As we are well aware, the One Laptop per Child project has gotten a lot of publicity lately. And as would be expected, major companies are taking note. Intel’s ClassMatePC is one example of a similar product. I was reading that a version of Mandrive Linux 2007 will come pre-installed on the ClassMatePC systems.
It’s often the most flashy and rapidly-developed open source applications that get the most attention. Most people focus on projects like Beryl, Metisse, Firefox, OpenOffice.org and Ubuntu. But we can’t forget the importance of the open source software an average user doesn’t see every day. This is a list of nine such programs and libraries.
For many years now I have been a user of a wide variety of open source software systems. Linux, FreeBSD, and NetBSD have found a place on my home systems, as well as on numerous systems I have set up for various companies and individuals. And since the start of the OpenSolaris project, I have began to consider the use of NexentaOS and SchilliX. While most Linux distribution use the GNU tools and libraries, systems like FreeBSD and NetBSD have their own userland utilities and libraries. Nevertheless, such systems also use or support software like GCC, X.org and KDE.
I know a number of people who advocate the use of Xubuntu on resource-constrained desktop systems. But there has recently been talk about how the resource usage of Xubuntu is growing at a rapid pace. Along these lines, today I read an article that considers the use of Ubuntu Lite as an alternative to Xubuntu for those with low spec computers. I haven’t used Ubuntu Lite myself, but I would like to make a recommendation of an open source UNIX-like system for low-end desktop computers: NetBSD.
As most Ubuntu users know, GNOME is the default desktop you’ll get once your installation has finished. For many people that is fine and dandy, but there are others, myself included, who prefer other desktops over GNOME. I have a preference towards KDE, so the Kubuntu distribution appealed to me. Others prefer XFCE, and so a distribution like Xubuntu may be what they’re looking for.