Dec 26, 2016 GMT
On December 21, The Document Foundation announced that LibreOffice 5.3 would include MUFFIN (My User Friendly FLexible Interface) -- a feature for configuring toolbars that includes an option similar to Microsoft's Ribbon toolbar. With its emphasis on choice, MUFFIN is being well-publicized, although one documentation did worry that it would require LibreOffice's manuals to be completely re-written. However, while I like choice as much as anyone, while investigating I found MUFFIN an over-hyped and misplaced effort that is right in the middle of an old controversy in office suites.To start with, when I enabled MUFFIN from Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Advanced > Enable...Off the Beat: Bruce Byfield's Blog

Dec 21, 2016 GMT
A couple of weeks ago, I was writing about Echo Whisper Systems' Signal, which encrypts voice and text messages for Android and iOS phones. Signal is an essential privacy tool, and has become a standard part of my installations. However, as I started using it, I quickly realized that Signal not only offers some useful functions, but is also a rare example of security added so that average users will actually use it.In these days of anxiety, new security and privacy apps are popping up every few days. Most of them, however, do little to integrate into the desktop. All too typically, especially with distributions, they install a bunch of utilities, then leave users to figure them out for...Dec 15, 2016 GMT
Several weeks ago, I discussed taking a stand against unethical parts of your work. Ever since the American elections, this topic has been a concern for many, so I am not surprised to see a few publicly declaring themselves. I only wish that corporate leaders would do the same.I am talking about neveragain.tech, a statement signed by over 1400 tech workers. The signers include American employees of organizations ranging from Microsoft and the Mozilla Corporation to the GNU Project and the Kubuntu Council including such free software figures as Matthew Garrett, Matt Lee, and Valorie Zimmerman. Although the statement does not specifically mention Donald Trump, it is obviously a response to...Dec 07, 2016 GMT
Improving security and privacy is the most important issue in modern computing. Yet even Linux, whose architecture gives its a built-in advantage, is moving slowly on these issues. The prevailing attitudes and the innate difficulties of bringing security to the desktop mean that the progress is slow.To start with, despite the media attention of the last few years, many Linux users -- even many developers -- fail to see the urgency. They fail to distinguish the difference between the fact that Linux has the tools for security and privacy with how it is actually configured. In some circles, even mentioning that Linux might not be configured securely raises accusations of FUD (Fear,...Nov 30, 2016 GMT
On Google+, my colleague Swapnil Bhartiya has been reviving old claims. Free software applications, he proposes (perhaps playing devil's advocate) do not meet professional standards, and the Linux desktop will never be commercial grade. After seventeen years of using primarily Linux, I find myself unimpressed by either claim.For one thing, when people denigrate free software, what they often mean is that it is different from rival proprietary applications. It functions differently, and features have different names or different positions in the menu. However, instead of taking the time to learn, or to find the appropriate tool, they make a hasty judgment, influenced, perhaps, by the...Nov 26, 2016 GMT
A few weeks ago, I traded in my phone. I prepared the way I usually prepare when buying hardware, looking up the specs, and making a spreadsheet for comparisons, but the task didn't motivate me. When I realized I was avoiding the task, I took my spreadsheet down to the nearest mall kiosk and listened to the clerk's description of several of the most popular phones. But somewhere in the middle of the descriptions, I realized I had stopped listening, and bought one at random.Which phone I bought, I had suddenly realized, was irrelevant. One Android phone, I realized, would have the same apps as any other one, and I had been trying to be conscientious about differences that, on some level, I...Nov 22, 2016 GMT
How far would you compromise your ethics? In the aftermath of the election, this question is suddenly ruthlessly practical for Americans.It is one thing to make inquiries and plans to emigrate. These are still distant enough possibilities to be a mixture of sensible precaution and indulgent melodrama, like assembling an emergency survival kit. For every person who emigrates, there are likely to be dozens who remain where they are, and for those people, the problem of ethics are certain to arise in the next few years.Would you create or implement a database of illegal immigrants? Of Moslems? What about project management software for building a border wall or scheduling waterboarding?...Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The GNU Project Celebrates Its 40th Birthday
September 27 marks the 40th anniversary of the GNU Project, and it was celebrated with a hacker meeting in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
-
Linux Kernel Reducing Long-Term Support
LTS support for the Linux kernel is about to undergo some serious changes that will have a considerable impact on the future.
-
Fedora 39 Beta Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.