexBOX, DamnSmallLinux, INSERT, R.I.P., Mpentoo, Olive, Grafpup, Limp and a memory tester. You can download Multi Distro from it’s website here : http://multidistro.tlm-project.org/

Multi Distro is made possible by booting several different Linux distro using GRand Unified Bootloader (GRUB). The project maintainer has shared information on how to make your own Multi Distro
here