Articles by Jack M. Germain

Sunbird Calendar could prove to be one of your most useful tools. ...

The more I delve into open source photo apps for Linux, the harder thechoice becomes to use just one photo management solution. I keepfinding photo managers that outdo my previous picks ...

Backing up data on my multiple Linux computers has always been a gray area for me. The process of backing up data for me boiled down to convenience and cockiness. I thought my no-app backup procedure was a better option. That twisted view nearly resulted in a data disaster for me recently Having multiple computers all storing the same data tends to...

A yet-unseen malware variant dubbed "Typhoid adware" could allow cyberattackers to prey on portable computer users tethered to unsecured WiFi connections at Internet cafes and other public places This potential threat is lurking wherever consumers gather to use free Internet access points. The hidden new threat has none of the tell-tale symptoms of...

The drawback with using most note-taking applications on any platformis that they are limited in the type of data you can put into them.For instance, simple text editors ignore Internet and content links.Plus, you cannot import graphics. Even word-processing programs, whichovercome the links and graphics deficiencies, lack the tree structurethat makes storing and viewing notes quick and useful...

Regardless of your take on the iPad as a do-everything replacementdevice for laptops and netbooks, other e-book readers (EBRs) aregaining a substantial foothold. Devices such as the Kindle and theNook provide access to volumes of literature and documents withouthaving to lug a fully-functional computer around ...

If you are on the hunt for a do-everything photo management app, checkout Album Shaper. Considering its solid, user-friendly design, Album Shaper is packed with a hefty toolset offeatures that newcomers to image manipulation programs willappreciate ...

Diary writing apps are nothing more than glorified text editors with anarrow focus. Keeping a daily diary for personal life commentary is atask that many people restrict to traditional paper-and-pen entries.Keeping a daily journal of work-related entries is more suited toelectronic entries ...

A growing recognition of the business benefits predictive analysisprovides is positioning newcomer Revolution Analytics into a key role to help adopters of theR programing language migrate from legacy offerings. Until a recentfunding infusion and a refocus of marketing goals, the startup didbusiness under the name "Revolution Computing." Revolution...

Note to those avoiding Linux: Yes, you can do desktop publishing. You cando it with Scribus One of the most frequently recurring comments I hear about why somebody -- especially in a small-business environment -- will not migrate toLinux is the alleged absence of a desktop publishing (DTP)application. I think this is one of the most under-reported...

When it comes to designing Linux apps, one program's look and feeloften is too much like others' in a particular category. So app developersoften rely on feature sets and ease-of-use tricks to distinguish theirprograms from others in the field. The GnomeBaker CD/DVD Writer is a good example ...

Voice over IP (VoIP) technology is getting a makeover, and service providers hope it will reinvent the industry. There's a shift away from VoIP toward hosted unified communications -- that is, integrated voice, instant messenger, email, workflow applications, CRM and procurement Eight companies formed the Cloud Communications Alliance at the Cloud ...

It's difficult to talk about the Gxine multimedia player as a separate app fromXine. Both do pretty much the same tasks -- let you watch videos and listen toaudio files. Both of these apps hale from the same Linux library of codecs andother gutsy stuff, Xine-lib. The key difference between these almost identicaltwins is the family lineage each one serves...

Fast and cost-friendly video conferencing could son become as commonplaceas cellphones at home and at work, and the firm Vidyo hopes to cash in on the trend with a new, specially designed architecture The New Jersey-based startup recently took the wraps off an HD-quality personal telepresence it designed to take high-def video conferencing into the...

Using a scanner in Linux is somewhat different than using that samescanner hardware in Windows. This week's Linux Picks focuses on howthe XSane scanner app handles that process ...

Lucid Lynx, Canonical's latest desktop release of Ubuntu(10.04), sports a new look and feel designed to attract new users, both in business and at home ...

The ubiquitous CD/DVD platter may be on its way to Legacyville, onetown away from the FloppyTown and the once-popular ZipDisk City.Large-capacity USB and micro disk storage media go where the CD/DVDcannot go -- small mobile gadgets ...

As business offerings go, Go800'splan is simple: It gives mobile consumers a quickkeyword connection to a call-back from vendors. The vendor's ad lists an easy-to-remember keyword, a ready-to-buy viewer texts that keyword to Go800, and a moment later the viewer's phone rings with a call from the vendor. The system attempts to bridge the chasm between text/SMS and old-fashioned tollfree numbers, noted the new company's president and founder, IkeSutton...

Rhythmbox, anintegrated music management application, was originally inspired byApple's iTunes. This open source app works on the GnomeDesktop and is based on the powerful GStreamer media framework ...

Gnome Commander, an advanced twin-panel graphical file manager for the Linux OS, brings back memories of mypre-Windows days. That is an era when graphical shell programs werepopular before the Microsoft DOS (Disk Operating System) desktop gaveway to the Windows 95 GUI (Graphical User Interface) ...