Geek Software of the Week: Xboot!

XbootSo, you want to run multiple Linux distros from one (large) USB stick? Cool. Here’s a utility to help you set that up! Go forth and be geeky!

Xboot – A Utility for creating multiboot usb/iso

“XBoot is a easy-to-use utility for creating Multiboot USB/ISO. You may have seen many bootable ISO files like Linux live CDs, Anti=virus rescue CDs, etc. XBoot can combine these ISO files in to one Multiboot ISO file or create Multiboot USB in just few clicks.

Simply Drag and drop ISO files into XBoot and click the ‘Create ISO’ or ‘Create USB button.’ Support for some ISO files have been added, support for some other ISO files will be added later on the request of users.”

LibreOffice 3.4.1 is Released, But It Is Just Bugfixes

For business, stay with 3.3.3 for now, as I sadi before, but 3.4.1 has some bug-fixes. I like an active, vital Open Source community!

LibreOffice 3.4.1 fixes bugs, still not ready for enterprises

“The Document Foundation has released LibreOffice 3.4.1, a landmark update for its open-source, multi-platform office application. With its release, LibreOffice 3.4.1 is now the recommended build for all users except large enterprises, thanks to the bug fixes and improved stability that provide the focus of the release.
LibreOffice is an off-shoot of the OpenOffice project, development of which has stalled since many developers switched across to LibreOffice when it was launched in September, 2010.

At the present time, there are two versions of LibreOffice available: an older 3.3.3 build for enterprise users, plus the recently released 3.4.1 build for all other users. Enterprise users are asked to hold off deploying a 3.4.x build until version 3.4.2 is released at the end of the month.

LibreOffice 3.4.1 is purely a maintenance release, with no new features. However, users who are switching to the 3.4.x build from version 3.3.x, will find a number of a new features that were introduced in version 3.4, which are detailed at the LibreOffice website. These include improved compatibility with Excel spreadsheets in Calc, renamed Data Pilot component (now called PivotTable) and improved HTML export options in Impress and Draw applications.”

IE Numbers Falling, But So Is Firefox!

Wow! The browser wars are heating up. Internet Explorer’s numbers are falling, but so is Mozilla Firefox. I think it is because Google Chrome is just SO much faster, and Firefox memory issues are still slowing it down!

Internet Explorer usage is a falling rock

“First of the month means fresh browser usage data from NetApplications. Despite all the hoopla about IE9, Internet Explorer’s share, as measured in usage, declined (again) in June — to 53.68 percent from 54.27 percent in May and 55.11 percent in April. Internet Explorer 9 launched in March.

Firefox usage share dipped slightly — 21.71 percent to 21.67 percent month over month. Chrome continued its steady gains, up to 13.11 percent from 12.52 percent. Safari also nudged up, to 7.48 percent from 7.28 percent. Opera was the month’s other shocking loser, with usage sharing falling to 1.73 percent from 2.03 percent.
Google and Mozilla are now cranking out new browser versions every few months, pushing Microsoft to speed up, too. Already, Google has released three Chrome versions this year, and v13 is beta testing.

IE9 was supposed to be the browser that fixed Microsoft’s problems, according to NetApps. In January, IE share was 56 percent. A year earlier 62.12 percent, and 75.47 percent in January 2008. Unless Microsoft can reverse the ongoing trend, Internet Explorer’s global market share will fall below 50 percent sometime in the next 12-18 months.

As it has done in other months, NetApps spun Internet Explorer numbers around Microsoft’s risky bet on Windows 7. IE9 does not support Windows XP, which still represents most of the Windows install base. NetApps seems convinced that as more people adopt Windows 7, IE usage will increase.”