Articles by Jack M. Germain

New app choices have a habit of getting in the way of older favorites. Sometimes, a new approach or design can tempt you to give up one approach to solving a computing need by replacing it with another. That is the case with personal information manager (PIM) apps ...

It used to be that only hard-core film buffs carried video recording equipment on vacations. Unless your job required working with film, film editing software was not on most computer users' must-have list of tools. Maybe that is why until recently, few really useful film editing apps existed for the Linux platform ...

The Linux platform has several really good financial applications that are more than capable of handling both personal and small-business accounting operations ...

One of the lingering concerns potential Linux users have is the worry of leaving behind Windows software they have relied on for playing audio and video files. That used to be a valid concern. But it isn't something to worry about any more ...

Do you ever marvel at those step-by-step how-to product demos of software apps that end-users post on places like YouTube? It is often easy to spot these demo videos shot with cellphone cams or PC eye cams placed over the user's shoulder But two cool Linux apps give you a the ability to record directly to a file whatever's being shown on your compu...

Capturing a screen image is a basic computing task -- so basic, in fact, that almost every computer keyboard has a dedicated key to grab a picture of what the monitor is displaying in the instant the key is pressed ...

Have you cleaned up your Linux installation lately? On its face, that question might wrongly mark me as a Linux newbie, much like a Linux newcomer asking about antivirus and antimalware software. But I am far from being a newbie to Linux. That said, three program packages designed to clean out your Linux dustbins can keep your OS working like new I...

One of the hallmarks of using the Linux operating system is the ability to choose. The choices do not end with opting not to use Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X and instead choosing from among dozens of Linux distros. You also get the freedom to decide which individual software tools and applications are the best fit for your daily routine ...

One of the best productivity tools I had when I used Microsoft Windows was a collection of portable applications. I missed those tools when I migrated to Linux. Now several open source projects could make portable apps available to mainstream Linux users Three websites are trying to create that functionality. But the efforts might need more work be...

Typically, we use computers to help us track our information and organize our data. Most everything else involves the computer functions related to accessing and processing all that information ...

Audacity, an open source multitrack audio editor, has versions for Linux/Unix, MacOS and Windows. If all you do with audio files is play them, then Audacity could be much more than you need. This is not an application for organizing your music collection It has no fancy search and play functions. Sure, you can use it to listen to your music collect...

Have you run a virus scan lately? Nope? Don't need to, you say. That's because you run a Linux OS Think again. To quote the title line of Bob Dylan's third studio album, "the times they are a-changin.'"...

In my dumber days when I ran Microsoft Windows, I was more concerned with backup programs. After I moved into the Linux desktop, I became much less paranoid about system failures. The Linux environment just never crashed. That does not mean that I never make backup copies of my critical data files. It's just that I do not worry about the Linux OS ...

Today, if you're in need of a task manager application, you're looking at a category filled -- perhaps even overfilled -- with options. If you carry a smartphone, you probably have a to-do listapp in your pocket already Gone are the days when Linux users had to panic over finding asuitable clone for Microsoft Outlook like Evolution. Web-basedservic...

The founders of Lustre software technology company Whamcloud openedfor business in June with a lot of potential and years of experienceworking with high-performance computing. What they lacked from theirfirst day was any signed contracts Whamcloud Cofounder and CEO Brent Gorda still is waiting to sign thedotted line with his company's first custome...

Computer users today face a new round of attacks that pose newchallenges to both consumers and businesses. These new attack vectorsoften sidestep traditional security defenses. Hackers, supported byinternational crime gangs with deep pockets, are accostingconsumers and office workers with sophisticated technology The threat landscape is changing. H...

The world of open source software has ample choices for editing andmanipulating audio and video media files. But when you just want putyour feet up and relax, fewer really ideal options are available. Onesolid choice is the Gxine is a media player (See my review here). Butan even better pick is the VLC Media Player ...

My newfound favorite computing app is the desktop dock. Overthe last few weeks, I freed myself of dependence on the desktop icon tofind and launch the programs I use every day. My search for the idealdocking app came to a halt with Avant Window Navigator, also known as "AWN." ...

Corporate execs and IT managers may soon get clearer answers to fuzzy questions regarding how secure or insecure cloud computing really is In an effort to solve that lingering mystery, the non-profit Open Security Foundation (OSF) late last month launched its cloutage.org website. The new website is aimed at empowering organizations by providing cl...

I have a problem with Linux! It has too many cool ways to navigate thedesktop and launch programs. I fell in love with the really awesomeGNOME Do recently and started a feud with myother computing personas. One relishes the panel, and another isenamored with the desktop draped in icons of my always-used programs ...