Issue #159 / Feb 2014

The eyes of the tech world are all on Google with the announcement that Google's Compute Engine cloud service is now open to the public. The new service is Google's answer to Amazon's AWS cloud system and is poised to capture some of the same customers. Many are predicting Compute Engine will be a game changer, as the sports addicts would say: a historic move that will change the whole landscape – and they might be right. If anyone has the power and personnel to take on Amazon, it is definitely Google, although it is worth remembering that, after striking it rich with search, Google's later attempts to swallow whole industries have not always been as successful as the experts predicted. (Anyone remember when Google Wave was supposed to take down Facebook?)

Linux Mint 16 "Petra"

This month's DVD brings you two great versions of the Ubuntu derivative Mint on a double-sided Live DVD. Linux Mint 16 Mate and Cinnamon are two notable alternatives to the Ubuntu desktop.

Updates on Technologies, Trends, and Tools

Firefox OS has come out of nowhere to challenge Android and iOS in the mobile operating system market. We'll show you what is different about Firefox OS and compare a recent Firefox OS phone with a comparable Android device.

Nothing protects your data like a well-conceived system of backups. However, no one is perfect, and mistakes happen. In most cases, you can recover data you thought was lost by sending your disk to a data recovery service.

Armed with just standard Linux tools, users can recover files, resurrect partitions, and rescue damaged media.

The versatile Raspberry Pi can serve many roles on a home network. We'll show you how to set up the Pi to provide some important network services.

The free backup tool Duplicati simplifies the process of backing up data with cloud providers while at the same time protecting backups with strong cryptography.

With a few lines of self-written firmware and a simple Perl script, Perlmeister Mike Schilli trains one of his Linux computers with a plugged in Arduino board to switch electrical equipment on and off using a relay. Enchanting.

At his cozy home, sys admin Charly has always used rsnapshot to back up his data. Although things will be staying this way for server backups, he has found something more manageable for backing up the Kühnast family's desktop PCs.