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Joe Barr
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Joe Barr is a freelance journalist covering Linux, open source and network security. His 'Version Control' column has been a regular feature of Linux.SYS-CON.com since its inception. As far as we know, he is the only living journalist whose works have appeared both in phrack, the legendary underground zine, and IBM Personal Systems Magazine.
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A first look at Ximian
Desktop 2 By Joe Barr Joe Barr is happy to have
a Ximian desktop again,
and hopes he doesn't have
to go a long time without
it in the future. Want a
polished desktop? Give it
a try! Jun. 1, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 13,782 | Why the best news for
Linux is still to come By Joe Barr While conspiracy theories
are fun, Joe Barr is
certain of two things.
One is that Linux is
going to continue its
inexorable march to the
desktop. The second is
that the Microsoft
monopoly is not going to
go gentle into that good
night. May. 28, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 21,796 | Mandrake 9.1: Can
installation get any
easier? By Joe Barr At the risk of sounding
blasé, Mandrake 9.1
is a pretty standard
distribution, and
consists of the latest
KDE, GNOME,
OpenOffice.org, Xine,
Apache, MySQL, PHP, and
PostgreSQL. The PowerPack
version comes with
60-days of support via
e-mail. The higher-priced
... May. 20, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 13,300 | SCO suspends Linux sales,
Torvalds reacts By Joe Barr SCO CEO and President
Darl McBride said the
company is 'alerting
commercial users to the
fact that legal liability
for the use of Linux by
businesses may extend to
end users.' (300 words) May. 14, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 11,282 | Is Windows 2003 Server
really faster than
Linux/Samba? By Joe Barr Microsoft claims Windows
2003 Server is twice as
fast as Linux, at least
when it's used for file
serving. I spoke to
Jeremy Allison, head of
the Samba team, who
provided a few insights
into the test
configurations that don't
leap out at the reader
because they are... May. 9, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 40,211 Replies: 4 | Scratching that
programming itch By Joe Barr In the late 1980s, I
wrote an online bridge
game for Portal. The
world has changed a lot
since then, but the itch
remains. I decided to
scratch the old itch
again: I'm writing a
bridge game, this time
for online play over the
Internet and on Linux. May. 6, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 12,328 | Getting frugal: Red Hat
Network's low-cost
upgrade to Red Hat 9 By Joe Barr I decided to put my Red
Hat Network subscription
to greater use. I
normally use RHN to run
up2date at least weekly
so I can keep up with the
latest security fixes and
updates. This week, I
decided to download the
iso images of 'shrike'
(Red Hat's code-word for
its... Apr. 25, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 10,919 | Catching up with WINE By Joe Barr With all the chatter
accompanying two
WINE-related
announcements over the
past week or so, Joe Barr
thought it might be a
good time to take a long
look at the WINE project
to see what all the fuss
has been about. (1,400
words) Apr. 21, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 22,445 | How to install another
hard disk By Joe Barr Here are the basic steps
to adding 120 gigabytes
of storage to your Apr. 14, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 25,626 Replies: 5 | Open source making
headway in Texas
government By Joe Barr Over the past two years,
Texas has become ground
zero in the war between
proprietary and
free/open-source software
for use in state and
local government. Our
unilateral correspondent
gives an update on three
key battles in the Lone
Star state. (1,700 words) Mar. 24, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 12,567 | Linux at NASCAR.com: It's
the pits By Joe Barr In monitoring his
son-in-law's performance
in the Busch Series, Joe
Barr discovers that
NASCAR.com is packed with
great information and
features for racing fans.
Unfortunately for Linux
and Macintosh users, the
site's most-exciting
feature -- streaming
audio and v... Mar. 17, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 13,453 Replies: 3 | SCO's lawsuit is funny,
but not 'ha-ha' funny By Joe Barr Showcasing a questionable
understanding of the
history of Unix,
open-source software and
computing in general,
SCO's lawsuit against IBM
has sent shockwaves
rippling across the IT
community. Parts of SCO's
complaint would be
laugh-out-loud funny if
only the possib... Mar. 10, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 15,904 | Two OCR packages for
Linux compared By Joe Barr Now that Linux boasts
full-featured office
suites, there's no reason
it can't become a boon
for small- and
home-offices. Joe Barr
compares two Optical
Character Recognition
packages -- Kooka & Gocr
(free software) and OCR
Shop (proprietary) --
that may be of speci... Mar. 3, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 25,879 Replies: 3 | Opera shows graceful,
humorous response to
Microsoft blunder By Joe Barr In the Browser Wars'
latest scrap, MSN
'optimized' Opera
browsers by sending
instructions to shift
text 30 pixels to the
left. Opera responded by
releasing a humorous
'Bork version' of its
Windows browser, but
Microsoft's track record
in dealing with
competitors... Feb. 24, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 23,630 Replies: 5 | Making MySQL, ODBC &
OpenOffice 1.0 work
together, Part 2 By Joe Barr OpenOffice.org is more
sophisticated and
powerful than I realized.
It can be made to work
with various
database-management
systems, and it can do
the mailmerge functions
required by many SOHO
types. Ease-of-use issues
need attention. Feb. 17, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 31,091 Replies: 6 | Trail of tears: MySQL,
ODBC & OpenOffice 1.0 By Joe Barr Thanks in no small part
to a helpful how-to piece
by John McCreesh, Joe
Barr shows us how to get
ODBC, MySQL and
OpenOffice to treat each
other with respect. And
don't forget to tune in
next week, when Joe tells
all regarding his
attempts to use MySQL
from within ... Feb. 7, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 59,460 Replies: 6 | TightVNC: Remote X the
secure, fast & easy way By Joe Barr Looking for a software
solution to help him
access his home desktop
remotely, Joe Barr finds
even more than he'd hoped
for in TightVNC. (1,470
words) Feb. 3, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 26,835 Replies: 1 | Larry McVoy on BitKeeper,
kernel development, Linus
Torvalds & Bruce Perens By Joe Barr The story of how
BitKeeper became Linus
Torvalds's (and many
other kernel hackers')
tool of choice in
maintaining the
Linux-development tree is
worthy of a book. Here's
the Cliffs Notes version
of McVoy's contribution
to Linux kernel
development, BitKeeper,
and ... Jan. 27, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 28,295 Replies: 1 | Meet the Perens (Part 2):
Secret preloads,
Bitkeeper and TCO By Joe Barr Bruce Perens, former
Linux/Open-Source
strategist for HP,
advises Joe Barr about
hot-headed journalism
tactics and sounds off on
Bitkeeper, pre-loaded
Linux PCs and the
ever-fervent Windows vs.
Linux TCO debate. Jan. 17, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 15,531 Replies: 1 | Meet the Perens By Joe Barr Bruce Perens, the former
Linux/Open-Source
strategist for HP, talks
to Joe Barr about his
work with the Cyber
Security Policy Institute
at George Washington
University, his new
Prentice Hall book series
and his life since
departing HP. (1,300
words) Jan. 13, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 15,103 | 10 Linux predictions for
2003 By Joe Barr It's the time of year
when columnists make
shots in the dark about
what will happen in the
next 365 days, and Joe
Barr is no exception.
Plus, we review how well
Barr did last year.
Editor's advice: Don't
listen to his Super Bowl
predictions. (1,550
words) Jan. 6, 2003 12:00 AM Reads: 16,512 | Getting started with IRC By Joe Barr IRC is that information
dirt road for hackers,
right? Well, yes and no.
It's a whole lot more.
Here are the basics to
getting started with IRC.
(1,550 words) Dec. 30, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 13,927 | Seeing through the
Linux-Windows TCO
comparisons By Joe Barr Help for managers who
want to undertake their
own TCO study. We look at
three current real-world
scenarios to learn what
elements should be
included in TCO
calculations. (2,650
words) Dec. 19, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 15,714 | 'Tis the season to frag
with Linux By Joe Barr At wit's end due to
crowded shopping malls,
miserable weather and
that FAO Schwartz song
that plays over and over
and over until you lose
your mind? Have no fear:
an open-source,
first-person-shooter game
called Cube can help
relieve some of your
stress, and Joe B... Dec. 9, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 13,211 | Three reasons for
newbie-centric culture
shock By Joe Barr Ever since his own jump
to open source, Joe Barr
has been hearing
complaints from Linux
newbies and never really
bought into any of them.
Until now. Joe points out
three major obstacles for
anyone making the jump to
Linux and explains how
the operating system's
us... Dec. 3, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 14,390 Replies: 7 | Mandrake 9.0 speeds into
the installation lead By Joe Barr The pluses for Mandrake
installation are its
speed and the absolute
ease of obtaining and
applying updates. It
completely obliterates
the Windows contenders in
both the update category
and the installation of
attached devices. (1,900
words) Nov. 25, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 12,975 | Xandros 1.0: Easy on the
eyes, easy to install By Joe Barr Joe Barr tests the
installation process for
the sample version of
Xandros 1.0. Our hero
finds that the
Distribution Formerly
Known As Corel Linux
isn't just pretty... it's
pretty darn easy to
install, too. (2,200
words) Nov. 18, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 14,865 | Knoppix makes a great GUI
installer for Debian By Joe Barr The configuration process
on a normal Debian
installation can be
daunting. Knoppix
automagically identified
and configured everything
for me, making a normally
tedious (for me)
installation a 40-minute
walk in the park. (1,300
words) Nov. 4, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 23,724 Replies: 1 | Linux vs. Windows
installation comparo,
Part 3 By Joe Barr First, we compared the
reinstallation of Windows
2000 to a fresh
installation of Red Hat
7.3. Then we brought in a
newbie to install Windows
XP, on the theory that
the latest Windows would
be the state of the art
in convenience and speed.
In this installment, we
c... Oct. 21, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 15,956 | What's new with HP's open
source efforts By Joe Barr What's up with Linux and
open source at HP these
days? No Linux or open
source people have lost
their jobs at HP. Given
the current downtrend in
the technology sector as
a whole these days, that
says a lot about HP's
intentions. (1,700 words) Oct. 14, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 12,966 | Linux vs. Windows
installation, part 2:
Shoot-out at the XP
Corral By Joe Barr Joe Barr responds to
reader feedback about his
recent Red Hat vs.
Win2000 install
comparison and accepts
the challenge to put
Windows XP installation
up to the test. Will
Windows enthusiasts win
out and force Joe to eat
crow, or will Red Hat
remain the quickest an... Oct. 4, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 19,242 Replies: 6 | Getting the Mandrake
version of ViaVoice
running on Red Hat 7.3 By Joe Barr If you are a committed
Linux user running an
RPM-based distribution
with a need for ViaVoice
Dictation, I recommend
that you beg, borrow, or
steal a copy of the
Mandrake PowerPack
Edition 8.0 instead of
trying the IBM commercial
offering. Part 2 in a
series. (1,200 words) Oct. 2, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 7,973 Replies: 1 | How to get IBM ViaVoice
Dictation running on Red
Hat 7.3 By Joe Barr The boxed version of
IBM's ViaVoice Dictation
for Linux is one of the
most poorly delivered
commercial offerings I
have seen for Linux or
any other platform. If
you need voice
recognition software, get
Mandrake or SuSE, which
bundle ViaVoice
Dictation. Sep. 23, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 10,566 Replies: 2 | Balancing your books?
GnuCash is the answer By Joe Barr Joe Barr walks us through
his experience with
GnuCash
personal-accounting
software. His conclusion?
GnuCash is good enough to
trust with his miniature
donkey farms
bookkeeping. Sep. 16, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 11,455 | Taking Kylix 3 for a test
drive By Joe Barr The trials and
tribulations of one man's
attempt to code a 'cute
little demo application'
using using the C++
features of Kylix 3 Open
Edition (K3OE). (1,400
words) Sep. 9, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 8,504 | Why Kylix 3 doesn't
support Red Hat 7.3 & how
to fix it (maybe) By Joe Barr Do not try this at home.
Do not run Kylix 3 on an
unsupported distribution
unless it makes no
difference to you if the
product works or not.
Just want to play, learn,
or experiment? Fine, but
to develop code you
intend to use or
distribute, no. (1,600
words) Sep. 2, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 8,456 | A Linux you can try
before you even install
it By Joe Barr Knoppix is an 'instant
demo' distribution. You
make (or buy) a bootable
CD, plop it in your CD
drive, and reboot. Voila,
THAT is your
installation. (1,200
words) Aug. 19, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 16,918 Replies: 3 | Is Windows or Linux
easier to install? By Joe Barr I expected Windows 2000's
installation would be
seamless, fast, and
lightyears ahead of
upstart Red Hat's by any
measure I could concoct.
It turns out the Windows
2000 Pro installation is
superior to Linux, but in
two dubious categories.
(2,000 words) Aug. 12, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 17,543 | Why Microsoft is
exhibiting at LinuxWorld
Expo By Joe Barr What would motivate
Microsoft to participate
in an event celebrating a
cancer-causing,
communist-inspired,
anti-American miscreant
of an operating system
called Linux? (1,200
words) Jul. 29, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 11,490 | A first look at
StarOffice 6.0 By Joe Barr StarOffice is a complete
package. It's no longer
free as in beer, but it's
a good buy, especially if
you get it as part of a
bundle such as a Linux
distribution or Ximian's
Red Carpet Express.
(1,000 words) Jun. 10, 2002 12:00 AM Reads: 7,778 |
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