Stories by Katherine Noyes

Chrome OS holds firm against hackers at Pwnium 3

The Pwn2Own 2013 and Pwnium 3 hacking competitions may have both taken place in the same locale last week--specifically, the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, B.C.--but the differences in their outcomes could not have been more striking.

In Pictures: Meet Mageia, a rising Linux star

If the world of Linux distributions has ever had a rising star, it's Mageia. Read on for a brief tour of Mageia's interface and features.

New Asus PC comes with Ubuntu Linux preloaded

The announcements may be coming fast and furious out of Google I/O today, but the Nexus Q and other products unveiled there aren't the only exciting new technologies to appear on the horizon this week.

Microsoft delivers a blow to open source with visual studio 11

Microsoft has already ruffled more than a few feathers with the exclusionary potential of its forthcoming Windows 8 operating system, and this past week the open source community has been up in arms again.

Android 5.0 to launch with five Nexus devices: Report

When Android 5.0 “Jelly Bean” launches this [southern] Spring, it will appear first on several new mobile devices sold by Google itself as part of the “Nexus” line.

For a lightweight Linux desktop, try the new Xfce 4.10

Choice is one of the best parts of the desktop Linux world, where there's a distribution to suit virtually every taste and purpose.

Google Drive for Linux is on the way

The Google Drive launch has been one of the big announcements of the week, but it was a fairly unequivocal disappointment for one vocal category of users: Linux users are justifiably miffed that the new cloud storage service doesn't support the free and open source operating system.

Chrome OS gets a desktop feel with new 'Aura' interface

Google's Linux-based Chrome OS may have started out as a pared-down operating system focused heavily on the browser, but a new interface that debuted on Monday is starting to feel a lot more traditional.

Ubuntu Linux comes preloaded on two new laptops

As a fan of Ubuntu in particular and Linux in general, I'm always interested when new devices come out with my favorite operating system already installed.

Ubuntu Linux 12.04 'Precise Pangolin' reaches final beta

With just a few weeks remaining before the final release of Ubuntu Linux 12.04 "Precise Pangolin," Canonical has released the second and final beta version of the free and open source operating system.

Ubuntu Linux 12.04 one-ups Windows and Mac, Shuttleworth says

The first beta version of Ubuntu Linux 12.04 “Precise Pangolin” was launched late last week, giving fans of the free and open source operating system an early glimpse at what to expect in the final release due next month.

Ubuntu and Slackware named top desktop Linux distros

The world of desktop Linux is often portrayed these days as a battle primarily between longstanding leader Ubuntu and up-and-coming challenger Linux Mint, frequently with the suggestion that Mint is winning.

20 popular Ubuntu Linux apps you may want to try

As Ubuntu Linux continues to grow in popularity, most discussions of it tend to focus on the basics of the operating system itself, including especially details about its desktop environment and user interface.

Speedy Firefox 9 beta versions take their place in line

Hard on the heels of the release earlier this week of Firefox 8, Mozilla on Thursday released the beta versions of the next Firefox in line.

Need Linux skills? 12 places to learn online

As more and more companies turn to Linux for mission-critical operations, making sure IT staff have the necessary skills is becoming more important than ever.