Issue 113 (Christmas 2008) - Build your own distro
Your software, your style, your skills -- have Linux your way and get the distro you've always wanted
The voice from the trenches: our reader round table tackles the biggest issues in free software
Get mobile broadband working with your Linux laptop
On the 4GB DVD: Linux made easy with Mandriva One 2009. Plus: OOo 3, Gimp 2.6 and 466 pages of tutorials
Tutorials on KDE 4, Python game programming, Gimp printing and the Postfix mail server
Features
Build your own distro
Freedom means never having to put up with someone else's vision of what Linux should be. (Paul Hudson, Daniel James) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Readers' round table
We venture outside LXF Towers to meet a few readers and discuss life, Linux and the lack of cheap parking in Bath. (Mike Saunders, Graham Morrison) Click here to read!
Ultimate Ulteo
LXF decodes the lifestyle marketing and hyperbole to explain what Ulteo is, why it's important and what it could do for the average Linux user. (Graham Morrison) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Mobile broadband
Can you really use Linux on your laptop while on the move? We look at the latest mobile broadband offerings and see how well they work. (Neil Bothwick) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Easy-to-use Live Linux distro. Plus: Zenwalk 5.2, OpenOffice.org 3, Gimp 2.6 and 466 pages of tutorials (PDFs) (Mike Saunders) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
HotPicks
BashStyle-NG, Blosxom, Chromium, Ignuit, Lzip, Lighttpd, Makagiga, OHRRPGCE, SMPlayer, Sockso (Paul Hudson) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Tutorials
First steps
Learn to use KDE 4's Dolphin file manager, and tweak the desktop to your exact liking. (Andy Channelle) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Coding: shuffle and shift tiles
With a few simple nuggets of PyGame nous under your belt, it's time for a more complicated game. (Mike Saunders) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Media: Karaoke and cartoons
We explore a little-known corner of the Inkscape universe and take a crash course in karaoke compilation. (Marco Fioretti) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Gimp: Printing and colour
Gimp, CUPS and Gutenprint are a fellowship that can lead you on your quest for high quality prints. (Michael J Hammel) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Postfix: Build an email server
Who says that only big corporations can have a fully customised email system? Here's how to build your own... (Marco Fioretti) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Reviews
Vendetta Online
We strap into the acceleration couch for a spot of massively multiplayer space exploration, but is there anybody out there? (James Carey) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
US Robotics 56k USB modem
Even in the age of broadband, an old-fashioned plug-and-play modem is still a useful gadget. (Graham Morrison) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Canon MP610
Graham finds that putting ink on paper has come a long way since his parents bought him an Okimate. (Graham Morrison) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Ardour 2.5
Can the latest update tempt musicians, sound engineers and producers away from proprietary tools? (Daniel James) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Budget PCs
Always shy to open his wallet, Alex checks out some PCs perfect for the discerning modern pinchpenny. Tested: Acer Aspire SA90, CIS PC5E, EfficientPC Wraith, Esys EPC A40001L, Yoyotech AMD Primate (Alex Cox) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
More
News: BBC to deliver on iPlayer promise
Spooks, Coast and QI downloads almost ready for Linux and Mac OS X. Plus: OpenOffice.org 3 released; EVO Smart Console; Mono 2; Cisco seeks Linux coders; Airbus A380s with Linux inside (Andy Channelle) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
Distrowatch: Distrowatch
PC-BSD 7.0: FreeBSD 7 and KDE 4.1.1 provide the sound basis for this popular and easy-to-use package. Plus: gOS 3.0, Foresight Kids Edition, worldwide distro popularity (Susan Linton) Available as a PDF to subscribers.
