So … you think you know Linux, the operating system that is as much a product of evolution as invention.

Why not take our short History of Linux quiz.

We’ll score your results and let you know just how much open source credibility you have. And in the unlikely event you make a mistake, we’ll even tell you the right answer.

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Having failed to stop piracy by suing internet users, the music industry is for the first time seriously considering a file sharing surcharge that internet service providers would collect from users.

In recent months, some of the major labels have warmed to a pitch by Jim Griffin, one of the idea’s chief proponents, to seek an extra fee on broadband connections and to use the money to compensate rights holders for music that’s shared online. Griffin, who consults on digital strategy for three of the four majors, will argue his case at what promises to be a heated discussion Friday at South by Southwest.

Now if this is not the biggest bonehead idea that the music industry has come up with I have no idea what it is then, Baldy

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UPDATED: AOL has announced that it is purchasing Bebo, the British social network, for $850 million in cash.

“Bebo is the perfect complement to AOL’s personal communications network and puts us in a leading position in social media,” AOL Chairman and CEO Randy Falco said in announcing the acquisition.

“My vision for AOL is to create a global, market-leading, ad-supported digital media company,” Falco said. “From our perspective, Bebo is the best social media asset out there.”

As it prepares to strip away its waning dial-up business, AOL is looking to accelerate its transformation. With the acquisition of Bebo, AOL will have a global social media network of about 80 million unique users, the company said.

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For my money, the best desktop operating system is Linux — MEPIS and OpenSUSE at the top with Ubuntu closing in fast, to be exact. But everyone has their own opinion, and over at PC Magazine some old friends and coworkers of mine decided to compare all the most popular desktop operating systems: Windows XP and Vista, Mac OS X 10.5.1 (Leopard), and Ubuntu 7.10.

PC Magazine’s OS Wars article was well done and had some interesting results, but I have some thoughts of my own on some of its calls.

First, while Ubuntu does have a clear win in one category — price, of course — there are others where I would have given it higher marks. In the category of installation, the PC Mag staffers had Ubuntu tied with XP at the bottom of the barrel. I would put Vista below both of them. Even with Service Pack 1, Vista installation remains a pain.

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LVM creates logical storage volumes, and allows you to increase the size of your volumes painlessly on live filesystems. Smartctl uses your hard disk’s built-in Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) to test its health, and to warn you of impending failures. SystemRescueCD and Knoppix CD both include LVM, mdadm, and smartmontools when you need an external repair or management disk.

Manage Linux Storage with LVM and Smartctl

Web browsers are like surfboards for Internet users. Internet Explorer is still the most widely distributed browser, but it doesn’t take much scratching beneath the surface to discover that other programs provide better protection from phishers and other cyber-criminals. As an added bonus, the other programs are also generally easier to use and offer more functionality. The best known alternative browser is Firefox, from Mozilla. It continues to steal market shares from Internet Explorer, not least because it is considered a safer alternative.

Want Safer Surfing? Try Firefox