On Sears.com and Wal-Mart.com — two sites that sell cheap Linux-based PCs — potential buyers post questions like, “Which version of Windows does this have?” and “Can I run Windows applications on this?” While either the Mirus SITLC420 or the Everex gPC TC2502 might be an option for technically savvy people who want to dabble in Linux, these machines are very poor choices for the folks the two stores usually cater to.

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A security researcher and Mac fan has discovered that the latest Apple operating system keeps plain-text copies of user passwords in RAM with no security at all.

I want to hear one more Mac fanboy tell me just how secure a Mac is! I have been saying otherwise for a while now and was ignored, Baldy

 

Mac OS X flaw reveals passwords [News]

Most portable audio players can play music encoded in the MP3 audio format, but some consumers also have music in Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, MPC, or even WMA files. How do you change from one format to another when you need to? Here are some of the best audio conversion tools available in Linux. One of the simplest and most elegant ways to convert audio files is by using the audio-convert script. It makes use of Zenity to display GUI messages and windows, but does the rest of its work from the command line.

 

Audio conversion tools for Linux

Give office workers familiar with the Microsoft XP operating system an opportunity to try the same navigational tasks at a Linux-based desktop. Then step back and wait for the reaction. First will come the surprised look. Then questions like “where did the command line go?” will soon follow. That’s the typical scenario Morgan Spencer, public sector industry manager for Novell, often sees played out whenever he participates in Linux displays at enterprise conventions. The government in Munich, Germany, runs on Linux.

Can Linux Stage a Coup D’Etat?