Hardware

Building an Ultra-Low-Power File Server with the Trim-Slice

Daniel Bartholomew — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:59:48 +0000

For the past several years, I've used a custom-built file server at my house. I've upgraded it many times, but it began life, as near as I can recall, in April 2000. When I say "upgraded", I mean the internals have been swapped completely on at least two occasions among other things. more>>

Here come the Ultrabooks

David Lane — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:07:04 +0000

A while back, the headlines from Computerworld arrived in my mailbox and one topic jumped out at me: Ultrabooks, expected to be hot at CES, could be boon for enterprise IT. Over the past weekend I actually saw two of them at my local big b more>>

Zorin PC

James Gray — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:23:26 +0000

After waiting like Job for the pre-installed Linux machines we deserved, we've arrived at a literal Garden of Eden full of worthy choices. A compelling new offering is the Zorin PC, a new mini-laptop that runs its own Linux distro, Zorin OS. more>>

Recycle's Friend, Reuse

Shawn Powers — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:47:55 +0000

Recycling is something we all deal with, or at least should deal with, when it comes to technology. more>>

Raspberry Pi: Tiny Computer That Runs Linux

Michael Reed — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000

700MHz processor, 256MB of RAM. It doesn't seem that long ago since I was running a desktop PC like that. However, these are the specs of a new keyring-sized computer to be released by a UK not for profit company. They hope to be able to sell it for $25 dollars a pop, and best of all, it runs Linux. more>>

Get Green, with Brown!

Shawn Powers — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000

The folks at Recompute have taken the notion of "Going Green" to a whole new level. They've made computer cases out of recyclable cardboard. We had the pleasure of speaking with Recompute's Brenden Macaluso and took one of their computers for a test drive. Here's what we found: more>>

The MosKeyto's Buzz

Shawn Powers — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000

A review of a USB drive might seem like a silly notion, but when the USB drive is barely bigger than the USB port itself, it seems worth mentioning. I recently was sent a LaCie MosKeyto USB drive, and I must admit, it's even smaller than I expected it would be. In fact, the cover to the Flash drive is actually bigger than the drive itself! more>>

PLUG And The Fender Mustang

Dave Phillips — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Recently I decided I needed a new guitar amplifier for my studio. Its sole employment would be studio work, so I looked for a small lightweight amp with a good sound, high-quality digital effects, and amplifier/cabinet modeling. Of course I'm always on the look-out for hardware that can be edited from a computer running Linux, and did I mention that a low cost would be nice ? more>>

Power Supplies

Shawn Powers — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:00:00 +0000

One hundred forty-seven dollars and thirty-nine cents—that is the cost for replacing a power supply for an old MiniITX computer system I found in my office. Mind you, the entire unit cost about $199, and that was five years ago, but still, the cost for a replacement power supply is absurd. more>>

The Move To Linux - Encrypted Disk Issues

David Lane — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:27:14 +0000

One of the standards that has become normal in the US federal sector is the requirement that all mobile devices, such as laptops, have encrypted drives. This was a direct result of a number of laptop thefts earlier in the decade that resulted in the supposed leaking of personal information. more>>

What Hardware Do I Have?

Joey Bernard — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:11:48 +0000

Often you may not necessarily know what kind of hardware you have—you may have a no-name box from a smaller company or a used machine. This month, I present the tools you can use to find out what you have installed. more>>

Small Systems and Big Iron: Linux on Non-x86 Computers

Kira Scarlett — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Discover the options for running Linux on PowerPC, ARM and Itanium. more>>

An Open Source 8-Bit Computer to Save the World

Miguel Hernandez — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000

At a recent local LUG I regularly attend, Braddock Gaskill gave a wonderful presentation on an open source 8-bit computer he had created. This was his first public debut of the device and every person in attendance was enthralled. more>>

The Mesh Potato

David Rowe — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:00:00 +0000

What do you call an 802.11bg mesh router with a single FXS port that automatically forms a peer-to-peer network and relays telephone calls without landlines or cell-phone towers? A Mesh Potato, of course. more>>

Bug Labs: Hacks and Apps

Alicia Gibb — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Use Bug Labs' modular, open-source system for building devices and find out what you can do with a fully integrated device development platform. more>>