Bruce Byfield

Last year, I wrote how the number of Linux distributions listed on Distrowatch seemed to be declining. Specifically, the number had dropped from 323 in 2011 to 285 in December 2014. Eleven months later, the decline seems to be continuing at about the same rate, with the number of active distributions down to 276, and […]

With better data – and more of it – comes improvements in efficiency and better, more informed business decision. At least that’s the thinking behind the boom in Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Most American and British business leaders agree, according to new study from Aeris, a provider of machine-to-machine (M2M) and IoT solutions and […]

Mention the year of the Linux desktop, and you are guaranteed to get a laugh. The six words have become a catchphrase, with the implication that it will never happen. But, even more importantly, the laughter indicates a change in attitude. Where once Linux advocates were out to change the world, for many today, using […]

An overly enthusiastic attempt to upgrade using Debian Unstable has temporarily left me without KDE. As disasters go, it’s a small one, since I can easily restore from backup, but until I have time for repairs, I’ve fallen back on Linux Mint’s MATE. The experience is making me aware of all that I miss in […]

Having just passed its thirtieth birthday, the Free Software Foundation has plenty to celebrate. Having begun as a fringe movement, free and open source software has become the backbone of the Internet, transforming business as a side-effect. Yet for all is accomplishments, the one thing it has not done is capture the popular imagination. As […]

As a Canadian, I can be polite to the point of pathology. Yet my reaction to the discussion of politeness on the Linux kernel list is decidedly mixed. Partly, my own sense of politeness makes me think that anyone not involved in kernel development has no business having an opinion on the topic– which means […]

I used to write manuals, so no doubt I consider documentation more important than most users. But whatever the reason, I am increasingly convinced that if desktop Linux applications are ever going to receive the attention they deserve, they need not only to have documentation, but to have the right sort as well. For a […]

A modular laptop built with a Raspberry Pi. An ergonomic, programmable, mechanical keyboard made from slabs of maple, so it looks like a solid-state electric guitar. A device that plugs into a wall socket that allows you to control devices from your smart phone. What do these and hundreds of other devices – from wearable […]

The conventional wisdom is that the desktop is obsolete. Laptops, phones, and tablets are supposed to have replaced it. Yet the desktop remains the form factor of productivity, unchallenged in its niche, especially for free software users. The alternatives — obviously — offer the portability that desktops were never intended to have. Just as importantly, […]

Every ten months or so, a small distribution starts with the goal of making Linux look more like Windows. Among the latest are ChaletOS and Apricity OS, which if nothing else look like thoughtful exercises in design. Yet after so many similar efforts, I have to wonder whether a Windows-like desktop will do a thing […]